February 3, 2023
Cooperation on the Trails
TO: YWD / KWD Watershed ATV Permit Holders & General Public
Subject: Combined Efforts on Trail Maintenance
With the recent snow and ice storm that moved through the area, the damage was felt and seen throughout both York and Kittery’s Watershed. Heavy winds whipped through forests that never had a chance to shed the snow from their branches. While damage could certainly have been worse, Mother Nature took a toll on many of the Watershed Trails. The number of downed trees made travel difficult, with many areas temporarily impassable, other than on foot. York Water District took the lead in getting their crews into the woods to begin clearing damage and reopening the trails to all travel. Kittery Water District soon followed suit, after receiving the word from Gary Stevens that the trails needed attention. This type of communication and teamwork between the 2 districts is common practice, and not at all surprising. It is something that we can all be proud of and should not take for granted.
Something that did surprise me, or rather truly impressed me, was the actions of members of the York Fish and Game Club. Without receiving notification or requests for assistance from either Water District, several members took it upon themselves to jump on their 4-wheelers, armed with chainsaws, and took to the trails. Kent Winters, Bobby Crowell, John Lewis and Douglas Richard were all “caught” volunteering by Robbie Henson while doing a watershed patrol. The group were slowly making their way from blowdown to blowdown, cutting and clearing as they went. Alan Covel was spotted working as well, and we have good reason to believe that several other permits holders were generously volunteering. Their hard work and kind efforts saved the Crews from the Kittery and York Water Districts several miles of travel and hours of work. These gentlemen volunteered their time and their own equipment to reopen trails on land that they clearly respect and appreciate having open to public use.
The York Water District and the Kittery Water District greatly appreciate the efforts put forth by this group of riders. These are exactly the type of people that we hope to see enjoying the watershed. The cooperation that they displayed went a long way in opening up trails after a storm and goes a long way in keeping the trails open to the public in the future.
