Guerrilla Trail Crew

Winter 2011 is Upon Us

2010-12-22T08:58:00.000-08:00

It's been a long spring, summer and fall and now we're entering our next winter season in Omaha. To say we've lucked out with the weather this season is an understatement. This time last year we were neck-deep in snow. Keeping our fingers crossed we won't relive some of the blizzards we experienced last year.

This brings me to the following update. There have been a few of us working behind the scenes trying to resolve the issues we have in Omaha with the lack of snow removal from our three major transportation paths, the Keystone, Big Papio and West Papio trails. If you're familiar with this blog or our Facebook page then you already know what the Guerilla Trail Crew is about. We are an ever-growing group of active volunteers who chose to act rather than sit back and complain. We have worked diligently since last February with the City of Omaha and Douglas County to fix some of the problems we encounter with lack of trail maintenance. And I think we're making headway! At our last Activate Omaha 'Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Committee' (BPAC) meeting we decided to create a Trail Maintenance subcommittee made up of myself, Dave R. (from Bike Masters) and Carlos Morales, our city's Bike/Ped Coordinator.

This past Tuesday December 21st, 2010 the BPAC Trail Maintenance subcommittee met and devised a strategy on how to address Park's & Rec's trail removal policy. In short, Parks & Rec's new policy has 'Trail Snow Removal' at the bottom of the list. As we understand it Parks & Rec prioritizes their snow removal based off of immediacy. Schools, sidewalks and community centers all rank higher in priority with the three major transportation trails taking last place. This is not acceptable and we hope to change this policy in our next meeting with Parks & Rec, which will be in January 2011.

If you want to get involved and help 'fight the good fight' then please jump on board. If you're a trail user then you're obligated to help. Merely paying taxes isn't enough in todays climate. If we want something done and the government can't do its job then it's time that "we the people" take action. Sitting back and complaining that "All Douglas County snow removal on trails suck!" does not help. Getting off your rear-end and affecting change is the help we need. Whether it be through attending meetings, being vocal and reporting problems to Parks & Rec or grabbing a snow shovel and clearing snow from a trouble area...this is what makes up the Guerrilla Trail Crew.

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I will report back on our January meeting with Parks & Rec. Until then I have a homework assignment for you all. We need leaders in our communities to meet with their neighbors and their neighborhood associations and organize trail clearing teams. Most important are the neighborhoods that back up to, or are in close proximity to the trail systems. Take for instance the West Papio Trail network. There are several subdivisions that attach to the trail. We need teams from each subdivision to organize trail clearing outings each time we have a snow storm. Our goal at our next meeting with the city is to get their crews to clear ALL of the trail system but leave the bridges untouched. Clearing the bridges takes time and resources that the city can't keep up with. If community volunteer teams could "adopt a bridge" then we could keep the entire network open. It's a give and take. Hopefully in the future the city will have the resources to take full responsibility of trail maintenance in Omaha. Until then we need to take responsibility of our parks and trails if we want them accessible year round.

Progress Made With The City

2010-02-25T07:43:00.000-08:00

Last Thursday myself and Julie Harris of Activate Omaha fame met with city leaders to discuss paved trail issues, specifically the Keystone, Big Papio and West Papio trails. The director of Parks & Rec, Melinda Pearson as well as #2 and #3 in command Steve Scarpello and Brook Bench met with us to discuss how we can solve the problem of snow removal, or lack thereof on area transportation trails. The first positive sign was that Parks & Rec recognizes these three trails as Transportation trails and not simply recreation trails. They were generally concerned that they were not being properly managed. We all agreed upon one thing, we acknowledged that this year's weather has been exceptional. We acknowledge that budgetary and personnel issues are a partial cause of portions of the trail network not being cleared quickly after snowfall. We were told that under normal circumstances snow should be cleared from all city owned trails within a few short days. Brook suggested that trail users contact his office if we encounter a portion of the trail that has not been cleared within seven days after the snowfall. In most cases it will be cleared in 2-3 days. We also discussed how to upgrade the Parks & Rec web site so that people can easily forward trail issues to the correct person rather than leaving voice mail. They agreed to look into adding a page on their web site that will allow detailed complaints (or praise).

