Winona Forest Recreation Association Fall/Winter 2013 Newsletter Officers & Directors President Carolyn Rees Vice President Mike Bellinger Secretary Mary Shadduck Treasurer Tracey Westerlund Ski Director Stephen Fitzgerald Snowmobile Director OPEN Snowshoe Director Matt Westerlund Running Director Kenny Burd ATV Director Open Trail Director Keith McKittrick Musher Director Frank Caldwell Trail Committee Keith McKittrick-Chair Mike Bellinger Frank Caldwell Membership Paula Brillo Trail Rehabilitation Continues Our trail crew and volunteers are the best ever!! This summer, thanks to DEC providing material, we have rehabilitated Frank s Fancy North (.7 miles), using over 120 yards of stone (approximately 160 ton or 320,000lbs)! AGAIN as much was brought in by bucket and cart to repair water holes and wet areas on Dogleg and Tail trails! Moving on to southern trails; the men have been hard at work on portions of Bill s Belly, already placing over 8 dump truck loads of stone. DEC is working hard to rebuild Sycopath snowmobile trail so it will be a fully functional groomed trail connecting to corridor trails to the hill! Jefferson County has been working on Goldspike trail. This will make this trail wide enough for the larger groomer and drag to get through to Bishop Rd, thus circumventing the portion of Brown Rd that is now being plowed. Goldspike, however, will not be completed until next year. What s all this for??? YOU..the people that enjoy the trails, to provide safe and quality trails for your favorite recreation! Join or Renew now! Winter is right around the corner!! This year s rainy summer and cooler weather kept the black flies and deer flies at bay.and we really didn t miss that part of the traditional summer. It gave us many opportunities to enjoy the beauty of the forest in peace. This spring, summer & fall brought many visitors to the forest. Equestrians camped at the designated campsites and enjoyed days of great riding and quiet campfire nights. It was common to see people, including groups and families on their mountain bikes taking on the trails. Runners enjoyed the newly rehabilitated trails daily using the event loop and main trails for a varied terrain. ATV riders were quite happy to pass through the forest on their way to and from the hill, stopping for a quiet break on the unique trails of Winona. Now it is time to get those snowmobiles, skis and snowshoes out of the mothballs and get ready for snow..because this year promises to be awesome! Our groomers are ready for action and our groomer operators are ready to go! Events are in final planning stages and all we need is SNOW! Remember, those trails we have been working so hard on to make them awesome? They will be groomed awesome too. But, we need your support...join or Renew NOW! New Ginzu Groomer has arrived! To enhance the grooming process of the non-motorized trails and the event course, thanks to your support, we have finally purchased and taken delivery of a new Ginzu groomer! Assembly of this great piece of equipment is in progress and we can t wait to get it out on the trail. Expect great things this coming season. If memberships and donations continue to grow we will be able to continue to provide great quality trails. Don t wait for the snow.send in your memberships & donations NOW!
page 2 2013-2014 Calendar of Events WFRA Meeome! 6:30 pm Social time 7:00-9 pm Meeting Mannsville Search & Rescue, Rte. 11, Mannsville, NY December 14, 2013 WFRA Annual Holiday Gathering @ 11 North, Pulaski, NY 6-9 PM Join The Team! New membership opportunities for January 2013-2014 11, 2014 with Team Winona Apparel Winona Scholastic Classic XC Ski Race Memberships are now due! WFRA membership year is April 1-March 31. We now offer tiered Winona Memberships. When you renew your membership for 2013-2014, we will send you a Team Winona hydration bottle with your membership card to fill with your favorite January 19, beverage 2014 of choice. Additionally, we now offer higher levels of membership, each with its own special gift, Winona which Stone include Wall free 5K Snowshoe event registration, Race gift certificates, and Team Winona apparel only available through these memberships. See membership form for details and descriptions. DOWNLOAD your membership application February at winonaforest.com/membership.html 22, 2014 Annual Winona Forest Tourathon Volunteer to help at an event!! March 1, 2014 All you have to do is sign up to be a volunteer WFRA and turn Vintage your Sled Show voucher at the event to receive your FREE Winona T-shirt!!! For the latest info go to www.winonaforest.com More info below in following articles Refer a Friend, relative or anyone you know! Your membership packet includes a card for referrals. Just sign your name on the card and you will receive a free T- Shirt or Event Coupon when your referral joins WFRA with that card. WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT! KEEP THE GROOMERS RUNNING! JOIN, RENEW & DONATE NOW! Annual Workday & Cookout For the third year in a row we had a rainy workday. The sun peeked out late morning and we still were able to get a lot done. Lots of good food was enjoyed by all after a hard day's work. Thank you to all who gave their time and effort to make this day a success. Annual Membership Meeting & Elections It was a wonderful evening of camaraderie, good wine and good people to support our annual membership meeting and elections Positions filled were: Carolyn Rees, President; Tracey Westerlund, Treasurer, and Kenny Burd, Running Director. There were no nominations for Snowmobile or ATV director positions.
