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Little Big Forest Stewardship Committee approves Jan. minutes, plans trail and maintenance work
Summary
At its Feb. 18 meeting the Little Big Forest Stewardship Committee approved Jan. 21 minutes, set March 1 as the deadline to finalize its Annual Town Report inputs (proposing to reuse that material for a 2025 newsletter), and discussed maintenance projects including new locks, fencing, signage, accessible-trail design and sanitation options. Members volunteered to contact external experts for trail design and wood-chip use.
Committee member Tim Rowehl moved to approve the Jan. 21, 2025 meeting minutes, saying the draft had been circulated in advance; the motion was seconded by Milosh Bukovcan and approved by those present, though the meeting record does not specify a roll-call tally.
The committee, meeting Feb. 18, 2026, convened at 6:30 p.m. and spent much of the session on operations and site upkeep. Committee member Jason Kovarik reminded members that inputs for the town—s 2025 Annual Town Report are due March 1 and said he had circulated a draft; Bob Winterbottom added text and photos and members were asked to review and provide feedback so the committee—s submission can be finalized on schedule.
With no other newsletter material available, members proposed repurposing the Annual Town Report content as the Little Big Forest 2025 newsletter to distribute to supporters. Tim Rowehl reported attending training sessions on the town-hosted website and was thanked for maintaining and updating the committee—s webpage.
On maintenance, Rowehl said he purchased four new combination locks and will coordinate with Maggie Forestall on setting combinations and installation. The committee agreed to follow up on installing a shelf or other suitable space at the cabin and near the main information kiosk for new visitor logs.
Members reviewed a list of planned improvement projects: completion of a contracted boundary fence near the main parking area on Shedd Hill Road; additional trail work, including exploring an accessible trail beyond Phyllis Lane and/or from Walker Road to the cabin; cutting and removal of dead trees and limbs that pose hazards; installation of trail signs (route names, directions, distances) and a new information kiosk adjacent to the dock; potential Boy Scout and Girl Scout projects (signage, small bridge construction); consideration of a composting toilet for sanitation; and exploration of a possible geocaching setup.
Committee members identified external technical resources to consult about specific tasks. A designer who worked on accessible trails near Keene Middle School was suggested as a contact; Bob Winterbottom volunteered to reach out to consulting forester Gerry Hawkes of Woodstock, Vt., about visiting Little Big Forest to advise on improving the trail between Walker Road and the cabin. Ben Fawkes (Vt.) was noted as a possible resource on using wood chips from dead ash trees on trails. (The meeting record does not expand the acronym "JFES," which appears in the minutes without definition.)
The meeting closed after a final motion to adjourn from Rowehl, seconded by Jason Kovarik; the meeting was adjourned at 7:20 p.m.
