Since the opening of the Trail, the volunteers from the Friends of the Betsie Valley Trail have been using personal vehicles and often their own tools to keep the Trail clear and beautiful for all to enjoy. Today, the group is announcing a giant leap forward in their ability to be good stewards of the Trail with the purchase of a John Deere Gator.
“The Friends have been looking to add this asset to our trail care capability for several years,” commented Jim Gribble, the group’s spokesperson. “The addition of our large River Road Storage Facility last year gave us the space we needed to store a piece of equipment like this and now we need to raise funds to pay for it.”
Our Summer Trailblazer Newsletter and fundraising effort was a big success thanks to a record number of donations and some incredibly generous ones as well! We asked members to help pay for our new trail workhorse — a John Deere Gator. We were thrilled with the response!
Trail Care Coordinator, Charlie Gregory, takes the John Deere Gator for a test drive.
Trail Care Coordinator, Charlie Gregory, has already put the vehicle to good use, hauling equipment, pulling downed trees off the trail, and much more.
“Having a piece of equipment like this is a HUGE game-changer for the Trail Crew!” beamed BVT Trail Care Coordinator, Charlie Gregory. “We’ve been using personal vehicles on the Trail for towing our various pieces of equipment which is FAR from ideal.”
“With a Gator vehicle, we can tow our equipment like our power blower, offset mower, and trailer,” he continued. “Personal vehicles pretty much block the Trail, while the Gator is narrower and allows Trail users to easily pass. We typically experience about 100 felled trees that block the Trail each year. The Gator has towing capability on the front and back, so we’ll be able to attach a chain and drag logs off the Trail. This is going to be a huge time-saver – not to mention MUCH easier on our backs!”
“The Gator bed is nice and large. We can fill it with our tools (chainsaw, clippers, shovel, tamper, etc.) or haul loads of dirt, sand, rocks, gravel, and base material,” according to Gregory, “And the bed has hydraulic dumping capability! It’s also going to be great for taking care of the 12-mile gravel section between Beulah and Thompsonville which has always been a challenge to traverse with our personal vehicles.”
The new Gator fits nicely in our new storage facility.
We’d like to recognize the top donors to our summer campaign — each of whom donated $1,000 or more to help us pay for the Gator and maintain the Trail so it’s safe and beautiful for ALL to enjoy – for generations to come.
In addition to those listed below, we’d like to give special thanks and gratitude to Hank Dow of the Herbert H. and Barbara C. Dow Foundation who donated $15,000.
Craig Family Charitable Trust
Pemberton Family Foundation
Myrna Hitchman
Martha Garber
Bickle Family Foundation
Larry Bell
Jed & Lyn Maker
Robert & Jan Condon
Paul & Laurine Madison
Julie Tebo & Paul Danes
Joseph & Anne Purpura
Dan Remahl
Bill Beck