Family Trail
Not exactly an accomplishment yet, but we're trying.
We have a dream of creating some easy single track trails for kids and families to learn to mountain bike on. The majority of trails in our local state forests are either hiking trails which go straight up the mountain or are very rocky, very muddy ATV trails. Neither type trail is suitable for a beginner. We've proposed creating and legalizing a big beginner level singletrack loop in the Pittsfield State Forest which we refer to as the Family Trail.
Most of these trails already exist and were little secrets until this year. Now they are used regularly by high school running teams and little old ladies as well as mountain bikers.
We submitted our proposal to the State in August 2009 and found out much to our dismay that the majority of the Honey Bear Loop is actually on private proerty even though the State has brand new markers indicating it is State Land. But it's okay because the land owner is receptive to allowing mountain bikers on his land.
The big hang up at the moment is that Mass Natural Heritage has not returned their evaluation of the proposed project. Progress is agonizingly slow.
Family Trail Map. Red = Existing SingleTrack. Yellow = Proposed New Trails.
Letters of Support
To: Mark.Todd@state.ma.us
Cc: robert.mellace@state.ma.us
Sent: Sun, Sep 13, 2009 9:28 pm
Subject: Trails in PSF
Mark
For 9 years I have coached the Pittsfield High School XC running team and have personally been running/utilizing the trails in the Pittsfield State Forest for over 25 years. I live on land bordering the PSF and cannot imagine a more beautiful setting to raise a family, enjoy nature, and to introduce that appreciation to the girls that I coach. Unfortunately I have also witnessed the destruction of many areas of the PSF due to ATV use, and the whimsy of Mother Nature. Where I used to be able to walk with my children without difficulty I now find myself circling huge water filled holes created by ATVs, risking turning an ankle on rocky washed out trails, and seeing whole areas desecrated from thoughtless ATV owners.
I used to bring my team to the trails surrounding Balance Rock quite often, but over the years that has become a non-option due to the destruction of the trail network. Another factor at Balance Rock is the fractured, abandoned parking area, treacherous access road, 4 wheel riders being about the only humans you see during a visit and all combined lending an air of creepy isolation to the area. At this point we avoid it as it just isn't a safe place any longer.
Imagine my delight this spring to discover an entire new trail network rising up in the woods across from my house. A trail network that is environmentally sensitive, following contours wisely, with minimal disruption to the area. Trails that are safe, well designed, and a visual delight to be on. It seemed that with every new trail I explored I had many new options for running/walking and I couldn't wait to get my cross country runners out there. Over the summer I hosted a middle school running club at my house, and suddenly I had miles of trails perfectly appropriate for new runners. Parents would accompany the kids on our excursions and I've had many of them say that they now return on a regular basis, both with their families, and by themselves to enjoy this amazing network. Last year I helped to work on the revitalization of the Turner Trail and have been able to run the team on that trail both in fall and winter--totally unbothered by ATVs! I have raved about these additions so much that I now have other county xc teams coming to Pittsfield to learn these trails!
I understand that Brad Herder has been the man behind this effort, and that he has worked in conjunction with you to revitalize old trails and create new family-friendly trails for folks who don't need motors to enjoy nature. He is to be commended for his commitment to the environment and to creating such a user friendly and safe network of trails. I sincerely hope that his efforts are recognized and encouraged for the benefit of us all. Personally I have seen the effects of his efforts with my team. They absolutely love running in the woods and truly seem to appreciate the beauty of the PSF and all it has to offer. They are our future and Brad, through his efforts has helped to educate them about our fragile environment, the benefits of healthy lifestyles, and the need for all of us to be environmentalists in our own way. I look forward to discovering more of his footprints throughout the forest in the future!
