Dear Members,
Many of you are probably awaiting news about what will happen with BWAC May trips. As the COVID-19 situation is evolving from day to day, it has not been easy to forecast the future. The BWAC Board of Directors met on April 7 with May trail clearing trips at the top of the agenda. The board heard the advice of our volunteer attorney, suggestions on mitigating risks from a BWAC member who is also a physician, and decided that even if the MN Stay Home order was lifted, to cancel the trips in order to protect the volunteers and potentially, the communities we visit. Trip participants will be able to get a complete refund, or credit the registration toward future trips or make a tax-exempt donation to BWAC by contacting their crew leaders.
There is good news too. BWAC recently signed a Volunteer Service Agreement (VSA) with the U.S. Forest Service. This agreement allows BWAC to maintain the Powwow Trail for the next three years. What’s more, the Forest Service is very impressed by the magnitude of the BWAC volunteers’ accomplishments on the Powwow Trail and indicated that they will begin working on several improvements on the PWT this spring. Based on our discussion, we hope that the campsites will be restored or replaced within three years.
Another positive fact is that last year, BWAC completed cutting 99.9% of jack pines from the trail. Were those jack pines not removed from five miles of trail, we would need to devote 3-4 crews just to clear much bigger pines from trail this fall.
What are the future plans? We hope that as the plague subsides, to engage in small group survey hikes on the Powwow to determine which trail segments will need most work after winter storms. Depending on the Governor’s order and directions we may organize crews of 4-5 in summer to lower the health risk. And we are all looking to go on trips starting Labor Day weekend and through October.
Your enthusiasm, the engine that drives volunteer organizations like BWAC, is high. This was manifested by having all but one of eight trips filled to capacity--67 registrations--and again on April 9 when thirty-three volunteers attended the crew member training via Hangouts video conference. Keep your spirits high and look forward to trips later this summer and fall, because in addition to volunteering, BWAC has one hundred Powwow Trail maps/bandannas to give away to 2020 crews.
Thank you for keeping in touch and we will communicate with you again before the end of April, when we may be able to tentatively schedule local hikes.
Regards,
Martin Kubik, BWA Committee, Founder and President