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Volunteers Needed! We have
several projects awaiting available crews to tackle. These
include:
Can't volunteer right now, but still
wanna help? The Kansas Trails Council provides financial support for
our maintenance needs through their Friends
of the Trail program.
7/16/06: COE meeting with volunteer crew.
Dave assumes role as the new Trail Coordinator.
7/10/06: New Trailwatcher volunteer for
Section 4. Welcome Aboard, Bob!
6/24/06:
Volunteers completed construction of the Trailhead Kiosk at the
Slough Creek Bridge boat ramp area.
6/11/06:
Volunteers with KTC constructed a new trailhead kiosk and installed
at the Ferguson Road Bridge boat ramp area. The glass door for front
of kiosk is yet to be installed, but will have trail maps on display
at this site very soon.
6/3/06: A
volunteer cleared trail 0.5-0.7 miles both directions from the
Ferguson Road Bridge (along and near the reroute). Day hikers can park at the
boat ramp next to the bridge for a nice late spring/early summer
hike in this area. Here you'll see a mix of wooded settings and open
field crossings.
6/3/06: Hiker crossing signs were erected
on Ferguson Road at the Slough Creek Bridge and at Old Military
Trail area. Thank you, Jefferson County!!!
5/20/06: A
volunteer repaired the damaged handrails on the Old Quarry Road
Foot Bridge.
4/16/06: Eagle
Scout volunteers from Troop 249, Topeka, have finished construction
of the 66th Street foot
bridge. This improvement bypasses a now-dangerous remnant
bridge along the original 66th Street route. For photos of their
Excellent work and the finished result, click the link
above.
4/1/06:
Sierra Club Outing - Day Hike. Hike starts at 1PM
at the Ferguson Road - Slough Creek Bridge boat ramp area. Hikers
will follow Section 4 to the west, join Section 1 and continue north
along the shoreline to Apple Valley Farm. Total hiking distance is
about 7.4 miles. For more details, contact rjwilshire@kc.rr.com / (913)
384-6645.
3/27/06: ALERT!
Vandals destroyed handrails and caused
other damage to the Old Quarry
Road Bridge using shotguns. Any individuals with information
regarding the persons or persons that caused this destruction on
Federal Property, please contact the Jefferson County Sheriff's
Office, the Corps of Engineers Project
Office, or the trail coordinator. A
reward is being offered for
information leading to the arrest and conviction of responsible
person or persons.
3/25/06: Volunteers installed mile
markers on Section 4. At this
time, mile posts #1 thru #18, #24, and #26-#28 are in
place. Section 4 near the Audubon sanctuary is in very good
condition due to regular maintenance. New, updated maps were
placed in the kiosk at the Slough Creek trailhead.
3/18/06: Eagle Scout volunteers from
Troop 249, Topeka, have begun work on a new Foot Bridge at 66th
Street. The bridge will bypass a concrete bridge that was part of
the original 66th Street prior to opening the lake. The concrete has
deteriorated and the old route has become unsafe.
3/18/06: Volunteers cleared
1/2 mile of Section 2 near the
Richard Douthit Park
Bench and mile post #8. New trail marker posts were
installed to help with field crossings north and south of mile post
#8. The Old Military Trail kiosk now has current maps of Sections 2
and 3, a detailed map of the entire trail system, and
emergency/contact information.
3/11/06: Volunteers cleared
1/4 mile of Section 4 near
Slough Creek Park and updated paint blazes on the reroute. Eagle Scout volunteers
completed Old Military Trail kiosk.
3/4/06:
Maintenance Outing. Sierra Club and KCOC
volunteers helped abandon the old corridor of Section 4 near Ferguson Road and
removed stumps/debris from the reroute. Eagle Scout volunteers from Troop 351, Shawnee, installed a
new trailhead kiosk at Old Military Trail area.
2/25/06: Volunteer cleared 3/4 mile of Section 2 near Dorothy Moore Park Bench.
Volunteer placed blaze markings and marker posts along reroute west of Ferguson Road. The
new route is marked throughout, but the old route is not yet
abandoned. PBOMT
2/18/06: Volunteer placed
blaze marker posts along reroute west of Ferguson Road. Volunteer
also placed usage restriction markers at Longview, Old Military
Trail and reroute location.
2/11/06:
Maintenance Outing. Sierra Club and
other volunteers installed mile markers on Section 3. Outing was
also a GPS training exercise to learn how to locate sites for
mile markers. At this time, mile posts #1 thru #18 are in
place. Volunteer did additional clearing of reroute east of Ferguson Road. Paint
blazes on this part of reroute were installed.
2/4/06:
Volunteer cleared Section 4 reroute near Ferguson Road.
Volunteer also scouted entire route of Section 1. Conditions are
favorable throughout with a few downed trees in the vicinity of mile
post #2.
1/29/06: Volunteers cleared
Section 4 reroute east of Ferguson Road. The entire
reroute is open, allowing access to the rest of Perry Lake Trail
from both directions. The trail is now accessible from the boat ramp
parking lot near this bridge. Look for where the trail crosses the
entrance road on your way into the parking lot. You can hike from
here west to Slough Creek Park, or east onto the rest of Section 4. No paint blazes are
installed at this time; just follow the mowed
path. Volunteers also installed
mile post #13 and #14.
