Cherry Hill resident Jay Jones has been an avid mountain biker for many years.
Jones has enjoyed biking in various parks and trails around the area for a number of years.
When he moved to Cherry Hill and was named to the environmental board, Jones discovered the township had a number of trails needing maintenance, so he decided to help create the Cherry Hill Trail Crew.
An all-volunteer group dressed in orange shirts and armed with shovels, gloves and other tools, the trail crew has been making its way around the 12 designated trails in Cherry Hill. Jones said the work varies from clearing the trails to creating new, more accessible ones.
The group’s impact has been positive in multiple ways. Jones said it has members who are passionate about creating accessible and clean trails for residents and have the knowledge to do so. Its work also saves the township time and money for work otherwise done by the Department of Public Works.
“We developed this group with the promise that volunteers would maintain the trails and not the Department of Public Works,” Jones said.
The group regularly meets on the second Saturday of every month at a designated trail. Residents are provided with work material and an action plan is developed. For a few hours, the volunteers get to work, clearing debris and making other improvements to the trail.
For the first couple of years, the group has spent the majority of its time cleaning the trails. Jones said it has recently been revisiting areas and looking at how the trails can be improved from their original layout.
“We’re going back to assess all of these trail systems, and we realized some of them weren’t designed as trails,” Jones said. “They are just rogue trails.”
Jones believes the trails should be for all people, including walkers, runners, cyclists and others. He also serves on the Sustainable Cherry Hill Way to Go taskforce, a group focusing on making the township accessible to all sorts of transports. Jones has carried those beliefs over to the trail crew as well.
“I’ll certainly try to create trail systems where people can walk, run and promote healthy lifestyles,” he said.
Jones has put the Kresson Trails to good use himself. On the third Saturday of every month in the summer, he hosts a mountain bike skills clinic on the trails.
Jones’ love of mountain biking has given him a greater appreciation for trail maintenance.
“Through that process, going mountain biking and using the trails, you know you have to take care of you resources,” he said.
The importance of maintaining trails has touched other members of the mountain biking community as well. Jones said there have been a number of fellow mountain bikers who have helped the trail crew over the last two years.
The crew has gotten a positive response from the community. At the group’s last Saturday clean-up on June 14 at Bunker Hill trails, Jones said 18 volunteers came out. The crew has also worked with local Boy, Girl and Eagle Scout troops on community service projects.
“One of the things we’re trying to promote is volunteerism,” Jones said. “This is an opportunity to give back to the community and enhance their trail systems.”
The Trail Crew’s next Saturday clean-up will be on July 12 at Old Orchard Trails. To join the trail crew or for more information, visit www.cherryhilltrailcrew.com.
