September came and went very quickly. The River Town Outreach Corps has been out in the field quite a lot this month maintaining trails and helping out at events. We spent a day clearing low hanging branches, removing trees of heaven, and picking up trash along the Greene River Trail between Fredericktown and Rices Landing. The corps also spent a day on the first mile of the Warrior Trail in Greensboro. Our team repainted all the trail blazes that we saw, making it easier for hikers to follow the trail. We also trimmed any low branches and removed all impeding debris from the trail.
Friendship Hill National Historic Site near Point Marion saw our crew a few times in September. We were there for a full day of trail maintenance to cut branches that were in the way of the path. This prepared the trails for FestiFall, a celebration of the life and times of Albert Gallatin at Friendship Hill National Historic Site. We took those who were interested on guided hikes through the trails that we cleared during the festivities.
Our corps spent many days painting this month. We all painted the stage building in Rices Landing, pulled poison ivy off the building, and hammered in nails that were starting to come out of the stage. The new white paint looks really great now. We also repainted the caboose in California next to the public library. Thanks to Marah receiving the Fresh Paint Days grant we were able to get all the paint and supplies for free for this project. I spent a couple days helping out painting the caboose, and it looks amazing now compared to what it looked like before.
The Buy Local Summit was this month in Connellsville. Rachael from the Trail Town Outreach Corps and I gave two hour long presentations on outdoor recreation opportunities in the area. I covered some fishing tips, where to canoe and kayak, Leave No Trace principles, and some local outfitters. Rachael went over hiking and biking trails and State Parks around the area.
I spent one day this month driving along the Monongahela River for the Mid Mon mapping project. I am helping out the Brownsville Area Revitalization Corporation with confirming public ramps and docks on the Mon and taking pictures for the map. The new map will be available for boaters next spring.
The Mother Earth News Fair was at the end of the month, and I had a great time learning about gardening and farming techniques, how to pickle vegetables, how to prepare when disaster strikes, and much more. There was also tons of delicious food and amazing display tents with some really original crafts and supplies for sale.
