Westwoods Trails Meeting
March 18, 2002
Guilford Community Center
Chair: Paul Proulx.
Meeting began: 7:30 PM
Attendance: 10 people. George Goss (temp), Bob Handschumacher, Joe Kaufman, Susan Kukle, Joe Ortoleva, Sandra Poter, Paul Proulx, Dia Robinson, Audrey Teofilo, & Michael Fritz

Approval of Minutes: Leslie Kane was spelled incorrectly. Minutes approved.

Resignations/New Members/ Member News: New guest present: Mike Fritz Get Well Card - was distributed & signed for Fred Richards. Fred is recovering from knee surgery.

GLCT Report: Susan reports that new GLCT "walk" cards will be placed in the mail tomorrow. Walks include 4/6 at Bear House Hill Rd, 4/20 Braemore Land, 4/27 Guilford/Branford Boundary, 5/4 North Bluff Head Loop. CFPA Correspondence: None Braemore News: Bill Johnson is getting together work party for April 13. 4/1 will have maps ready. 4/13 work party to cut trails. 4/20 walk w/ GLCT. 5/11 to blaze Trails. 5/15 w/ CFPA to relocate Blue Trail. 6/1 Trails Day. Contact Bill Johnson if interested in helping.

Trail Reports:
Westwoods.
-Team A - (5 hrs) (Bob Handschumacher) - Bob reports he posted extra signs at all entrances regarding other possible places to go to (instead of Westwoods). He also posted "closure" signs at several places on the yellow circle & violet trails. Bob reports he cleared 18-20 trees on yellow cross trail near waterfall, in an attempt to open a loop and access to Lost Lake from Moose Hill Rd.
-Team B. (Dia Robinson)
-Team C . (28 hours) (Karen Owen-Buckley) - Nature Trail work party occurred on March 16. 8 mtn bikers & 8 committee members & 2 reporters attended event. Committee members were: Sandra Porter, Paul Proulx, Peter Johnson, Karen Owen-Buckley, Joe Ortoleva, Ross Novak, Dia Robinson, & Karen Klugman. Trees were cut up and cleared off of Nature Trail. Newspaper article will appear next Sunday in New Haven Register. Next trail targeted will be Green Rectangle Trail. Sandra Porter reports she posted "closure" signs off of Blue Rectangle. She needs more signs & will get from Bob H. Next, the signs will be posted off of Green Rectangle. Paul Proulx reports there were three chainsaw sessions which removed 29 trees on the Green Rectangle Trail. George Goss reports he cleared green circle trail of "shin brush". George recommends that the section of white circle (from Peddlers Road to Green Circle) should be opened because he did not see any dead hemlocks in that section of trail.
Nut Plains - no report
Paul Trail- no report
Kampmeyer- Joe Kaufman reports one difficult hemlock leaning over trail. It is on top of ridge. Bob H. & Paul P. offered to help take it down.
Eastwoods - Susan reports a sign may be needed at junction of green and red loop ends. Looking to have Bob H. make sign? Susan walked Eastwoods accompanied by Elizabeth Evarts, Gitta Foellmer & Harold F.
Hoadley Creek- OK
Spencer Creek -- OK

Work Parties.
-Old Community Work Party (CWP) on March 16 - (See write up in Team C trail reports)

Old Business
-Westwoods Trail Re-Opening Plan - Paul Proulx & Red Erda met with Huber Hurlock (DEP), Bill Blass (CFPA), and several other DEP people on March 15 at DEP offices in Hartford. Paul presented maps & statistics to DEP. Paul presented that there is little risk of injury. The DEP measures risk by 100 yard sections and says Westwoods is #1 problem in state. State is raising more money to bring back big machines for tree cutting. State says it will cut on GLCT & private land (once it get's private land owners permission). The next target of the state will be Three Corners Rd entrance. Paul invited Hurlock to walk Nature Trail with him during next upcoming weeks.

New Business
-Posted Signs promoting other areas - Completed by Bob H. at all entrances. Signs recommend other areas to enjoy.
-Closure Signs - Already some posted by Bob H. & Sandra Porter. More will follow.

Adjornment - The meeting was adjourned at 8:30pm. Next meeting is April 22.
Recording Secretaries - Joseph Ortoleva