Rochester Area Sports Trail Alliance
September 17, 2014 Meeting Notes
Present: Larry, Angus, Dean, Doon, Greg, Holly, Dan
Next RASTA Meeting:
Date: October 15, 2014 (Third Wednesday!)
Time: 6:30 pm til 8:30ish
Location: Dan&Peg McKinley’s House, 122 South Main St.
(RT 100) Rochester.
National Public Lands Day Project!
Tentative Topics:
1. DisasTour Race logistics and planning
2. Project Updates: Granville, Glades, Braintree Forest, Lowlands,
Highlands, BC Single Track
3. Braintree Mountain Forest Glade Work Day!!! Oct 25 &26
4. Backcountry Forum II November 6, 2014 (save the date!!)
Sep 17 Notes:
Topic: RASTA Membership and CTA Pilot Chapter
You can now become a WINTER MEMBER of RASTA by joining in Catamount Trail Associations (CTA).
It’s soooo easy! Just use this membership page http://www.rastavt.org/membership/ from RASTA
web site and you’ll be supporting your local winter trails club. CTA’s coupon book comes with
membership and it’s got some great deals.
AND, don’t forget you can join RASTA SUMMER by joining Vermont Mountain Biking Association
from this same RASTA web page and support RASTA’s ‘summer’ trails efforts!!
You don’t have to join RASTA SUMMER and RASTA WINTER unless you rrrrreaaaaalllllyyyyy love
RASTA.
Topic: Project Updates
Granville Trails – no news
GMNF Glades – Forest Service working on environmental assessment. The proposal will be going out to
the public very soon so the FS can learn of concerns and support from interested publics.
Braintree Mountain Forest/New England Forest Foundation (NEFF)- RASTA and NEFF have signed a
Memorandum of Understanding to develop and maintain back country ski glades in the area know
locally as Braintree Mountain Forest (BMF)!!! Whoop Whoop!! THIS IS REALLY BIG NEWS!! The trails
on the privately owner BMF have been generously opened to walkers and skiers for years. Now NEFF’s
has agreed to allow RASTA to cut up to 3 glade areas. This year we’ll do a test glade off Skidoo
Mountain and evaluate how the glade cutting and use works with the NEFF’s forest management plan
and other trail uses. Many thanks for Zac Freeman for making this happen and to Angus McCusker for
making the maps for NEFF to consider. A dynamic duo to say the least.
SAVE THE DATE FOR A BMF GLADE CUTTING WORK DAY(S) OCTOBER 25 & 26!!! Tell a friend. Details
to come.
Highland trails – no news, a few die hards have been chipping away at RASTA’s first trail on Rochester
Gap.
Lowland/Valley Trail – no news. If you’re interested in working with us on this effort give me a holler.
Hopefully we’ll start outreaching to landowners and land managers this winter.
Randolph Trails – no news, still working on MOU’s with two large landowners.
Topic: Backcountry Ski Forum II Nov 6th Pierce Hall Rochester, VT
Check out this year’s forum event on Facebook, invite your friends and like Vermont Backcountry
(VTBC). VTBC is planning a big raffle that skiers and riders wont’ want to miss.
Discussion will revolve around: Dun Cochran’s BC Skiing Survey results; BC ski/ride zone projects around
the state; BCVT’s draft “Backcountry Ethic”; and what’s the future of VTBC.
We’ll have food and cash beer/wine and some sweet raffle items. See you there!
Topic: DisasTour Race October 18th!! Save the date!!
RASTA is the new host/sponsor for the 4-year old Triathlon featuring a paddle, ride and run course in the
Blueberry Lake area of Warren, Vermont. Proceeds will benefit RASTA’s trail building fund and
Rochester Relief Fund – a local non-profit helping families in Rochester and surrounding communities.
This is a fun event that can be done by teams of 3-4 or rugged solo “Iron” men and women.
Share this link with your friends! http://vtdisastourtriathlon.com/ and get a team together to
challenge the course!
RASTA needs lots of volunteers to put on an event like this. Give me a holler if you’d like to be part of
putting on this FUNraiser for RASTA and a local charity (TBD). AND, if you’d like to be a sponsor with a
financial contribution that would be greatly appreciated!!
Topic: National Public Lands Day (NPLD)
RASTA and US Forest Service team up to win a small grant to purchase a tool cache for trail building.
The accompanying NPLD project was removal of trail bridges the Hancock Branch Trail that has been
damaged by flooding on a few occasions. The trail is being removed from the Green Mountain National
Forest trail system die to the high maintenance from repeated flood damage. Many thanks to RASTA
members Larry Straus, Kinley Tenner, Mike McDonnell and Lucy McDonnel for volunteering!! And
special thanks to the Green Mountain National Forest recreation staff Seth, Dave and Holly.
Respectfully Submitted,
Dan McKinley
RASTA Scribe
RASTA monthly meetings are open to everyone and we’d love to have you come. They’re a very social event. If you just want to
come and sit and listen or chat with others about your favorite sport or if you’ve got a topic you’d like to bring before the board
and members you are always welcome.