News Archives

Updates From 1/6/12 Meeting with Park Officials

Present: Chad Herrick, John Snyder, Jack Luzier & Andy Dickson

AN asked for the meeting to discuss the upcoming ski season and share our priorities for the ASP ski program.

John is agreeable to posting on a regular basis to the AN site about immediate and anticipated grooming activity.

The Cat will return to service sometime around 1/18. All track wheels will be replaced at a cost to the park of about $5,000. Tracks and old wheels have been removed and the Cat is ready to be worked on as soon as the new wheels arrive. We asked John to address grooming equipment maintenance in the Fall.

Initial grooming was done with two Scandics. The roller performed well and was able to be pulled by one sled. However, on two hills the Scandic had difficulty. We shared strategies on how and when to use the single tracksetters to compliment the Cat grooming or lieu of the Cat. We are reminded that both the Scandics and the Cat are nearing the end of their useful lives. John reiterated that, if AN can purchase a new Scandic, he will assure us that it will only be used for grooming operations and the park will assume full responsibility for maintaining it. He recently was quoted $10,500 for a new Scandic. We expressed that we are not in position presently to purchase a Scandic and asked that the park not back away from funding the capital needs of the ski program despite our interest in supplementing the capital needs.

We asked that Snowsnake be groomed as wide as possible to allow extra width for downhill skiers to snowplow without ruining uphill tracks. We also asked that grooming be continued as long as coverage remains, especially since the single tracksetter(s) can easily be used late into the season.

The Warming hut will be opened daily at 8:00AM by park staff and closed late in the day by park police. The Bova gate requires a new lock to prevent snowmobilers from opening it and accessing the trails.

John advised that Chad and Pat Dove are the only staff available for grooming and Pat is a part-time employee. No budget impacts are know by John that will prevent the park from providing the same level of grooming as last year. Chad remains enthusiastic and flexible about his grooming duties and we reaffirmed our appreciation of this and willingness to assist in any way possible.

Summit Storage Progress Report

The summit storage building is now complete! Doors have been installed and the building is ready for this winter’s grooming operations.

Summit storage for grooming equipment has been a priority for several years. Trail-side storage will result in operating efficiencies and more timely grooming. In previous years grooming equipment has been stored at the Red House operations barn nearly two miles from the nearest trail access.

Funding for the building was provided through the capital projects account of J-Con Parks, concession operator at several parks including the Warming Hut.

Be sure to thank park officials and John Marino when you see them!

Fall Open House & Ski Swap Saturday 11/5

Save the date- Saturday 11/5- when Allegany Nordic will host an open house and ski swap at the Summit Warming Hut. Stop by between 10-2. Ski swap will take place from 11-1.

The day of fun and camaraderie at ASP will include:

Summit storage construction a/o 10/21/11
o Christening the new trail roller and conveying it to the park
o Inspect the new summit storage building
o Turn you used ski equipment into cash at the ski swap
o Tip a glass of cider and renew your skiing friendships
o Run or hike the newly renovated trails
o Pick up your new AN race suit

We are on target to have one of the best ski season’s in recent memory. Join your ski buddies for this pre-season pep rally!

Volunteers are needed to oversee refreshments, staff the ski swap and sell merchandise.

AMERICORPS ASSISTS ALLEGANY NORDIC WITH TRAIL RENOVATIONS

Eight AmeriCorps employees assisted Allegany Nordic with maintenance work on the Art Roscoe Trails at Allegany State Park. The crew worked for three days in late July (2011) restoring drainage, removing debris and cutting back encroaching vegetation.

AmeriCorps employees Ethan Weston, Kelly Gavin, Brian Purcell, Stacey Hightower, Katelyn Almeter, Kyle Cox, Nik Potopchuck and Brendon Scherer were assisted by Allebany Nordic members Andy Dickson, Ray Valeri, Sue Wysse, Bill Weitzel and Mary Lou Deitrich.