The highlight of this meeting was learning that most of the trail issues along the West Papio were not because the City was not doing its job, but it was County territory. Looking at a map of the entire West Papio trail revealed that the trail bobs and weaves through County controlled areas. As it turns out, the County doesn't clear the snow from trails. Not sure why. Most likely they don't have the correct equipment and/or personnel to do the job. Steve and Brook promised to contact the County official in charge of these areas and seek an agreement that will allow City workers to clear these sections. Once they reach this agreement then Omaha Parks & Rec will clear the entire trail system from start to finish. Apparently there are other areas in Omaha that the county and city have this agreement.

We walked away from this meeting with very positive feelings that Parks and Rec will not only continue to monitor trail conditions but ensure they are cleared as quickly as possible AND they will try and reach an agreement with the County that will allow City crews to clear County sections of trail. This will solve the problems we've been facing over the years.

A big Thank You to Melinda, Steve and Brook for their caring and cooperation. It was also refreshing to learn that Melinda is a guerrilla herself. Guerrilla Gardener, that is.

Moving forward we still encourage volunteers and concerned citizens, fellow Guerrillas to take charge of their neighborhoods. If you see a problem address it. Don't wait for the city to solve every problem. If school kids are standing in the street because the sidewalks aren't clear then step up and clear the problem. Same goes for the trail systems. If bridges or underpasses are not clear due to exceptional weather problems, gather a group of friends and neighbors and open the trail. We all co-own our parks and trails and should help take care of them.

Volunteers Needed ASAP.

2010-02-19T13:04:00.000-08:00

This just in from an avid GTC volunteer is asking for help.

"Folks - we have an elementary school that needs some help. One group with some shovels should be able to provide relief in a very short amount of time.

The NE corner at 108th & Crown Point (Just north of the HyVee at 108th/Fort) has been and continues to be a dangerous situation for kids trying to walk to Prairie Wind Elementary School. The Prinicpal is asking for help in clearing the sidewalk on that corner so that kids can have a safe place to stand while waiting to cross 108th Street. Today's snow is just going to add to the problem. This is a great school with a fantastic principal that wants to do whatever she can to help get more kids walking and biking to school. Let's support those who support our mission!

We could spend a lot of time talking about who shoulda/coulda/woulda already done this, but the bottom line is that these kids need to be safe, sooner rather than later.

Would anyone be available/willing to help out sometime this weekend? I can help coordinate."

If you are able to help clear this corner sidewalk please step up and help. Respond to this thread if you're able to help, or visit the OmahaBIKES blog and leave a note.

Time for More Action!

2010-02-05T11:59:00.000-08:00

Time to take action again! With most places around Omaha receiving at least 5" of snow and more coming, it's time for volunteers to organize with neighbors and friends and hit the trails.

The GTC doesn't meet with the Parks & Rec department until February 18th, so we have no answer yet as to how they will clear the Keystone and Papio trails going forward. Until we have a clear answer from Parks & Rec on what priority they will put on trail systems we need to rely on one another to get the job done, or at least HELP the city get their job done. How can we help? Grab a few neighbors or friends and hit the trails. We should focus on clearing areas where the city skips, particularly bridges (underpass and overpass). There are several locations along the Keystone and West Papio that are bypassed by the city. If we can get volunteers to clear these areas then hopefully the city crews can open the rest. More importantly if we can spread the word to neighbors, businesses and neighborhood associations that volunteers are attempting to keep the trails clear then perhaps we can get more involvement. Spreading the word is a priority at this point. Steer people to this blogspot or to the twitter account for updates.

Hopefully we will soon have Parks & Rec on our side and will rely less on volunteers.

Progress, but More Needed!