page 3 2013-2014 Calendar of Events WFRA Meetings are held the 2nd Wednesday of every month Everyone is welcome! 6:30 pm Social time 7:00-9 pm Meeting Mannsville Search & Rescue, Rte. 11, Mannsville, NY December 14, 2013 WFRA Annual Holiday Gathering @ 11 North, Pulaski, NY 6-9 PM January 11, 2014 Winona Scholastic Classic XC Ski Race January 19, 2014 Winona Stone Wall 5K Snowshoe Race February 22, 2014 Annual Winona Forest Tourathon March 1, 2014 WFRA Vintage Sled Show For the latest info go to www.winonaforest.com More info below in following articles Or go to www.winonaforest.com for the latest info NEW Phone Number: 315.286.0375 Contact via email is the best way to get in touch. We have a new phone number for those who cannot reach us via email or in an emergency situation. This is not a trail conditions line. Please visit the website at www.winonaforest.com/conditions.html WFRA Holiday Gathering Please join us for a fun night of good food entertainment @ 11 North Bar & Grill, Rte. 11, Pulaski, NY. on Dec. 14th. at 6pm A dinner buffet will be served with a choice of Oven Roast Turkey, Roast Beef au jus and Lemon Pepper Chicken with sides of garlic mashed, vegetable medley and tossed salad. Live Entertainment will begin at 8 pm featuring Rich & Lorna Acoustic! They are great!!!! Cost is $15 per person. Please email your reservation to info@winonaforest, call Carol at 315.599.7181. This publication brought to you in part by PTNY www.ptny.com
Snowmobiling page 4 Snowmobilers! IT S NOT TOO EARLY! Get your vouchers now by joining online at www.nysnowmobiler.com or mail in the linked printable membership form. DMV now offers online registration. Go to https://transact.dmv.ny.gov/registrationrenew/?stype=s for NYS Residents or http://www.dmv.ny.gov/oosno/default.html for Out of State Registrants Join now! Register early! Support the clubs where you ride!! The earlier you join the more funding available for the clubs this season! WFRA membership year begins April 1st so don t wait! Snowmobilers who enjoy the family friendly trails in Winona Forest have some good news and some bad news. The DEC is working on Sycopath, the trail that will get you from Hessel to Diamond Rd without riding the road. The DEC has been very busy hauling in stone and gravel to get it in shape for grooming this winter. That will be a nice upgrade and eliminate some road riding and provide a connection to the corrider trails north of Lil John Preserve and Barnes Corners. For those of you who attended the public hearing on the Unit Management Plan (UMP) for the forest or read it know that there are changes coming when the plan is passed. There will be no snowmobiling on Frank s Fancy (between Hessel and Bargey) or Dogleg (off Bargey). These are some of the nice, woodland trails that snowmobiling families have been able to enjoy the last few years. There is also more logging planned for the forest. For those of you who rode in the forest last winter you probably encountered logging activities on Hessel and Bargy. Winona is a working forest and the logging will continue. Care is needed in these areas when riding. Trees are marked in the forest on the northwest side of Wart Rd and also off Bargey near the Hiscock and Winona Way ski trails. This could be where the next logging activity happens. Unfortunately we do not have a snowmobile director on the Board of WFRA at this time. We have been asking and advertising on the website and on Facebook. We need snowmobilers to become active members and advocates for snowmobiling. If you enjoy the family friendly riding on great trails please consider becoming an active member of WFRA. Snowshoeing Winter 2013 really brought out the snowshoers to Winona Forest. Was it the varied terrain, deep snow, or the available backcountry trails? Or was it that all trails are open to snowshoers? Probably it was a combination of all those things, but how great to see families and friends out shoeing the forest. As I said, all trails are open to snowshoers, but some just seem to be most popular. Larrabee trail, which used to be called Raspberry trail, easily accessible from P2 (Center / Bargy Rds.), seems to be often used by snowshoers. It is a long back country trail, which gives you a true out in the wilderness feel. If you would like trail suggestions and descriptions, feel free to e-mail Matt at snowshoerace@gmail.com. All snowshoers will come together to celebrate winter at the Stone Wall 5k snowshoe event January 19. This is a family event that fits all ability levels. Try to run some of it if you want, loaner running snowshoes are available for $5. Reserve ahead of time, we run out. The Stone Wall 5K Last season, Winona s Stone Wall 5k was a huge success. With plenty of snow, coupled with a great course, walkers and runners enjoyed heading out into the trail-less back country on a 3 mile snowshoe course set up for just this event. Expect much of the same for this season s race, set for January 19, 2014. No snowshoes no problem, loaners are available for a nominal fee. What a perfect way to enjoy winter with family and friends. E-mail snowshoerace@gmail.com for more information. (Snowshoe continued on pg.6)
