ALWAYS  - ALWAYS - ALWAYS...
use a good strong bug repellenant when doing trail work.
Use it especially around your shoes, ankles and lower pants legs.
I almost always use it and, the one time I don't, it get a bite. I didn't even feel it but I ended up having to get on some doxicycline (antibiotics).
The bite initially itched then showed some swelling eventually turning a blotchy red then a strange brown and now its very dry and red. I believe its improving now.
My doc and I didn't think it was lyme but are treating it as such...just in case.
So, wear long pants, use bug repellant especially on your pants, lower legs, ankles and shoes.
But - get out and do some trail work...it'll make you feel good!

ASR Trail Care crew Marianne Swann, Bill Swann and Billy Moffett got out and opened up a new section of trail with the direction of Trail Boss and 18 Hours Scouts Honor founder, Cycles Ed. It was a hot day but once we were done, looking back over the work, we were excited! We worked on and finished 3 sections that will be a blast to ride.

Watch here for announcements of riding and/or working the trails at the Scout Camp!

Swannee

Team,

Mr. Nature must have done more than leave the toilet seat up…………Mother hasn’t been this pissed in quite some time!!

Hopefully he can redeem himself this weekend with some chocolates and maybe a red rose or two.

As a result of Mom Nature’s current mindset we are postponed for just about everything….including trailwork.

 

We are hoping that Pa Nature chooses the best of chocolates and roses and soften her attitude a little so we can dry out a bit.

If so, we are hoping to get back to tending the trails.

 

Look for more information in regards to trailwork on upcoming dates: 2/20/10 and 2/27/10.

Since the postponed date was a Team Trail Date, we will extend that opportunity to both 2/20 and 2/27.

 

Thanks for all you do and we hope to see you out there.

 

Marianne Swann

Richmond ASR

Trail Care Liaison

THIS JUST IN:

Team,

As promised, here is one of the Team Trail Work opportunities that is available in place of the postponed Team Day which was originally scheduled for this Saturday, 2/13.

 

If you can make it out to Forest Hill Park on Saturday, 2/27/10, please make sure you sign in and out with Nathan Burrell in order to properly document your time.

 

Also, make sure you email your time to me within one week of the event: ossie195@verizon.net.

We will also need your signed paperwork.

 

Thanks again for your continued support of our valuable resources.

 

All Hail Mother Nature!!

Marianne Swann

Richmond ASR

Trail Care Liaison

 

From: Richmond MORE [mailto:Richmond_MORE@mail.vresp.com]
Sent: February 11, 2010 10:28 AM
To: Marianne Swann
Subject: Forest Hill Park - Let's plant some trees!

 

On February 27th we will be working with Friends of Forest Hill Park, Forest Hill Civic Association, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, RA-MORE and the City of Richmond Parks and Recreation Department  to reclaim the old trails on the eastern side of Forest Hill Park. The Friends of Forest Hill Park have purchased $3,000 worth of native and specialized plants to go along with the 1,500 hard wood saplings that Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay has donated, as well as all the plants that RA-MORE volunteers dug up and staged from the new trail corridor. 

This will be a fun day planting trees in the park,  so come out and get to know your park neighbors and fellow organizations helping to make this project a reality.  This is a family friendly event so please bring the kids. We look forward to seeing you all there!

Event: Forest Hill Park Trail Reclamation

Date: Saturday, February 27th

Time: 9:00 Am - 1:00 PM

Meeting place: 42nd Street Parking lot in Forest Hill Park

Bring: Gloves, Water, and a digging tool if you have one 

 

Team……Update for this weekend’s Team Trail Day.

Location: Forest Hill Park – Picnic Hill off of 42^nd St. (off Forest Hill Ave.)

Time: 9:00 a.m.

 

We will be assisting Nathan and RA-MORE with clearing the corridor for the new trail development.

 

As always, dress for the weather.  Layers, layers, layers!!

Work gloves, sturdy shoes/boots.

Bring hydration and a snack.

 

If you are unsure of the location just email me and I will assist you with finding.

Also, in case of inclement weather conditions please look for an email from me or check http://richmond-more.org/

 

Looking forward to seeing everyone out there!

Team,

 

Happy New Year!!!! 

I hope 2010 proves to be a prosperous year for everyone….not only financially but also in family, health and racing!!!

 

We will start 2010 off in the right direction by giving back to the fabulous trail system that provides all of us with such joy and adventure!!

Our team trail day will be Saturday, January 9^th.