“It is strenuous work,” said Andy Dickson. “These tireless helpers got a lot of work done around the trail system. Allegany Nordic is extremely grateful for their effort which will pay a big dividend in the upcoming ski season.”

Allegany State Park donated the use of two cabins for the group during their service. Food and refreshments were donated by an area charity and Allegany Nordic.

Allegany Nordic organized four years ago to address deteriorating trail and ski conditions. Its mission is to advance the sport of cross-country skiing on the Art Roscoe Trails of the Allegany State Park. Since its inception, Allegany Nordic has organized volunteers every year to address much-needed work around the trail system including unplugging culverts, re-establishing ditches, moving fallen trees off the trail and cutting back branches that have grown into the trail. It draws park and government attention to trails issues, collaborates with regional organizations, promotes the skiing program and is currently fundraising to purchase new grooming equipment. During the ski season, Allegany Nordic maintains a website with current information about grooming and trail conditions.

Its next trail workday will be August 20th. Volunteers are welcome and will meet at the Art Roscoe trailhead at 8:45AM. For more information, visit www.alleganynordic.org.

PARK MEETING PRODUCTIVE & HOPEFUL

Allegany Nordic met with park officials on May 20th to review the past season, share updates and peer into the future. Here’s a summary of the meeting:

Friday May 20, 2011
In attendance: Ray Valeri, Jack Luzier, Andy Dickson, John Snyder, Brad Whitcomb and Gary Quattrone.

Summit Storage
Project is moving ahead and expected to be built around September. Materials to be paid for by J-Con Parks (concessionaire) and built by park employees. Location of storage building will be in the back of one of the parking lots away from Warming Hut where electricity is already available. No waxing room planned as part of that structure. Other waxing options were discussed but nothing agreed upon. Warming Hut renovation and expansion is in the long range plan and ideas were discussed.

Trail Restoration
Some work has already been performed by park including tree removal and York raking but wet conditions are a hindrance. Significant trail-wide renovation will take place this summer by ASP road crews with heavy equipment.

Lean-To Reconstruction
We received approval from the park to proceed with rebuilding the Ridge Lean-To. Fellow skier, Tim Houseknecht, has agreed to try to make it happen. Tim located plans used by the CYC to build lean-tos many years ago and which closely resemble the lean-to that once stood on Ridge. Our request was made back in February. The go-ahead was slow in coming and the resources identified for the project may no longer be available. More to follow.

Budget/Staffing
The park is considerably handicapped by financial and personnel reductions. However, they represented that their intention is to groom no less than last season. John Snyder, the new Red House Manager, seems enthusiastic and we look forward to working with him. We thanked the park for last year’s effort but expressed frustration about the lack of resources and irregular grooming. AN hopes to recognize Chad and Pat for their willingness to flex their hours and groom as best they can.

Equipment
No new snowmobile will be purchased by the park. Depending on the outcome of the AN fundraising campaign, we may at least be able to pay for needed maintenance to the Scandic.

AN Fundraising
We updated the park on our fundraising effort and the equipment we have identified for acquisition. We also asked the park to consider under what circumstances we can fundraise at the summit during the ski season.

Chainsaw Training
The park indicated we must take a chainsaw safety class in order to use this equipment on the trails. Brad will find out the date/time of the next offering and share with us.

Communication
ASP is now on Facebook. There are more than one Facebook site on the park and the “official” site has “AlleganyStatePark” as one word in the URL. They seem genuinely enthused about it and our members on Facebook would do well to follow the park. We thanked ASP for posting directly to our site and encouraged them to continue even if they are using Facebook and they agreed to do so.

EXTENSIVE TRAIL DAMAGE; TRAIL RECONNAISSANCE NEEDED

TRAIL DAMAGE.
On Saturday 4/30/11 Jack Luzier and I surveyed the damage and erosion on Patterson. Some of the damage is the result of lack of trail maintenance, such as plugged culverts and accumulated debris in the ditch.

