Hitch 6 report

Program Name: Finger Lakes National Forest
Dates: 8/9/10- 8/16/10

Culverts under Interloken turnpike- 3
Laid 6x6’s for Interloken turnpike- 12
Burnt Hill drain dips- 10
Installed carsonite posts- 5
Native Plant restoration- 900 plants

With the privy nearing completion we were able to focus our attention on our next big assignment, installing turnpikes along the Interloken, Gorge, and South Slope trails. Of the three the Interloken trail turnpike will be the biggest challenge. Since the trail is so low and muddy we started by installing 3 large culverts (two 10 inch and one 12 inch) underneath the future turnpike. The ground was so wet it nearly took our boots off with every step, and made digging the trenches for the culverts quite the challenge. However, as always, we persevered and by the end of the first day all 3 culverts were in the ground.
On the second day we took a break from the turnpiking to check out Empire Farm Days, the largest farm show in the Northeast. While at Farm Days we learned new techniques on breaking in horses, how to identify invasive insect pests, new farming methods, and even taste tested new products such as June berries and new strains of corn.
On day three it was back to work again. We helped Rebecca and four Green Mountain National Forest employees plant over 900 native plants at a site that was treated for the invasive Vinca, aka Periwinkle, plant last spring. The planting took the entire day. It was a nice change of pace to plant a native plant rather than to cut down and uproot an invasive plant. All summer long we have been removing invasive plants so it was good to finally put something in in their place.
On the fourth day of hitch it was back to the turnpike. We dug drainage ditches into and out of our culverts and laid the 6x6’s that will hold the turnpike in place. Like the culverts on day one the mud made it difficult to lay in the 6x6’s in place. It took a full day and the morning of day five to finish laying in the 12 6x6’s. After we finished laying in the 6x6’s and staking them in with rebar we headed up to the northern end of the forest were a tree had fallen across the Interloken trail. Scott was able to clear the tree with the chainsaw. They rest of the afternoon was spent installing carsonite posts at trail heads on the northern end of the forest.
On the morning of day six Marc, Holly, and Ellen moved a sign that was in the wrong place on the Interloken trail while Scott and Kevin scouted some boardwalk that needed work near Foster Pond. Afterwards we went to the Burnt Hill trail between Burnt Hill Road and the Interloken trail to build drain dips. We were able to finish 3 drain dips on day six, and finished off the last seven on day seven before heading to the South Slope trail to clear another downed tree.
As usual, we spent the last day of hitch cleaning tools, breaking down camp, and doing administrative work.