2010-01-23T10:49:00.000-08:00

As you can see in the photos, there has been progress made along the West Papio trail. Last Sunday a group of roughly 20 volunteers attacked several locations along the trail and managed to clear several portions. The largest section being about a 1/4 mile stretch just north of Blondo. Bridges north and south of Pacific as well as behind Morton Elementary were cleared as well. One significant problem remains. A large section of trail from West Center Road all the way to 144th & 'F' Street remains snow and ice packed. It's apparent that a large tractor traveled down the trail and removed the top half of snow, but they didn't drop the blade to the ground so a 4-6" of ice and snow remain. This renders this portion pretty much useless unless you're on snowshoes or hiking boots. Riding a bike is impossible.

The City was notified about the section behind Morton Elementary and this problem was addressed the very next day. They managed to plow this section. If only they could have continued south down the trail they could have opened the trail system completely.

What can you do? If you live in the area, or feel like putting in a few volunteer hours, grab a shovel and head down the West Papio Trail starting at West Center Road or Scutt Catholic and clear snow. If the trail itself is too wet to clear you can always attack the bridges. There's a bridge at Bob Boozer just south of Pacific that needs a lot of work as well as a bridge near the 'Y' split that connects to 144th Street, towards 24-Hour fitness. If we can get the bridges cleared then city crews can most likely address the rest. We need to get this done before the next snow fall!

Last update we've heard on the Keystone is that it's been cleared from the blockage behind Nebraska Furniture Mart all the way to Mercy. No one has reported any problems south of this location (Aksarben?). If there aer any spots that volunteers could clear please post them here so they can be addressed.

Our goal is to get the trails completely cleared ASAP so we're ready for the next snow fall. Volunteers are meeting with the head of Parks and Rec in the near future to work on plans on how to address future snowfalls and trail clearing. The positive news is that Parks and Rec appears to welcome the idea of volunteers helping their crews clear the trail. We'll keep you posted. Until then, keep organizing groups in your neighborhood and spreading the word. All we need is a few handfuls of neighbors who's property backs to the trails to take interest in the trails.

A Community In Action

2010-01-18T08:19:00.000-08:00

Before and After Shots

The Guerrilla Trail Crew strikes again! This time with more force. Nearly 20 volunteers gathered together along the West Papio Trail whose mission was to clear portions of the trail that were missed by city crews. Volunteers attacked from all sides of the trail system. Some starting as far south as 144th and 'F' Street. More volunteers started along mid portions of the trail near Morton Elementary and Scutt Catholic School and a large group formed near the trail head at 160th and Burdette Street. In all there were roughly 20 individuals from all four corners of Omaha. Volunteers came from various bike clubs and neighborhood associations as well as from across town.Many volunteers traveled from downtown, midtown and south Omaha to help out. Most of them never use this trail system and may never. But that didn't matter. They were part of a movement to help change the way Omahans think about their community. This is more than just snow removal. It's community involvement. Ordinary citizens gathering together to solve a problem. In this instance the problem is a lack of snow removal from a very long trail network. Even more impressive than the adult volunteers were the children who were brought along to help. Approximately five guerrilla volunteers were elementary school-age or younger. All came armed with snow shovels and cookies. Their excitement and enthusiasm were contagious. Children getting involved in community activism! What an amazing thing to watch. One young boy mentioned he wants to organize his own guerrilla trail crew with fellow students from Morton Elementary. When most of us were tired and ready to call it a day, these kids wanted to keep shoveling snow.

As you can see in the photographs we were able to make a sizable dent in opening the trail. Jim C. started clearing from the 144th & 'F' Street portion and worked his way north. His work is shown in the photo above. As you can see he worked late into the night. Joel, Josh, Kim, Kevin, Zach and others started in the middle of the trail and worked their way north and south. Roughly a dozen others, I forgot all their names, started from the north end of the trail and managed to open a large length of the trail. One large snow blower and a dozen people with shovels and ice picks managed to cut their way through the extremely wet and heavy snow. When we first got started we were worried we would not get far. The snow was packed from weeks of inattention and pedestrian travel. We all managed to get it done.

