Piscataquis County Soil & Water Conservation District Hosted A Gravel Road Maintenance Workshop & Frontrunner Training Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Dover-Foxcroft, Maine–The Piscataquis County Soil and Water Conservation District and the Maine Forest Service hosted a Gravel Road Maintenance Workshop and conducted a Frontrunner Training with the support of the Schoodic Lake Association, the South Shore Lot Owners Association of Schoodic Lake, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection and the Central Maine Chapter of SWOAM on Thursday August 6, 2009 at the South Schoodic Lake Boat Launch in Lakeview Village. There was a wonderful turnout for this workshop held for municipalities, private road owners, road associations and prospective Front Runner users. During this workshop, participants had a chance to observe the replacement of an insufficient culvert with a new-age Nuprin Arch model using the Maine Department of Environmental Protections' Erosion and Sediment Control's Best Management Practices. Maine Forester and board member of PCSWCD, Gordon Moore, along with the help of Maine Forest Service Water Resources Forester, Kieth Kanoti and DEP's Bill Laflamme lead informative discussions on the importance of Best Management Practices, erosion control methods and the effects poor management has on our aquatic-life such as Salmon and the waters in which they live. There was a great deal of involvement amongst all who attended.
PCSWCD also emphasized on basic road maintenance techniques using a Front Runner grader/rake, operated by Fred Turner of Willimantic. The Front Runner is an attachment that fits on ¾ or 1 ton pick-up trucks utilizing a snowplow mount, it is used for road grading, maintenance, cleanup, landscaping, finish grading and snow removal on soft roads. Consisting of a row of heavy duty, flexible, spring steel tines bolted to a rugged welded steel frame, the attachment forms the configuration of a miniature road grader. Those who participated in the workshop are now able to rent the Front Runner from the District for a low cost of $75 per week. For information on next years workshop please contact Shelia or Lynn at 564-2321 or check for updated information at: www.piscataquisswcd.org.
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