Some of the erosion is the result of the truck tracks from last Fall’s missing-person search effort. The vehicle ruts prevent water from draining off the side of the trail and channel it down the length of the trail. On sloped trail, the running water does considerable damage.

We unplugged four culverts and dug temporary water bars to prevent further damage. However, all we were able to do was stop the water from flowing down the trail. The extensive rutting caused by erosion cannot be fixed with hand tools. Extensive repair of the trail damage is necessary with heavy machinery. System-wide ditch clearing is also needed to prevent this kind of trail damage from spreading.

TRAIL RECONNAISSANCE NEEDED
We need detailed information on the damage to other trails around the system including photos and specific locations. Post your comments and trail information here. Send trail photos to info@alleganynordic.org

AN WEBSITE VISITATION STATISTICS

1399 unique visitors hit the AN website in January 2011. That’s a 21% increase from the previous year!

ART ROSCOE LOPPET ATTRACTS 84 RACERS

Sunday, February 6th brought racers from all over Western NY to the park for a great day of racing. Conditions were tricky and fast, but so were the times that were turned in.

39 racers competed in the 22K race; 31 raced the 13k; and 14 finished the 5k. If you’ve never tried a cross-country ski race, this is the best chance you’ll ever have. It’s fun and only as competitive as you want it to be.

Take a moment to view the great event photos at BuffaloPhotoCD

Volunteer Spotlight: Bill Weitzel

Bill Weitzel is a life-long resident of the area and friend of the park. He is a resident of Salamanca meat-cutter at the local supermarket. He’s also the owner of Jerico Ranch, which is a cabin-rental business on the park’s edge on Upper State Park Ave., just below Stone Tower.

Jerico Ranch is close enough to the park that he can hop on his snowmobile to check out the summit activities. You might have seen him at the Warming Hut shoveling snow and keeping the place ship-shape for skiers.

Bill keeps a close eye on the park and is active with the Allegany State Park Historical Society. If you every wonder why something is the way it is in the park, ask Bill. He’s usually got it figured out. He a wealth of knowledge and knows not only the Art Roscoe Trail system, but hiking, snowshoe, snowmobile and even a couple decommissioned trails that are worth exploring.

Bill has been helpful to Allegany Nordic and has good reason to make sure the skiing program thrives. He’s helped us navigate the complex landscape that is ASP. Next time you see Bill, thank him for his service to the park and AN.

Skiers donate picnic table

A special thanks goes out to the Bradford gang of skiers who donated the picnic table at the CH-Ridge-Leonard intersection.

These volunteers bought, delivered and assembled the picnic table that is there for all skiers to enjoy.

Pictured here are L > R: Mark Pappas, Gary Falk & Dave Hoffman. Missing is Randy Walb.

Thanks, guys!

Join your Allegany Nordic friends for an evening of fun, food and friendship on Friday, February 11th. Enjoy the Park’s Beauty by nearly full Moon light and headlamp!

When: Friday 2/11 from 6-9pm
Where: Art Roscoe Trails and the trail head Warming Hut
Bring: Skis, snowshoes, dish & beverages to pass, headlamp

Coffee, Tea & Hot Chocolate will be provided.

Part of the Moonlighting XCSki & Snowshoe Series

Off-season updates- Dec 10, 2010
A lot of hard work by AN volunteers and park personnel in the off season is paying a dividend. The adage “Two steps forward, one step back” again describes our trials and tribulations.

TRAIL GROOMING
- Because of the difficult NYS budget situation, the prospects for trail grooming have been almost dizzying. From our spring ’10 protest to keep trail grooming from being axed, to the park asking us to consider assuming trail grooming, to the park withdrawing their grooming request, to our October meeting with Catharine Young and park officials to bring more certainty to our ski program… the subject of trail grooming has consumed a great deal of our time. As it stands as of today, the park plans to groom trails to the extent they groomed last year. However, a new governor and park administration, a yawning deficit in the current budget year ending 3/31/11, and a hiring freeze and personnel losses throughout the park system all are working against us. We will continue to work closely with the park and keep you all informed as things unfold.