page 5 Cross Country Skiing Husks are tight on the corn this year and that means a cold winter according to one seasoned farmer on Tug Hill. Over the summer months, many truckloads of crushed stone supplied by NYS DEC allowed WFRA volunteers to complete additional hardening of non-motorized trails at both the northern and southern ends of the Winona system. Essentially, this material filled low spots where water and mud impede grooming. Before the ski season gets fully under way, consider taking a hike or bike ride to appreciate these improved trails. Just remember that Winona is a multi-use forest visited by hunters during the legal hunting season which concludes in early December. WFRA now has a well-organized and well-equipped grooming team committed to maintaining trails for classical and skate skiing as well as snowshoeing and backcountry skiing. Fat-tire biking on snow is also an option. A new large-footprint roller was built by one of our volunteers this summer. This same individual also completed a grant proposal for a new tracked vehicle to replace the Tucker. A response to this grant request is expected by December. The new Ginzu groomer has been delivered and will be ready for routine trail grooming and race course preparation. A Scholastic Race for approximately 100 high school skiers on cross-country teams from Camden and Sandy Creek has been scheduled for 1/11/14. This 10K classical race will start at P1 and should wrap up by mid-day. Consider skiing the 10K course after the young hot-dogs are finished. Due to limited availability of a Technical Director, WFRA will not hold a Try-It race this season, but the 50K Winona Forest Tourathon is scheduled for 2/22/14 with the start again at the CCC camp on Route 90. For the Tourathon, Jamie Wilson will be Event Director and Larry Wilkinson will be Technical Delegate. Volunteers who have supported the Tourathon in past years will be welcomed back this season. Check Winonaforest.com or WFRA Facebook page for details. Finally, for public use, the DEC has installed privy facilities at both the CCC Camp and P1 parking areas. Winona Forest Tourathon The Tourathon will be held on Feb 22, 2014. Details will be posted on the website & Facebook. Registration links will be posted there as well. Unfortunately, The TRY-IT will not be held this year but a recreational ski may be scheduled for a date in late February or early March. Mushers Consider training here in Winona all year long. Winona Forest is a popular training ground for your sled dogs. Come enjoy the great trails! The dog sled races were not held this past season due to the lack of help and involvement for the PSDC to hold the events. However, there is a possibility that the sled dog races will be on again for this season with the help of WFRA to not only provide groomed trails but to help with volunteers needed to hold and sponsor the races. For this to happen though, we need mushers and anyone interested to step up and volunteer to help put this event together!!! Email musher@winonaforest.com Running Winona Forest maintains trails for skiers, snowshoers, and snowmobilers, but do you know what trails are open to runners? Hint all of them! Over the last year many runners have enjoyed the wide variety of trails and seasonal roads as well as opportunities to design an endless number of running routes. It is all possible in Winona with the many interconnected windy trails as they crisscross seasonal dirt roads. It could be a 2+ mile run to a 20+ mile marathon training run; Winona Forest has the trails for it. Although running in the forest has become increasingly popular, it is still a rarity to see another runner while enjoying the trails. In the early spring 2014 we will be scheduling regular group runs for all skill levels. See the Winona Facebook page for details. Four reasons why 2014 is going to be the year you discover trail running in Winona: 1. safe accessible parking area (P1) with a newly constructed bathroom. 2. endless running route possibilities with miles of mixed terrain trails and roads. 3. once you experience the trail running in Winona Forest it will become your favorite running location and 4. things you don t want to miss...the upcoming running events like The SNIRT 6K Trail Race. (continued next page)
Cut out your pocket map & laminate for easy reference! page 6 Running (cont.) The 1st Annual SNIRT 6K What is a SNIRT run you ask? It is our early spring Trail Race on mostly dirt, but sometimes snowy, trails. The adventurous souls will thoroughly enjoy the dirt, mud, and most likely snow while running this course. This non-motorized event encourages all skill levels from walkers to adventure racers. You are guaranteed to thoroughly enjoy yourself during this race and will be back for more. Registration begins early December. For race registration see the Winona Website. The Bill, Jim & Winona 10k Snowshoe Loop If you are looking for a great snowshoe or backcountry ski loop, try this 6 mile loop. Parking at the Wart Rd. parking lot, head out Bill s Belly. Stay on Bill s Belly until you reach Shady Shuttle. Pick up Jimmy s Jaunt, and head to Winona Way, which you will use on your return back to the Wart Rd. parking lot. Be sure you have a trail map with you to help guide your way. This loop offers you an opportunity to get out in the back country heading out, while returning on Winona Way which will likely be groomed. The loop is best for snowshoers, but doable on skis, as we have not yet received approval from DEC to build bridges for a couple creeks on northern sections of Bill s Belly, so crossing could be challenging on skis. This loop will eventually be the Bill, Jim and Winona 10k snowshoe race. Ranger s Corner WFRA works closely with the New York State DEC. Please obey signs and use trails for their designated purpose only. Trail use designations are listed on our website at www.winonaforest.com/trails.html. DEC & WFRA have worked hard to build and maintain trails for all to enjoy. Any concerns can be sent to info@winonaforest.com.