We hit a sizable road block when reaching Morton Elementary school just south of Pacific and west of Bob Boozer drive. This section was drifted and packed by ATV and pedestrian travel. The snow was too deep and wet for the group to complete in one day. We were tired and thirsty. Someone mentioned 'Beer' and that was all it took to get us to pack up our shovels and call it a day. Most of the north-end group met up at Old Chicago pizzeria where we shared war stories and beers and talked about how to grow the idea behind the GTC. We all agreed on one thing. Regardless of whose responsibility it is to clear snow from sidewalks and paths, the responsibility ultimately falls on the community. We will not depend on city government to solve all of our problems. When the city runs out of money, personnel and equipment, WE take over. We are your neighbors. In one week "we" grew from five to 20. Next time perhaps we'll grow to 100. Individuals throughout the city took action on Sunday. Some addressed issues in their own neighborhoods while others set out to clear bridges and trails near their own corner of Omaha.

Moving forward we would like to see this Blog and the Facebook Page be a central location where communities and neighbors can communicate and report problems on trail systems. With future snow storms coming we would like people to report areas that were missed by city crews. Once people report problems volunteers can take action and clear these areas. It's almost guaranteed that most bridges and underpasses will not be cleared. City equipment can't reach them. These areas are of particular concern and could be addressed by neighbors and volunteers. The most important task at hand is to get the word out to your friends and neighbors and get them hooked into the network. Once communities are aware that "we" exist they will be more likely to take action themselves. So please spread the word! And most of all...TAKE ACTION!

Guerrilla Strike #2! UPDATE!!!

2010-01-14T08:26:00.000-08:00

WE NEED YOU!

Mission: Clear the entire West Papio Trail system from Blondo to Lake Zorinsky.
When: Sunday January 17th. 1-pm start or whenever you can help.
Where: Multiple Locations along West Papio Trail (see below)

UPDATE!!!!!!
As of Saturday 1-16-10 I've checked most of the West Papio Trail from 144th & F to 160th & Blondo. Some areas have had a truck and plow drive the trail, while other sections have had no snow removal at all. Below are specific areas that need addressed. Click on the embedded link to see a map of the area. Feel free to attack any portion you wish. If you're using only a shovel you're needed at bridges and underpasses mainly. If you're using a snow blower you're needed more on the straightaways. See below for more information.

Southwest: 144th & 'F' Street (24-hour fitness) 2-Stage blower required. Trail runs from the bridge that crosses 144th Street and runs behind (north) of 24-hr Fitness and continues to the 'Y' shaped split that takes you to Lake Zorinsky (southwest) or north down the West Papio trail. Start from 24-hour fitness parking lot and work your way as far as you can. This portion has not been touched and is snow-packed. You'll have to hike across a portion of snow that have been pushed onto the trail by whoever plows the 24-hr Fitness lot. Once on the trail you'll know what to do.

Scutt High School: 156th & W. Center. 2-Stage Blower and shovels. Trail runs behind Scutt high school both north and south directions. There is a pedestrian bridge to the south that will need shovel and blower work. This bridge is at the 'Y' split that connects to the 24-Hr Fitness portion of the trail and to Lake Zorinsky. If you work your way north you'll travel underneath 156th Street and further down you'll travel underneath W. Center Road. Some portions of the trail have been cleared by truck from W. Center north.

Bridge at Bob Boozer and Morton Elementary. Snow shovels and blower. This section runs through a park and behind Morton Elementary school. A pedestrian bridge crosses the Papio creek and boarders Bob Boozer Drive. Shovels will be needed to clear the bridge and drifts north and south of there. Snow blowers could be used as well to go north or south as needed.

