Student's service trails along TAM

Author: Jennifer Shapland

Erica Goodman '06 was named Middlebury Area Land Trust (MALT) volunteer of the year for her work to maintain one of the area's prized recreational assets.

The Trail Around Middlebury (TAM) is a great link between the town, the College and the countryside and is open to the public year-round for anyone who wants to spend an afternoon the Thoreau way.

The TAM, as the trail's frequent users call it, covers 16 miles through the towns of Cornwall, Middlebury, New Haven and Weybridge. It was built in the 1990s when several already-existing trails were connected to form a complete loop. One of the visionaries behind this project was John Derrick, a member of the Middlebury community who continues to serve as a volunteer with MALT. The TAM is currently maintained by the efforts of MALT, the nonprofit organization that originally conceived it.

Extending across both public and private land, the survival of the TAM depends on the continued involvement of MALT as well as on generous contributions of private landowners willing to donate or "lend" a stretch of their property to the cause. The TAM follows some city streets, crosses parks and farm fields, bridges Otter Creek twice and also passes over parts of Middlebury College.

On campus, a section of the TAM is commonly known as "the cross-country trail," officially as the Colin O'Neil Class of '97 Trail. The winding trail looks around the Ralph Myhre Golf Course and connects to the main TAM loop. Many Middlebury townspeople and college students spend their free time on the trail everyday. Walkers, runners, hikers, bikers and, in the colder months, cross country skiers and snowshoers alike enjoy this accessible means of connecting with their local environment.

But in order for the greater Middlebury community to continue enjoying this public trail, maintenance is crucial. John Derrick and MALT solicit the help of volunteers in the community and at the college for trail maintenance. Though many students here have never heard of the TAM, one student in particular became so involved in its survival during her last three years at Middlebury that she was recently named the MALT Volunteer of the Year.

Goodman started off her Middlebury College experience in the same fashion as a large percentage of her class: she went on a Middlebury Outdoor Orientation (MOO) trip. Spending three days on a volunteer service trip first introduced her to the TAM and trail maintenance and left a considerable impression on her, as well as providing her with MALT contacts John Derrick and Johno Chapin. Of her involvement with the trail, Goodman said, "We are so lucky to have places like this that make it so easy to enjoy the outdoors."

She went on to help guide future MOO volunteer service trips because she was so familiar with the TAM and the surrounding area. Later, Goodman became the co-chair of the Volunteer Service Organization and had the responsibility of finding work sites for community service-minded students to put in hours each week. Her contacts with Derrick and Chapin helped bring Middlebury student volunteers to the TAM for about three to four workdays each fall and spring for trail-clearing, rerouting, gravel and mulch-spreading and branch-pruning. Her involvement has also led to the organization of the TAM Team Trek (T3), a fundraiser for MALT that occurs in the fall in which groups of students form teams to run sections of the trail. In addition, Goodman leads Wildflower Walks on the trail for those inclined to learn more about native species.

Goodman was both surprised and honored by her recent recognition as the Volunteer of the Year from MALT. Because of her efforts with the volunteer service organization, many Middlebury students have been able to spend a few afternoons taking care of the TAM. Recently, the men's cross-country team took a few hours to help clear the very trail they run on so frequently, and Goodman was glad to see them exhibiting the same positive reaction she feels when she has a hand in the upkeep of such a valued asset to the local community.

"There are many other ways to volunteer and it is always great to give money to a worthy organization," said Goodman. "But sometimes, especially on perfect fall afternoons like these, working at the trail is a welcome escape from my desk for some hands-on work." Goodman hopes to continue spreading the good word about the TAM to encourage not only volunteering but also for everyone - students, newcomers and townsfolk alike - to get out and enjoy the trail.

For many new Middlebury students, the first glimpse of the breathtaking countryside surrounding the campus nestled in the mountains is enough to be glad to call the College home for the next four years. But as each day passes, students become more accustomed to viewing the striking landscape right outside the window. Compared to those first days on campus when students were beginning to imagine encounters with the backyard wilderness that they thought would be part and parcel of the Middlebury experience, many students feel they have lost that initial curiosity and incentive to explore our rural wonderland.

Luckily, there is an accessible way to get up close and personal with the local environment and perhaps rediscover the wonder of nature experienced the first time to visit Middlebury.