Sincerely,
Theresa Apple
and the Pittsfield High School Cross Country Running team:
Skye Bagley
Sarah Coleman
Colleen and Kelly Moretti
Erin, Katie and Jeff Lee
Dominique and Glenn Grillon
Anna, John and Joanne Murphy
Mary Salatino
Laura Cahoon
Lauryn Garner
Carly King
Alicia Senger
Audrey and Matt Barbour
Hannah, Craig and Ginger Smith
Kelly Belknap
Allyson Ness
Krista Lohr
Jill Ritrosky
Brielle Collings
Brooke Moore
Megan and Bill Kittler
Ellen and Karen Rufo
Victoria Symanski
Andrea Kirby
Kaylee Smith
Leslie, Adriane, and Thomas Martin
Mark
My husband and I have lived on Churchill Street since 1977. We bought the house because I had a couple of horses that I used for 100-mile competitive trail rides. I trained on the wonderful trails in the Pittsfield State Forest. At the time, the forest trails had perfect footing for horses and humans. Because I worked and did most of my riding at dusk it was very important to know that the trail was safe. Suddenly a new product was introduced to the forest. Both my horse and I were scared to death of these new noisy 4 wheel vehicles with foul smelling exhaust. Little did I know that this would be the end of our lovely rides in the forest. The thought of running into a group of these vehicles soon dampened my enthusiasm. I limited my riding to the roads near the front gate of the forest, even though they were not very well suited to my kind of riding.
Several years ago I had to have two hip replacements. After that my experiences in the forest were mostly with my dogs. This summer my friend and I had a very unpleasant encounter; again those machines were ready to run us over. I told her not to worry – I knew a great place, with paths lined with pine needles and no 4 wheelers. Well, you can imagine my surprise to find that the entire Balance Rock section of the forest has been given to them to do with as they please.
One day this summer I was on the cross road when I noticed that the Turner Trail had a small cleared spot at the bottom. Upon exploring it I found the most glorious trail up to Berry Pond. Having hip replacement is a tricky thing. It works great but I cannot fall. This trail was definitely the answer to my prayers. No mud, no rocks, no tripping hazards. Since then I have found similar trails coming in from the Churchill Street side of the forest. My friend and I with our dogs are absolutely delighted. We now go to the forest and walk almost every day. Because of the quality (and entertaining WILD animals) we keep going farther and farther.
Please thank whoever has done this, and tell them they have made a little old gray haired lady very happy.
Sincerely,
Roberta Trzcinka
370 Churchill Street
From: Paul Funch
To: MARK.TODD@STATE.MA.US, REBECCA.BARNES@STATE.MA.US, ROBERT.MELLACE@STATE.MA.US
Sent: Thu Sep 24 9:48
Subject: Fwd: Trails used in Curly's Marathon on Sunday
Dear Mr. Todd, Ms. Barnes, and Mr. Mellace,
I saw a note from Brad on the BershireSports.org website that indicated you would be interested in hearing from those of us who ran the trail race course in the Pittsfield State Forest on Sunday. I did the full marathon, so I got to run it twice! It is with a great deal of enthusiasm that I report that the trails I ran on in Curly's Marathon were among the finest I have run in the 22 years I have been running in the New England Trail Running races. I am the race director for two trail races in Massachusetts (the Wapack Trail and the Groton Town Forest Trail Races), as well as a founding and current member of Groton's Trails Committee, and I can only imagine the effort that went into developing and clearing the many trails on which I had the pleasure of running on Sunday. I don't know whether you were involved in the actual trail building, or simply in their approval and oversight, but in either case I didn't want to miss this opportunity to thank you for providing a great series of trails for multiple activities (but NOT motorbikes!) to enjoy.
Thanks to all of you for your efforts to improve and extend the trails in the Pittsfield State Forest.
Paul Funch
Groton, MA
Write a Letter!
Not that it seems to help any but if you too wanted to send a letter of support, we'd appreciate it. Address it to:
TO: Mark.Todd@state.ma.us; Rebecca.Barnes@state.ma.us; Robert.Mellace@state.ma.us; Gary.Briere@state.ma.usIt probably won't help, but who knows. Or, send something to the Berkshire Eagle Letters to the Editor. Thanks!
CC: BerkshireNEMBA@gmail.com