SUMMIT STORAGE
- This is the bright spot for the skiing program. We have pressed hard and it now appears that summit storage will be in place for the current year for both the LCM Cat, Skidoo Scandic and grooming implements. The time and cost savings of having the equipment trail-side will be significant and the timeliness of grooming should improve. No longer will the equipment have to be stored at the Red House operations area and driven miles to the trails each time grooming is necessary. AN worked closely with the park and the concession operator J Con Parks to make storage a reality. J Con Parks and the park will foot the bill for the entire project. This season the building will be temporarily located and placed on a permanent foundation next year.

TRAIL RENOVATION- 
Our effort to have portions of Patterson and Ridge renovated were frustrated by a severe blow-down event in July on Ridge near the Bova access. Park personnel worked hard to cut up the numerous down trees and salvage the wood. Whereas the park might have been able to schedule a dozer for our original concerns, they were only able to get the dozer to perform remediation of the damage caused by the blow-down event. In addition, the search/rescue operations in November for the lost hiker resulted in considerable damage to Sweetwater and the Sweetwater-CH intersection. The park’s intentions of renovating this damage were frustrated by wet weather which quickly changed to winter. So there will be some added problems to the trail system rather than net improvement. We will continue to follow this matter and keep you posted.

In the mean time, enjoy the restored view at the CH overlook and picnic table thanks to our persistent nagging and some hard work by park crews.

Finally, AN volunteers put in some tough hours cutting back encroaching vegetation and moving fallen debris. Much of Snowsnake has been cut-back. We also moved the snow fence near the CH overlook and the severe drifting problem might be in retreat. Thanks to all who helped.

Christian Hollow Overlook Restored- Dec 7, 2010

ASP crews have restored the Christian Hollow overlook. This has been a priority of AN for several years. Due to our persistence and the hard work of the ASP crew, we have reason to celebrate!

A picnic table has been placed at the overlook for the enjoyment of trail users. Enjoy the view on your next visit and be sure to thank park personnel.

Off-season updates- Nov 27, 2009
The 2009 off-season has been productive for Allegany Nordic. Below is a summary of our activities and priorities as we enter the 2009-10 season:

April social function. We sponsored a well-attended social function to thank Red House operations personnel and contemplate our priorities for the future (see post below “Trail & Grooming Priorities Identified”)
Trail workdays. Three volunteer workdays addressed trail drainage problems, vegetation cut-back and trail pick-up. 17 volunteers showed up to address trail issues at our 11/7 workday.
Advocacy with park management. We continue to maintain high visibility with park management. At a spring meeting we articulated concerns about grooming and trail management and requested attention to several important priorities. Our trail workday on 11/7 included a sit-down with Gary Quattrone, Red House Manager, to receive updates on our priorities, as well as park and state budgets and the upcoming ski season.
Advocacy with elected representatives. We initiated a strategy for our members to articulate their concerns about the state budget and park closings.
Publicity. We purchased $200 of advertising in the Ellicottville weeklies and issued press releases about our activities.
Operating funds and fundraising. AN has about $1700 in our checking account, as well as several hundred dollars worth of hats and toques. The Cattaraugus Region Community Foundation stands ready to receive charitable contributions to Allegany Nordic should we undertake fund raising.
Despite all our work, much remains to be done. Below are updates on the status of our priorities:

Trail renovation & drainage. The park has taken no steps to address trail erosion and drainage problems. Only the work of Allegany Nordic members during our volunteer workdays in the last two years has kept the problems at bay. The biggest issues will require heavy equipment and park initiative.
Overlook restoration. The park has begun to reopen vistas in the park as part of a state-wide initiative. However, priority has been given to those vistas accessible by car, as they receive more visitors. Despite our advocacy for clearing the Christain Hollow overlook, its status remains uncertain at this time.
Ridge leanto. The leanto has been demolished. Again, we have advocated for its replacement but there is no clear plan to rebuild it. Volunteers to drive this priority are needed
Summit storage for grooming equipment. This remains a park priority but no funding exists. The possibility exists that a private initiative may be under way outside our group to build a storage garage. We are trying to confirm this and will update you as more information becomes available.
Grooming equipment. Again the park’s request for a new Scandic snowmobile has been declined. We have been assured the problem which side-lined the cat last year has been repaired and it is ready for the upcoming season.
Grooming quality. A number if problems were experienced last year including soft/unpacked trail shoulders, soft tracks, tracks set on top of previous tracks, washboard bumps, etc. Red House personnel have articulated a strategy to improve grooming in 2009-10. When new snow has fallen or when renovation is necessary, they will be using the cat for packing/renovation and the snowmobile will be following close behind pulling the tracksetter.
Trail signage to reduce/divert snowmobile and dog access to the Art Roscoe Trails. No progress has been made by AN. Volunteers are needed to create a signage plan and get it implemented.
Still other areas of AN activity need more participation. The website had considerable visitation last year (600 unique visitors in the month of January ‘09) but very few skiers posted trail reports. We took a big step in December ‘09 to facilitate better and more timely reporting by registering the alleganynordic.org URL and upgrading the website to allow skiers to post trail conditions directly to the site. The site will only work if skiers post trail reports.

Finally, as we look ahead, there is a great deal of uncertainty for the Art Roscoe Trials and the cross-country skiing program as our state government tries to deal with its budget crisis. We have struggled in our brief existence to restore the park’s focus to the rich history of skiing at ASP. Any reduction to the program may never be restored without additional heavy lifting by our group. If we incrementally widen our participation and volunteerism, cross-country skiing at ASP may be secure.

Trail & Grooming Priorities Identified- September 27th, 2009
At the 4/24 event, attendees contemplated and ranked trail and grooming-related priorities. Each person placed a “1″ next to their highest priority project, a “2″ next to their second highest priority, “3″ and “4.” Each “1″ was assigned 4 points; each “2″ was given 3 points, etc. and points were tallied. Below is a list of projects preceded by their respective points and followed by initials of AN members willing to help on each:

3- GIS mapping, culvert marking, etc. KC, MH
12- Trail signage prohibiting snowmobiles, dogs, snowshoing CW
40- Trail drainage- culverts, ditches WS, JT, AR, DP, KC, RV
12- Trail grading/leveling
18- Christian Hollow overlook restoration RW, AR, JT, CW, DP, TH
11- Vegetation cut-backs: Snowsnake, etc. AD, JT
0- Snowdrift plantings- Christian Hollow & Snowsnake AD
23- Rebuild Ridge Leanto TH, RW, AR, JL, CW, DP, LS, BB
0- Training ASP grooming staff- clinics, periodicals, in-services
0- Weld snow rudders on cat track setter DP
8- Roller for snowmobile packing (Fundraising!) BB, LS
20- Snowmobile renovation drag/GINSU Groomer (Fundraising!) BB, LS
8- Summit storage, fueling for equipment (Fundraising!) BB, LS
1- Incorporate

The following projects were assumed to be on-going or requiring little group effort and were included in the list above: 1) Resume skate grooming on Stone Tower and Snow Snake trails; 2) Christian Hollow overlook picnic table; 3) Trail workdays.

Are there other high priority projects? Networking? Development? Legislative?

How do you interpret the point values? Are some projects related?

17 Volunteers make 11/7 trail workday a success
Allegany Nordic made a strong showing Saturday 11/7 for trail work and a pow wow with Gary Quattrone, Red House Manager. Teams walked every trail expect the lower portion of Snow Snake, removed trail debris and cut back vegitation.

Left to right: Andy Dickson, Ray Valeri, Bert Schweigert, Robin Valeri, Bill Scherman, Gary Quattrone, Shawn McKane, Jacl Luzier, Chuck Walker, Richard Kendall, Rob Walk, Jerry McGinty and Aaron Rimmer. Missing from photo are Karen Schweigert, Garth Johnston, Bradley Schottin, Doug Price and Allen Knowles.

