The Ken-Caryl Ranch Trail Club is a group of volunteers operating under a Memorandum of Understanding with the Master Association and a Joint Use Agreement with Willow Springs Open Space. The Trail Club is open to all Ken-Caryl residents. There is no cost to join, and all volunteer service and involvement is appreciated. In addition, members of the Trail Club who are able to contribute 10+ hours of volunteer service annually are eligible to receive permission and an ID bracelet for hiking in private Open Space owned by Willow Springs. The Trail Club promotes stewardship, volunteerism and partnership with Willow Springs on Open Space issues. Trail Club volunteer projects, provided by the Ken-Caryl Ranch Park Rangers, primarily focus on improving and maintaining Ken-Caryl Ranch trails. If you need to reach the Trail Club, email KCTrailClub@gmail.com.
*The Trail Club operates under a Memorandum of Understanding with the Master Association. The Trail Club is a volunteer-based organization that receives directives from the Open Space Manager, Volunteer Trail Coordinators, staff and residents, that are approved by the Master Association Board. As a volunteer-based organization, the Trail Club does not receive funding from the Master Association. All promotions and collateral, including, but not limited to, mailers, flyers, postcards, and any other marketing materials, are funded solely by the Trail Club and its members.
The Ken-Caryl Trail Club exists for the purposes of:
- Being good stewards of Ken-Caryl and Willow Springs open space;
- Enjoying the trail systems associated with Ken-Caryl and Willow Springs open space;
- Providing community service;
- Partnering with our neighbors in Willow Springs on open space issues;
- Sharing open space-related activities with like-minded neighbors and friends;
- Improving and maintaining Ken-Caryl trails; and
- Serving as advocates for Ken-Caryl trails and open space.
- Ken-Caryl Rangers will communicate only with Club leadership on volunteer opportunities, trail use issues, etc.
- Only the Club Corresponding Secretary will communicate with Club members on volunteer opportunities, meetings, etc. So as to discourage “reply to all” spamming, the Corresponding Secretary will use the “bcc” function on all outgoing messages. As such, individual members will not see the full distribution list on email correspondence.
- Only Club leadership will communicate with Willow Springs open space representatives on Club matters.
- Club members are responsible for communicating with the Membership Coordinator on volunteer hours worked dates and location.
- An annual minimum commitment of 10 volunteer hours is required of all members to receive a Willow Springs Open Space ID bracelet.
- Approved volunteer activities include: new trail construction, trail maintenance, volunteer patrol, tree harvest and Christmas tree sale, club leadership/administration, and other Open Space projects that are approved jointly by both Ranger & Trail Club committees.
- Only household family members 16 years or older may work toward fulfilling the 10-hour commitment.
- In order to get credit for volunteer hours worked, members are responsible for signing the work log at the project work site with name, date, hours worked, and email address. Contact the Membership Coordinator for any concerns about recorded volunteer hours.
- If a member completes all 10 hours during the calendar year, he/she will be eligible for a new identification bracelet after the first of the calendar year. NOTE: This policy will be reviewed annually and could change after the end of the year at the sole discretion of the Club leadership. For example, a lottery could be introduced if deemed necessary.
- If tag demand exceeds the supply, applicants with the most volunteer hours and those reaching the minimum required hours first will receive preference for obtaining a tag. NOTE: This policy will also be reviewed annually and could change after the end of the year in the sole discretion of the Club leadership.
- If excess tags are anticipated, applicants who did not meet the minimum volunteer requirements may be allowed to complete the minimum requirement with additional logged hours in the new calendar year. A current year tag may be issued once 10 hours has been attained. There is no guarantee that a tag would be available, and it is recommended to coordinate the availability with the Membership Coordinator. After fulfillment of the past year’s requirements, a new 10-hour commitment is then required for next year.
- Bracelet identification tags must be displayed while Club members are using Willow Springs open space. Only one bracelet will be issued per household.
Trail Club Leadership
- President – Lisa Schuth
- Vice President – Gary Salter
- Corresponding Secretary – Christina Brant
- Membership Coordinator – Mike Garner – mike@garner.xyz
- Social/Special Projects Chair – Samantha Flint
- Treasurer – Sean Lupien
- OSC Liaison – Jim Poggemeyer