by Matt Konkle
Torque Managing Editor
For the Lucky Hare Brewing Company, Finger Lakes National Forest has been its backyard for the past seven years.
And in that time, being a company passionate about taking care of forests and nature, the business has used its influence to bring more awareness to outdoor issues, as well as providing volunteers for countless improvement projects.
Currently, Luck Hare helps with three projects per year, and the latest earlier this month was one of Quadratec’s 50-for-50 Trail Improvement Initiatives.
This one saw 49 volunteers gather to clean up trash and improve dispersed camping areas inside the Finger Lakes National Forest, while also installing campground tent pads and Carsonite posts at 28 campsites. Additionally, volunteers planted pollinator plants at several forest trail sites.
In all, the event removed over 9,300 pounds of trash while improving 30 miles of trail.
“The Quadratec '50 for 50' volunteer event on the Finger Lakes National Forest was a tremendous success. Bringing together four partners with the common goal of fostering stewardship of our natural resources, it provided an awesome opportunity for our citizenry to engage in active management of their public lands,” said Matthew Kautz, Forestry Technician for the Finger Lakes National Forest. “The size of the turnout for this event was a testament to the synergy of this cooperation and we were able to accomplish projects in hours that would take weeks of staff time.
”Tread Lightly! was integral to the success of this event and we can’t thank them enough for their support and advocacy of taking initiative in recreating responsibly. I was excited to hear the enthusiasm among the volunteers’ conversations and all that was able to be accomplished with this new partner.”
This Finger Lakes National Forest Cleanup Project was the 19th of 50 total trail and public land restoration events that Quadratec will help sponsor through the end of 2023.
So far, through its supported projects, the 50-for-50 Stewardship Grant has accumulated 4,516 volunteer hours with a total value of $134,672, pulled away 78,155 pounds of trash and improved 452 miles of trail.
Quadratec’s ’50-for-50’ stewardship grant fund helps project managers pay for equipment, fees, volunteer support, food, fuel, signage and other miscellaneous costs.
Quadratec has been a supporting partner of Tread Lightly! for more than 20 years, and a longtime fundraiser for Tread Lightly!’s stewardship programs. The company has also promoted Tread Lightly! and other trail restoration efforts through its Quadratec Cares ‘Energize the Environment' program.
Clubs and individuals are required to be active, supporting members of Tread Lightly! to be eligible to apply for ’50-for-50’ grant funding. To learn more about the Quadratec ’50-for-50 program, visit Quadratec's 50 for 50 Trails Stewardship Grant Initiative.
Related Articles:
Quadratec, Tread Lightly ’50-for-50’ Trail Cleanup — Coal Township, Pennsylvania
Quadratec, Tread Lightly! ’50-For-50’ Public Land Cleanup — Lansing, West Virginia
Quadratec, Tread Lightly! ’50-For-50' Cleanup — Brooksville, Florida
