By Steve Stroman, KTA Board of Directors
This fall, KTA will again partner with the Friends of Gifford Pinchot State Park and the Mason-Dixon Trail for a Code Orange Trail Care at Gifford Pinchot State Park, York County, on Saturday, October 4.
The meeting place will be the Quaker Race Day Use Area off Pennsylvania Route 177 (PA-177) between Lewisberry and Rossville. Free camping is available Friday and Saturday nights in the group camping area for Trail Care participants. The Friends will host a cookout for all Trail Care participants at the conclusion of the work day.
One work crew will install geotextile material and improve the footway and drainage of the Mason-Dixon Trail (which is also the Lakeside Trail) across a chronically wet area of the trail between the campground and PA-177. Park manager Bob Deffner will lead this crew. The work is subject to approval of a wetlands permit by the Army Corps of Engineers; however, park officials report that approval appears likely by October 4.
A second crew will construct a loop trail off the Mason-Dixon Trail (which is also the Beaver Creek Trail) between Boat Mooring #1 along PA-177 and Squire Gratz Road on the park boundary. We expect this crew to be led by a trail specialist from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) central office. Additional trimming work will likely be done on various trails in the park.
To participate in the Trail Care, or if you have questions about the event, please contact Steve Stroman at stevestroman@hotmail.com or 717-350-0437.