Pacific & Bob Boozer underpass: Blowers and Shovels. The west Papio Trail travels under Pacific street at this location then continues west for a while. All equipment is needed here! You can park in the parking lot of 159th Ave and Pacific and work your way west up the trail to the Pacific bridge I mentioned or north down the trail to another pedestrian bridge. The pedestrian bridge I mentioned can be reached by another small parking lot seen here. These areas need a lot of work the last I checked.

Dodge to Pacific: Open trail with no bridges along this section. This area needs snow blowers since it's a long open stretch. You can park near 164th and California (north of Dodge) and work your way south under the Dodge overpass or park near 163rd and Chicago (south of Dodge) and work your way north or south. I've been told that the trail has been cleared from Dodge to Blondo.

Blondo North/South: This is where I will start. Blowers and shovels needed to work both south and north. Mainly south. This is a trail hub near a park and is a good location to have as a Start location to open the trail. There is an underpass under Blondo as well as a 1-mile stretch of open trail. I plan to work my way south from the park at 160th and Burdette right near the tennis courts. This is also the location I suggested that the news media meet us. There may be media here unless a more dramatic story needs covered.

We only need to clear enough snow to allow pedestrian or bike travel. We don't need to clean the entire width of the path.

Things to consider: WE ARE ALL VOLUNTEERS and ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR OUR OWN ACTIONS. If you get hurt or injured or damage your equipment only YOU are responsible. No one is in charge of this effort. No one is asking you to perform any duties. We are only conveying information about snow blockages along the West Papio Trail. If you choose to take action and clear snow you are doing so as an independent volunteer under no ones direction. There is nothing illegal about clearing snow from public trails as long as you are only clearing snow and not violating any other laws. Do not drive on the trail, damage property or litter, please.

Note: BRING YOUR CAMERA so that you can share photos of your work. No matter if you clear 10-feet of path or a mile, we want to see your handy work.

Remember our goal. To open up the entire West Papion Trail to pedestrians and cyclists. Any amount of snow clearing will be appreciated by people who need this trail opened. If we fall short, that's OK. The reward comes from knowing we entered the battle, not necessarily that we won the war. Be careful, dress warm, bring food and water and extra gasoline.

The West Papio trail network runs from West Maple Road to Lake Zorinksy approximately 8 miles. Multiple neighborhoods back to the trail. I have sent an email notice to most of the neighborhood associations asking for their help. I've received positive responses! Along this trail there are segments that have been cleared, but like the Keystone there are entire stretches that haven't been touched as well as bridges that are impassable. This can not be done with four or five people. We need an army! Preferable an army of people armed with 2-stage snowblowers. We will need people with shovels and chippers as well along sections where there are bridges.

~~I will try and recon this area as much as possible and report back specific locations to address.~~ Gather up all the people you can who can help. Network and spread the word. Local media will be notified of our efforts so plan to be part of the movement and make an impact! We also need people with pickup trucks to transport snowblowers to areas around the trail. Some people have offered their assistance but have no way of transporting their snowblower to various locations. Use the Facebook page and or Twitter to communicate and form your army. Together we can do this! Think of the statement this will make to see an army of citizens clear an 8-mile trail segment and open it back up for pedestrian and bike traffic!

Applying Newton's Laws to the GTC

2010-01-13T08:28:00.000-08:00

First Law: An object in motion will stay in motion and an object at rest will stay at rest unless acted upon by an external force.

Second Law: Force equals mass times acceleration, or in mathematical terms "F=ma".

Third Law: To every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

What does this have to do with activism and action? Everything. The guerrilla trail crew in just a few short days has affected change throughout the city of Omaha. The groundswell has begun. People are learning about what we are doing and they're jumping on board. Yesterday we had guerrillas popping up everywhere. One person willing to donate his time and ATV plow to help clear trails. Another offered to volunteer his time and 2-stage snow blower. Yet another took action in their own neighborhood by clearing an area where kids were scaling a snow drift to cross the street. Where the city and some neighbors are falling short, action oriented individuals are taking charge and conducting their own guerrilla trail clearing.