1/28/06: Volunteer cleared
Section 4 reroute east of
Ferguson Road.
1/21/06: Volunteers from
KTC began clearing the Section 4 reroute near the Slough Creek -
Ferguson Road bridge. The reroute trail is not yet open to the
east of Ferguson Road. Volunteer
installed mile post #12.
1/21/06: ALERT! Exercise caution where the trail closely
follows the shoreline on Section
2, approximately 1/4 mile east of the Dorothy Moore Park Bench.
October flash floods caused parts of the bank to fail in this area.
The trail tread is unstable in this area and may need to be rerouted
in the near future. Anyone observing major erosion in this or other
areas, please contact us to report
it.
1/14/06: Volunteer cleared
approximately 1/2 mile of Section
2 west of Old Quarry Road. Continuation of 12/30 outing to
connect to prior maintained areas.
12/30/05:
Volunteer cleared approximately 1/2 mile of Section 2 west of Old Quarry
Road.
12/22/05: Volunteer updated
paint blazes on Section 4 between Ferguson Road and 82nd
Street. Volunteers from KDWP, KTC and LMBC scouted reroute of Section 4 near Ferguson
Road and made improvements to planned route. GPS track data on
proposed reroute has been forwarded to Corps staff for approval.
12/10/05: Volunteer laid out initial reroute path for Section 4 near Ferguson Road. The
reroute will intersect access road to the Slough Creek boat ramp,
near the Slough Creek Bridge on Ferguson Road. Benefits include: new
trailhead access with parking, easier maintenance on portions of
trail moved into the trees, improved/safer crossing of Ferguson
Road.
11/26/05: Volunteers
updated paint blazes on Section
4 between Ferguson Road and Slough Creek Park. Installed mile
posts #9 and #11. Trail is in good shape from Ferguson Road (just
north of Slough Creek Bridge), through Sections 1, 2 and 3. Only a
very few short portions of trail throughout this range have not been
maintained over the last year. See Current
Conditions map.
11/22/05: Volunteer cleared
Section 4 between Ferguson Road
and Slough Creek Park. Also installed mile posts #7 and #8. At this
time, mile posts #1 thru #8, and #10 are in place.
11/12/05, 9AM:
Maintenance Outing. Sierra Club and KCOC volunteers
cleared portion of trail between Old Military Trail area and 94th
St, cleared trail between Sections 1/4 junction and 66th
St, placed Mile Markers along section 1. Placed mile posts #2,
#3 and #5. Section 1 is in
EXCELLENT shape throughout. Enjoy the fall/winter hikes!
11/5/05: Volunteers placed mile markers
on the trail (mile posts #1, #4, #6 and #10).
10/28/05:Volunteer cleared 3/4 mile
of trail on Section 1, south of
66th Street.
10/15/05: Maintenance
Outing. Volunteers cleared trail near Apple Valley Farm,
updated paint blazes throughout Section 1, and assessed damage to 94th Street
Bridge and Kiowa Road
trail access.
10/8/05: Volunteer cleared 3/4 mile of trail on Section 2, near Lakewood Hills.
There remains a one-mile portion near Old Quarry Road in unknown
condition, but from there south to Longview, conditions are very
good.
10/2/05: ALERT! The 94th Street Foot
Bridge was lost to flash flooding sometime in the morning
hours. The other foot bridges
are intact, but the Old Quarry
Road Bridge was only a couple feet above lake level!
The 94th Street Foot
Bridge was built by Eagle Scout Volunteers with assistance from
Westar Energy's Green Team. If you are aware of a scout, scout group
or other voluteers that would be interested in helping to rebuild
this bridge, please let us
know.
10/1/05: Volunteer cleared
trail on Section 3 in two
locations. Section 3 was cleared for approximately 1/2 mile at
Kiowa Road access point. Section 3 was also cleared for
approximately 1/2 mile north of 94th Street.
9/17/05, all weekend:
Volunteer campout at Longview and trail clearing.
One mile of trail cleared east of Longview Park, south of Apple
Valley Farm. 1/2 mile section within Longview Park cleared with
brushcutter. Over one mile of trail cleared near Lakewood
Hills.
9/10/05: Volunteer
cleared trail throughout Old Military Trail area, from OMT Trailhead
to the back (west) end of park area. Approximately one mile of
trail is cleared in this area, including the first bluff views of
the lake (along trail) on Little Slough Creek arm.
9/3/05: Volunteers from
KCOC and KTC cleared approximately 3/4 mile of trail near the Slough
Creek Trailhead. Also mowed: a 1/2 mile section north of 66th
Street.
6/18/05: National Trails Day event.
Volunteers install the Richard Douthit Memorial Park Bench on
Section 2 along the main lake.
5/14/05: Volunteers clear Section 1 near
66th Street.
4/24/05: COE meeting with volunteer
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