by Liz Wagner, Park Naturalist, Grafton Lakes State Park
Grafton Lakes State Park has a long legacy of volunteers improving the Park. Volunteers maintain the trails, recently restored the Dickinson Hill Fire Tower and lead outings throughout the year on trails and waterways in the Park. In the interest of encouraging more volunteerism, Grafton Lakes State Park is sharing one ongoing success story, made possible by Chris Roe, an avid mountain biker and a Board of Directors member of the Friends of Grafton Lakes State Park.
courtesy of Liz Wagner, Park Naturalist, GLSP.
Chris has ridden every mile of trail at Grafton Lakes State Park and knows them like his own backyard. He has also guided group rides for Mountain Bikers in the Park since 2004. A graduate of Penn State University and a Civil Engineer by trade, Chris had creative visions of new trails from his earliest days settling in Grafton with his family in 2002. He spent so much time in the Park, he realized where new connections were needed between trails as well as how to shape them to interest mountain bikers as well as the many other groups who use the trails in the Park. With support and guidance from the Park Staff, the Friends of Grafton Lakes and the Trails Advisory Committee, Chris has now helped create six trails at the Park, with the newest additions found in the White Lily Pond area off of Babcock Lake Road.
Chris envisioned the trails, but building these new trails was not a solo task. Over the years, volunteers from the Mohawk Hudson Cycling Club, Capital MTB, Capital District Volunteers, Capital District Hiking Mates, the Student Conservation Association, the Friends of Grafton Lakes State Park, Grafton Trail Riders, regional Scout troops and many other organizations have come out to cut the trails with him. Every fall and spring, Chris and other volunteers do maintenance on all of the trails. If you think you might enjoy working outdoors building and maintaining trails, contact the Park to join a volunteer listing at 279-1155.