First law. An object in motion remains in motion until acted upon by an outside force. The GTC is in motion and will remain in motion as long as volunteers are available. We need acceleration to increase outside force. This means in order to affect a greater change we need more volunteers and more equipment. If you know anyone willing to join forces then get them signed on to the GTC twitter account, which is @OmahaTrailCrew or follow this blog and accompanying Facebook page.

In the news? Nothing on Omaha's Big 5 yet (wowt, kmtv, kptm, ketv and the omaha world herald) but other news sources are catching wind of what we are doing. See HERE and HERE.

Keep posted on upcoming group guerrilla actions. We have a few in queue. We are still looking for equipment and donations, so if you know anyone willing to donate a 2-stage snow blower or can offer assistance in any way have them contact one of our volunteers or post a response to this post.

Remember Newton's third law. To every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. If you want improvements in your community you must act. Your actions will create change. Newton guarantees it!

Action! Louder Than Words.

2010-01-11T05:55:00.000-08:00

The GTC had an impressive start! On short notice guerrilla member Scott took advantage of his on-line networking skills and blasted a notice of the GTC's first call to arms. The Keystone Trail from Fort to Dodge Street and beyond. The net was cast. Five motivated guerrilla crew members responded. Besides myself there was Scott, Ben, Jordy, and Gerard. Three members of the crew rode their bikes, snow shovels mounted to the meet location at 86th and Blondo. From there all members saddled up and pedaled north towards the Fort Street trail entrance where the Keystone begins.

Each of us had a shovel either mounted to our bike or strapped to our back, guerrilla style. I had two shovels and ended up needing them both. On my bike I strapped a metal flat-nosed garden shovel for attacking the hard packed snow and ice. I also had a regular snow shovel strapped to my back using my Chrome messenger bag. Scott had a similar setup.

We arrived at our first blockage about 1/2 mile north of Peak Performance. There was a section along a bridge that apparently couldn't not be reached by plows. This section was about 30-feet long with 2-3 feet deep snow. We all dismounted and attacked the obstacle. On my first shovel full of snow my shovel bent in half. Drats! The snow was heavy and dense from weeks of sitting and getting walked over. After a few minutes of digging with a bent shovel I moved on to the metal garden shovel. Thank goodness I brought it. I'll be doing the same on future excursions.

After clearing this section we moved on to other locations north towards Fort Street until we found no more obstructions. We ventured south towards Cass and Dodge Streets. We came across another major blockage around Cass Street then another at Dodge. Each of the bridge crossings needed our attention. Drifting snow left areas impassable by bike at several locations along the Keystone. The crew would break up and attack each section in pairs. The areas that required an ice pick were handled by the guys who brought choppers. The areas effected by drifting were mainly handled by those with larger snow shovels. One particular tough section was just beneath an overpass near Dodge. City snow plows had pushed the snow and ice from the roadway over the railing and onto the trail. This is where we encountered a 3-4 foot deep section of ice and snow. The mound had roughly a one foot think crust of solid ice and three feet of packed snow below it. This section took the longest to clear, but we cleared it and made it passable by bike and foot. One runner went by just as we opened it saying "Thanks!" as he ran by. Scott video recorded the clearing and time-lapsed the video, which can be seen below.

We finished up around 4:15-pm. Tired, sore and with one broken shovel. We all commented on how much fun we had. Perhaps it was the act of giving something to the community without recognition or reward. Or maybe it was the friendships we made and the time spent chatting and getting to know other Omaha activists. Either way the inaugural GTC outing was a huge success. It's amazing what five determined individuals can accomplish. Now imagine if we had 50, or more. Ultimately what stopped us was fatigue, loosing daylight and a lack of powered equipment. Just as we rounded the back end of the Nebraska Furniture Mart we encountered an area completely drifted by snow probably 3-4 feet deep as far as we could see. It would take another day and a larger crew to clear this. Or perhaps a dual-stage snow blower could cut through it in a matter of minutes. This brings me to the next subject: WE NEED EQUIPMENT!