Second Trail Workday Scheduled for Saturday 7/25
Lots more remains to be done around the trail system. Face-slappers and drainage need attention around most of the trail system.

Bring a picnic lunch, bike, frisbee, fly rod and family. After our morning work we’ll enjoy each other and the rest of the day around the Red House area.

First Trail Workday A Walk in the Park
A walk on Patterson and Sweetwater trails, to be exact. Allegany Nordic sponsored its first trail workday of the 2009 season on Saturday, June 13th. Six Allegany Nordic members turned out to restore drainage and cut back vegetation on Sweetwater and Ridge Run trails of the Art Roscoe Trail system at Allegany State Park.

Allegany Nordic members [left to right] Steve Abdella, Chris Smith, Robin Valeri, Aaron Rimmer, Jack Luzier and Andy Dickson.

April 24, 2009- Allegany Nordic Thanks ASP Employees
Allegany Nordic thanked the Red House employees for their contributions to the 2008-08 ski season with a picnic dinner at the Warming Hut on Friday 4/24.

About 20 park employees and 20 Allegany Nordic members enjoyed the summer-like afternoon. Rob Walk and “sous Chef” Doug Price worked their magic on the charcoal grill. Among the most notable contributions was Robin Valeri’s chocolate cake complete with the Allegany Nordic logo.

As a token of our appreciation we gave AN hats to ASP trail groomers Chad Herrick, Dan Butcher, Bob Howard and Pat Halterman, as well as Red House Manager Gary Quattrone.

Thanks to AN stalwarts Steve Abdella, Bud Brooks, Kevin Casey & Melissa Kiss-My-Klister, Jack Luzier, Aaron Rimmer, Larry Scherer, Bill Scherman, Bert & Karen Schweigert, Janet Chew, Robin & Ray Valeri, Betsy Price, Chuck & Edna Walker, Rob & Jean Walk, Mary Lou Dietrich and Joe Tocke. Special thanks to Chris Smith who has reported for more AN activities than most and has yet to ski the Art Roscoe Trails in the last year.

January 20, 2009- AN Declined for Parks & Trails NY Grant; Receives Anonymous $3,000 Gift
Although Allegany Nordic did not receive the $3,000 applied for through Park & Trails NY, we received a generous gift of the same amount from an anonymous Olean-area benefactor. Proceeds of the gift will be used to fund start-up expenses for the organization.

Oct 31, 2008- Allegany Nordic Applies For Capacity-Building Grant
Thanks to the heads-up of Lisa Schmidtfrerick, we were able to submit a $3,000 capacity-building grant application on behalf of Allegany Nordic. Jack Luzier and Rob Walk rounded up letters of support from various chambers of commerce and helped get the application out. Grant awards will be made 1/12/09.

Oct 5, 2008- Allegany Nordic Skiers Restore Art Roscoe Trails
Eleven members of Allegany Nordic volunteered their time and effort on Saturday, October 5th, to restore the Art Roscoe Trails at Allegany State Park. Trail wash-outs were remedied and plugged drainage culverts were dug and unclogged.

Saturday’s effort was the second volunteer trail work day sponsored by Allegany Nordic this fall. Additional work will be scheduled by the group in October and November. Volunteers came from Edinboro, PA, Jamestown, Olean, Fredonia and Buffalo, Great Valley and Cuba.

Volunteer trail restoration work has been necessary to remedy damage resulting form heavy rains and deferred maintenance. Work has been performed primarily on Ridge Run and Patterson trails.

The group has located and mapped 50+ drainage culverts around the trail system. It has also provided numerous hours of volunteer service clearing fallen debris from dead or dying trees and cutting back encroaching vegitation.

Mar 28, 2008- ASP Acquires New Gooming Equipment!
ASP has acquired a Sno-Razor 72 and two track-setters. Equipment has been purchased, assembled and is ready to use.