The D&L Blog

Written by Silas Chamberlin

On Saturday, 60 people attended the first meeting of the D&L Trail Patrol, held in Easton’s Hugh Moore Park. Some of the attendees were long-time D&L volunteers, but most were new faces interested in participating for the first time.

After some coffee, cookies, and mingling, the group heard brief presentations from Scott Everett on current and future trail projects and Dennis Scholl on the Trail Tenders. Silas Chamberlin, who will manage the trail patrol, then described the nuts and bolts of how the patrol will function. If you couldn’t make it on Saturday, most of the materials we discussed are posted on the Trail Patrol webpage.

Silas Chamberlin explains the functions of the D&L Trail Patrol.

After the presentations, the large group split into three smaller groups and rotated between different training workshops. Indoors, Dennis taught the volunteers about the history of the canals and railroads that the trail follows. Outside, Dean Hower taught Tire Repair 101 to the bike riders, and Andrew Stewart, an EMT from the Bethlehem Township Fire Company, talked to the patrol members about safety on the trail. After everyone made it through the trainings, we reconvened for lunch, and then called it a day.

Trail Patrol member, Dean Hower, teaches Tire Repair 101.

The turnout was great and the enthusiasm for the patrol was overwhelming. We’re going to keep the momentum going! In the next month or so, there will be follow-up events along the trail for patrol members to pick up their vests and first aid kits. We’ll also have opportunities for members to become certified in first aid and CPR, if they are interested. Be sure to check back for updates.

We continue to look for new recruits, so please get in touch with Silas Chamberlin at [email protected], if you are interested.