Friends of the Mountains - to - Sea Trail

 
 
 

After we meet and discuss the clean-up project for the day and review safety, we will split up into cleanup groups and “scatter out” to do our trailhead work.

Project for the Day:
Our major task for the day is to clean up litter at MST designated parking lots/trailheads along the Falls Lake Trail West section of Segment 10. Our targets will be both Red Mill Rd trailheads and the area along Ellerbe Creek. If we have enough volunteers we might send a crew to Penny’s Bend.
General pick up of trash and recyclables in small groups with project leaders

Dress for the weather
Wear work clothes-we will be working along Roadsides and river banks.
Being water & snacks

We will provide buckets, grabbers, bags and gloves

Hope to see you out there.

 
 
 

NOTE: This workday is being held in conjunction with the 2023 FMST Gathering to showcase our work at Falls Lake.

Enjoy a complimentary biscuit and coffee before a short safety and organizational briefing after which we will disperse to various locations.

• MEETING LOCATION: Meet at the outside edge of the Food Lion parking lot at the intersection of Sherron Road and Highway 98. The address is 121 Sherron Rd., Durham, NC 27703. GPS:[masked],[masked]

PLEASE RSVP to [masked] /[masked] by Apr. 26, 2023 for this workday.

BAD WEATHER POLICY: If the workday is canceled due to bad weather a mass email will be sent by 10:00 PM the evening before the event. So please check your email first thing the morning of the event before leaving for the meeting site.

More information will be forthcoming soon so check back often.

Thanks to:

> Great Outdoor Provision Company for sponsoring our breakfast from Bojangles for our Sunday workdays.
> Starbucks off Falls of Neuse Road and Durant Road for the coffee.
> REI Co-op, whose local stewardship grants support our volunteer trail crews, adds new miles of footpath, and improves signage helping more people find and follow the MST.

If you want to be added to the official MST email notification list to receive Falls Lake Trails workday announcements and details, email: [masked].

 
 
 

Falls Lake Trail workday - Come help with trail work on the Falls Lake section of the MST on Saturday – June 4th, 2022 - National Trails Day!
Come for all or part of the day.

Enjoy a complimentary biscuit and coffee before a short safety and organizational briefing after which we will disperse to various work sites.

MEETING LOCATION: Meet at the outside edge of the Food Lion parking lot at the intersection of Sherron/Patterson Road and Highway 98. The address is 121 Sherron Rd., Durham, NC 27703. GPS:[masked],[masked]

BAD WEATHER POLICY: If the workday is cancelled or rescheduled due to bad weather a mass email will be sent by 11:00 PM the evening before the event. So please check your email first thing the morning of the event before leaving home.

RSVP: Please RSVP to [masked] or[masked] by May 31st for this work day.

If you are new at trail work please let us know and we will pair you with an experienced trailwork volunteer.

What you will need to provide:
Work clothes and solid shoes or hiking boots.
Proper Clothing for the Weather!
Plenty of water
Bag Lunch
Work gloves, if you have them (If not, we have some)

We have the tools that will be needed.

WORK SAFELY. This is the most important thing, and our main goal.
In particular:Use tools carefully. If you do not know how to use a particular tool, or what to do in a particular circumstance please ask. Do not work too close together and be careful with rakes, shovels, and mattocks to avoid hitting the person next to you. When walking past another volunteer, please say something so they know you are there. Do not lift anything heavier than you can comfortably lift and lift with your legs not with your back. Know you own limits. This is not a race. We will be working on and maintaining this trail for years to come. Take plenty of breaks. Make sure to drink plenty of water, even when it's cold outside. There are holes in the ground to step in, branches to trip over, thorns, wasps, poison ivy (fortunately not too much of that on this segment of trail), ticks, chiggers, and other hazards. Please be cautious.

Have a good time. This is a scenic area. There are box turtles, heron, woodpeckers, deer, beaver, and other wildlife in this area as well as scenic views of the lake.