 

As you all know, there are several exciting projects in the works and ASR is proud to be a partner in getting them underway and complete.

As soon as I hear details from Nathan I will provide an update as to our first Team Day of 2010.

 

Please save SATURDAY, January 9^th, on your calendar.

Come on out and give 1 hour or many hours…….just come out!

 

Looking forward to seeing everyone on the trails.

 

Marianne Swann

Team,

Our final Team Trail Day for 2009 will be this coming Saturday, 12/12/09.

We will continue our work on the Maymont Ramp, finishing up the last bit of the hill at the very top.

 

Please consider coming out even if you can only give an hour……it’s an hour well spent.

 

Please meet at Hampton & Kansas Aves. On Saturday 12/12/09, at 9 a.m.

In case of inclement weather, please either check the MORE website or look for an email from me.

 

As always, remember to dress in layers, bring gloves, wear sturdy shoes.

Bring hydration and a snack.

 

Wear your Holiday Cheer!!

 

Marianne Swann

Richmond ASR

Trail Care Liaison

ossie195@verizon.net

Team,

There is excitement in the air!!

I have attached two different emails both outlining information on upcoming projects in and around James River Park.

 

Project #1: Building Stairs at the Climbing Wall

Work starts this coming weekend, November 21, 2009. 

"Nathan has identified the following work days for the Manchester Climb Wall Staircase, Nov.21, Dec. 5,12,19, Jan.5,9, and 16.  If you know you will be there let him know. Nathan.Burrell@richmondgov.com

 

Also of interest is a proposal to create a James River Park System license plate that could generate funds for park improvements.  See the attachments for information from the members of Friends of the James River Park & send your questions to warren.foster@martinagency.com."

 

Project #2: A Makeover of Forest Hill Park

See the attached email for info on the upcoming MORE meeting, November 18, 2009.  Nathan Burrell will be outlining the plans for upcoming work in Forest Hill Park. 

"Greetings Fellow Mountain Bikers and Trail Enthusiasts,

Our next club meeting is this Wednesday November 18th at 6:30pm at Maldini's Italian Restaurant. Their address is 4809 Forest Hill Ave. They may be contacted at (804) 230-9055 for directions.  

We have a number of things to discuss but the most exciting news is Nathan Burrell's talk on Forest Hill Park. Nathan will present a plan and a proposal to the club for improvements to the Forest Hill Park trail system. The improvements include some major trail re-routes, new bridges, and some reclamation work. You've probably heard rumors about this and it's been no secret that this was going to happen. What's exciting is that the work will be completed this year and not in five years as previously planned. Come to the meeting and discover how RA-MORE, the City of Richmond and various other community organizations are going to make this happen. That's right, an extreme makeover for Forest Hill Park this year! 

In other news, Benjamin Mack and Wade Puryear from Elk Hill School will attend the meeting and discuss RA-MORE's involvement in building multiuse trails on their 300 arce property in Goochland County. This is an opportunity that was recently presented to us and we are excited by the possiblities.

Greg Rollins will discuss recent developments on the Westview project.

As always, Bill Wright will discuss the club's finances and pending fundraising efforts.

Please join us for an information packed evening at Maldini's this Wednesday.

We look forward to seeing you there! "  

 

If you make it out to volunteer your time, don’t forget to forward me your hours.

 

Regards,

 

Marianne Swann

Richmond ASR

Trail Care Liaison

ossie195@verizon.net

Team,

What a terrific day to be outside!!!  Work on the “stairway to heaven” brought out about 20 to 25 volunteers.  We accomplished a great amount of work fixing up the existing rockwork and adding new.

 

We encountered many groups of trails users from hikers, runners, and mountain bikers from near and as far as the wilds of Harrisonburg!!  All groups were highly interested in the work at hand and appreciative of our efforts.

 

All in all…it was a fun day sharing laughs and hard work with fellow trail enthusiasts and friends!

 

I will keep you posted on any and all work efforts forthcoming.

 

Our  next ASR Team Trail Day will be on Saturday, December 12^th.

 

Please remember to forward your trail work hours to Marianne at ossie195@verizon.net 

Here are a few photos of the day:

 
 
 



UPDATE TO TEAM TRAIL DAY , NOVEMBER 7TH

Due to the Richmond Marathon taking place on Saturday, November 14^th, we have changed the date of our ASR team trail day.

 

This coming Saturday, November 7^th, is our new date.

We will be working in conjunction with Nathan Burrell of the James River Park System and Wayne Goodman of RA-MORE.