Do you know anyone who is willing to donate to the GTC cause? Anyone with old or new equipment? Even though we're not officially registered with the IRS as a charity organization (and we may never be) we are still in desperate need of equipment from snow blowers, snow shovels or even cash money for buying equipment. If you or someone you know is able to contribute materials please let us know. If you want to become a GTC guerrilla then please step forward. We need you!!! If you can offer neither we could still use your help. Spread the word! Send links to friends. Get others involved. We are a great group of volunteers who have the community at heart. We understand government's rolls and responsibilities, but we're not dependent upon them. We are citizens, armed with grit, determination and snow shovels and we're out to take over where the "government" fails. Join us!

Video courtesy of Scott R.

Guerrilla or No?

2010-01-08T07:03:00.000-08:00

I've done some research into forming the GTC (guerrilla trail crew) as a legit "organization". The thought of forming a 501c(3) non-profit organization in order to clear snow from area trails is too much to undertake. At least for me alone it is. No less than 13 steps to file papers with the IRS, state and local government institutions, insurance binders, record keeping, etc etc. I don't have the time to manage a non-profit nor the patience to communicate with multiple government organizations. The "Guerrilla" in GTC is quickly becoming a Chimpanzee.

Who knows. This may never get off the ground, but things don't happen unless they're confronted and talked about. The issue at hand is the city's inability to clear snow from paved trail networks around Omaha. Blame it on budget shortcuts, job layoffs or whatever. It doesn't matter. What matters is that something needs to be done. Those of us who depend on the trail networks as primary transportation can either park their bikes and drive when snow falls and continue to complain about the delay of city snow removal or physically do something. In this case I'm suggesting that we, the people, do something. Perhaps without 501c(3) status and all of the accompanying paperwork. I'm talking simple "guerrilla" style work. A network of citizens who are dependable and are willing to sacrifice their own time and money. This is the era of social networking. I know people who spend the better part of their day updating their Facebook status. Why not use these tools to recruit an army of volunteers who are interested in the idea of a GTC. Omaha, although it doesn't act like it, IS a big city. There has to be people out there willing to contribute to this "cause". All we need to do is ask. And I'm asking anyone who reads this to act. Below are some ideas.

- Volunteers who are willing to do the grunt work. Plow or blow snow. Clear sidewalk ramps, etc.

- Businesses willing to donate or discount materials. Snow-blowers at cost? Free maintenance, repair?

- Network volunteers. Post flyers on neighborhood doors asking residents to help. Spread the word.

- Do you know someone who owns equipment they would loan out?

- Do you know anyone with an old ATV they're willing to donate or loan?

This may seem too impossible for some. Let me assure you it's not. For years I volunteered with an organization called SWINT (southwest iowa nature trails). Although they most likely were a non-profit with 501c(3) status, that didn't get in the way of "just getting work done". When I joined this volunteer army I went out and bought my own equipment and paid for my own maintenance. My job was to clear downed trees along the Wabash from the Council Bluffs trail head to Minneola. When there was a storm or when someone reported a tree downed, I would drive or bike down the trail with a chainsaw and clear that portion of trail. It was that simple. If I injured myself or damaged my equipment that was my problem, not anyone else's. Same theory applies to the GTC. Volunteers have to accept responsibilities for themselves and their actions. No insurance company or team of lawyers on retainer to help you if you screw something up. That's the risk we must take if we choose to do this. Otherwise we can look for help from other already formed 501c(3) organizations and see if they'll take the GTC under their wing. Until then, lets get the conversations started.

Under Construction...

2009-12-30T18:12:00.000-08:00

What is the Guerrilla Trail Crew? It's the citizens of Omaha banding together to solve the problem of trail maintenance, or lack thereof in Omaha. We're in the beginning stages so bare with us while we work on the details.

Check back soon for updates.