Typical workday activities:

Cutting branches and logs across the trail.
TRASH: We have trash bags to pick up trash along the way. We will carry the trash out to one of the ends of the trail section.
RAKING THE TRAIL: It is necessary to rake the trail tread clear of leaves, branches, other debris so that we know where we need to level the trail, fill holes, etc. Please use caution while raking to avoid poking others with the rake handle.
PULLING OUT SMALL SAPLINGS FROM TRAIL TREAD: There will be some small saplings in the trail tread. If these are cut off they tend to grow back from the roots, so we need to either pull them by hand (if they are very small), dig them out with a mattocks, or if they are up to an inch in diameter, pull them out with the weed wrench.
FILLING HOLES: These need to be filled if they are within the 2' wide trail tread, or if they are within several feet of the trail on either side. We have shovels and buckets for this purpose.
LEVELING TRAIL TREAD: Walking across the side of a hill is tiring and increases the likelihood of injury. The finished trail tread should be, in cross section, close to level.

Thanks to:

> Great Outdoor Provision Company for sponsoring our breakfast from Chick-fil-A for our Saturday workdays.
> Starbucks off Falls of Neuse Road and Durant Road for the coffee.
> REI Co-op, whose local stewardship grants support our volunteer trail crews, adds new miles of footpath, and improves signage helping more people find and follow the MST.

To be added to the official MST email notification list to receive Falls Lake Trails workday announcements and details, email: [masked].

 
 
 

NOTE:
THIS WORKDAY STARTS EARLY at 8 AM and ENDS EARLY at 12 PM in order to avoid some of the HEAT!

Help cut back Falls Lake Trail summer overgrowth on Saturday, July 15th, 2023.

The MAJOR GOAL of this workday will be to run weed trimmers and DR mowers on sections of the trail known to have excessive overgrowth during the summer months.

Enjoy a complimentary biscuit and coffee before a short safety and organizational briefing after which we will disperse to various work sites.

MEETING LOCATION: Meet at the outside edge of the Food Lion parking lot at the intersection of Sherron/Patterson Road and Highway 98. The address is 121 Sherron Rd., Durham, NC 27703. GPS:[masked],[masked]

BAD WEATHER POLICY: If the workday is cancelled due to bad weather a mass email will be sent by 11:00 PM the night before the workday. Please check your email first thing the morning of the workday before leaving for the meeting location

RSVP: Please RSVP to [masked] or[masked] by July 12th for this workday.

If your MST/FLTF weed trimmer needs maintenance please contact Dan Jonsen ASAP! ([masked] FLT Section 11E Task Force Leader, Weed trimmer maintenance/repair)

Teams of 3-4 volunteers will be assembled for these tasks with 2 weed trimmers on each team. You are welcome to bring your own weed trimmer from home, however, anybody using a weed trimmer will need to wear safety glasses, wear long pants, gloves and have hearing protection.

If you are new to trail work please let us know and we will pair you with an experienced volunteer.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO PROVIDE:
Work clothes and solid shoes or hiking boots.
Proper Clothing for the Weather!
Plenty of water
Work gloves, if you have them (If not, we have some)
Safety glasses and hearing protection if you are going to run or be near a weed trimmer and/or mower.

We have the tools that will be needed except for WEED TRIMMERS! Bring your own.

WORK SAFELY: This is the most important thing, and our main goal.
In particular:

• Use tools carefully. If you do not know how to use a particular tool, or what to do in a particular circumstance please ask. Do not work too close together and be careful with rakes, shovels, and mattocks to avoid hitting the person next to you. When walking past another volunteer, please say something so they know you are there. Do not lift anything heavier than you can comfortably lift.
• Know you own limits. This is not a race. We will be working on and maintaining this trail for years to come. Take plenty of breaks. Make sure to drink plenty of water, even when it's cold outside.
• There are holes in the ground to step in, branches to trip over, thorns, wasps, poison ivy (fortunately not too much of that on these segments of trail), ticks, chiggers, and other hazards. Please be cautious.

Have a good time. This is a scenic area. There are box turtles, heron, woodpeckers, deer, beaver, and other wildlife in this area as well as scenic views of the lake.

Thanks to:

> Great Outdoor Provision Company for sponsoring our breakfast from Chick-Fil-A for our Saturday workdays.
> Starbucks off Falls of Neuse Road and Durant Road for the coffee.
> REI Co-op, whose stewardship grants support FMST volunteer trail crews, adds new miles of footpath, and improves signage helping more people find and follow the MST.

To be added to the official MST email notification list to receive Falls Lake Trails workday announcements and details email [masked].