 

Work Location:  Hodson’s Ramp…..aka. Stairway to Heaven

                                Located at the western end of North Bank Trail behind Maymont Park.

Meeting Time: 9:00 a.m. - for as long as you can stay

Meeting Place: at the work site

What to bring: Yourself of course, work gloves, sturdy boots or shoes, dress in layers, hydration, snacks, lunch if you are staying for a while

 

Giving back to the community is part of our Mission Statement.

Our sponsors are motivated by that commitment and expect us to strive to make a difference.

 

We need all team members to commit and be a part of the ASR effort to give back

 

Come out to help, bring a friend……..stay for a few hours or only one.

Just come out and get involved.

 

If anyone needs directions, don’t hesitate to reply to this email and I will provide.

 

Looking forward to seeing everyone on Saturday!

 

Marianne Swann

Richmond ASR Trail Liaison

Ossie195@verizon.net

mswann@richmondasr.com

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Team,
Our ASR team trail day for November 2009 is moving from the 14th to the 7th due to the Richmond Marathon.
We want to ensure that all team members can participate in the race or cheer on friends/family.

That said, we hope to see everyone out for our ASR team trail day on Saturday, November 7th.
Details of the work have yet to be released.
Please check back for further details.

Thanks,
Marianne Swann
ASR Trail Liaison

Team,
We had a great work day on the Buttermilk Trail on Saturday, October 10th. 
Alot of work was done by a few bodies.

Here are a few photos of our completed work.

 

Team,

Our first Team Trail Day for the 2009/2010 season will be next Saturday, October 10^th.

We will be joining Nathan Burrell, Trail Manager for City of Richmond Parks and Recreation, for maintenance within the James River Park.

 

We will be working to decrease the grade of the trail, at the juncture of Buttermilk and Boulevard Bridge, by backfilling the tread and adding stone pitching to harden and give traction for hikers and bikers.

 

Work Location: Buttermilk Trail at juncture of Boulevard Bridge

Meeting Location: Reedy Creek Visitors Center

Meeting Time: 9:00 a.m.

Meeting Date: Saturday, October 10th

 

For those who cannot meet at 9:00 a.m. you can join us at the work site.

 

Remember…….bring gloves, wear sturdy shoes/boots, wear layers, bring hydration and a snack.

 

If anyone needs directions just email me back and I will provide.

 

In the case of inclement weather, I will send out an email early Saturday morning.

I will also post this information on the ASR website on the Trail Maintenance forum and blog.

 

Looking forward to seeing everyone out there.

 

Marianne Swann

Richmond ASR

Trail Care Liaison
mswann@richmondasr.com

Team,

 

Below are dates that Richmond ASR will be working. These are the team days that are worth double hours which is how we are keeping count.

Even if the points don’t mean anything to you, please consider that they matter to the team in regards to sponsorship and 501C3 status.

It is through these hours that we report our impact on the local community.  In fact, trail hours actually are measured at $10/hour for non-educated (those folks who haven’t been to any trail classes) and $17/hour for educated or certified individuals.

 

But also – these are YOUR trails – if you don’t take care of these trails, they WILL NOT LAST. So please, keep these dates on your schedule and come out and support your team and your trails.

 

We are working with all the local land managers to line up projects/work sites and will impart that info to you as the dates near.

 

Thanks so much and we look forward to seeing you not only riding the trails but also maintaining the trails!

 

October 10^th

November 14^th

December 12^th

January 9^th

February 13^th

March 13^th

 

 

Marianne Swann

Richmond ASR

Trail Care Liaison

mswann@richmondasr.com

CALLING ALL ASR TEAM MEMBERS!!!!!!

Saturday, August 8, 2009.......10:00 a.m.
Trail maintenance is scheduled at Brady Saunders Boy Scout Camp in preparation for the Scouts Honor 18hr race.

THE DETAILS:

TRAIL WORK -
Trail work will begin promptly at 10 am and will be required in order to pre-ride the course! 
No trail work, no pre-ride!  The trail work is not extensive and should not take long to complete with a bunch of help!  We will return to the start/finish line for some lunch and we can head out for the pre-ride in the afternoon. 

Pre-ride
You may pre-ride the course in the afternoon until your content or 9 pm whichever comes first!  A big thanks in advance for the trail work to be completed.  Come out and show your labor of love for some of the sweetest single track we have in the mid atlantic region.

LET THE RACE BEGIN!!!!