UPDATES
2024 Annual Report
OUR CREW LOGGED 2,500 VOLUNTEER HOURS THIS YEAR
The Jolly Rovers constructed a staircase on the Wilkinson Memorial Trail, which leads to Mt. Beacon from the Route 9D trailhead in Fishkill. This project was part of the first phase of Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail construction, focusing on the Breakneck Connector and Bridge. Following the Nimham Trail's opening in 2021, the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (NYS OPRHP) worked on stabilizing the approach trails to address erosion and trail braiding. Thirty-six steps were added to the trail, along with additional gargoyles and treads. The Jolly Rovers teamed up with other crews on this important project to enhance hiker circulation
4 WORKSHOPS TAUGHT THIS YEAR STONE WORK AND RIGGING Wilderness Skills Institute - Pisgah National Forest (NC) NYS OPRHP - Keewaydin State Park & Taghannock Falls State Park (NY) Appalachian Trail Conservancy & The Nature Conservancy - Natural Bridges State Park (VA)
A dry stone walling workshop was held at Vassar College in collaboration with the Dry Stone Conservancy, one of the country's leading stone organizations, and the Rovers rebuilt 30 feet of stone wall. Later, crew members enjoyed a private tour of Opus 40 Sculpture Park in Saugerties (NY), guided by an expert stone mason and restoration artist.
2023 Annual Report
OUR CREW LOGGED 3,348 VOLUNTEER HOURS THIS YEAR
WE HAVE SHARED THE ART OF STONEWORK ACROSS 4 STATES. 27 organizations benefited from the 7 workshops we held this year. We established a new partnership with 1 organization. 4 clients engaged us to work on other parts of their parks. 10 recruits completed their training, and 50 crew members volunteered their time.
7 WORKSHOPS TAUGHT THIS YEAR Our crew members assisted in training trail crews across the country. We collaborated with the Georgia Appalachian Trail Crew (GA), the Wilderness Skills Institute (NC), Thacher State Park (NY), Minnewaska State Park (NY), Artpark (NY), Taughannock State Park (NY), and Seton Park (NYC).
Board Changes: New Leadership
In January, the board of directors voted in a slate of officers for the coming year, and acknowledged some members stepping down. L Nichols has rotated off the board for personal reasons, after serving as Treasurer and assisting with publications and fundraising.
In addition, chair Emily Hague stepped down and passed the torch to one of our newest board members, Dave Carre. The board thanked Emily for her 4 years as chair, and acknowledged her leadership through the transition from a staff-led organization to a fully volunteer crew with shared leadership roles. Emily plans to remain as communications coordinator, and spend more time on the trail as a crew member.
The board welcomed Dave Carre as incoming chair, noting his demonstrated enthusiasm for fundraising and engagement. In Dave's words: “I save up my carbon credits so I can long-haul it from Pennsylvania to help create beautiful, durable, foot-friendly works of stone. I really want to keep the fire burning brightly for everyone on the Crew.”
The reason Dave has stepped into this role has a lot to do with wanting all once-and-forever Jolly Rovers drawn back to the trail or to the fireside, joining in the fun! Dave pitches in to manage the website too, and is looking forward to helping the crew refine its transition planning for the Board and the dedicated corps of Jolly Rover Coordinators.
Founding Director Pursues Next Journey
Since 2010, our volunteers have worked rain or shine to shape trails through stonework. At the heart and soul of our growth has also been our leadership - and we'd like to share some news with you. After 10 years of passionate dedication to our organization, Executive Director and Project Manager Christopher Ingui will be transitioning to a new adventure next month, as he dedicates himself fully to becoming a Landscape Architect while helping teach at Rutgers University! This comes as part of a thoughtful 18-month transition which Chris began alongside our Board of Directors in early 2019, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. We're grateful for the huge amount of work that has taken place to set the Rovers up for continued success and growth into our future.
That said, the future doesn't happen without the past; our history with Chris has largely made us what we are today.
In 2010, the initial concept and planning for the Jolly Rovers Trail Crew had just begun. At that time, Chris became our founding director, and in 2011 launched our first full trail season alongside 11 other founding volunteer crew members. Over the next 10 years, Chris led the crew into becoming its own 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, numbering 40 crew members strong, strengthening spirit and skill along the way! To do so, he gave countless hours on and off the clock, as well as on and off the trail.
Behind the scenes, During the week, Chris would create and manage much of the operational framework that continues to allow the Jolly Rovers to thrive to this day. In the field, he would be found on most weekends volunteering his time managing our projects throughout New York State or leading trail building workshops that would be held throughout the country. The Rover portfolio would eventually grow to include projects in over 30 different parks with partnerships of over 30 different government agencies and non-profit organizations. Since that first year, over 43,000 hours have been donated by our volunteer crew members during his tenure as Director, translating to over $1,000,000 of value to our public parks.
More important than the projects or their value however, Chris always valued the volunteers above all else. Regularly seeking personal input from crew members, he constantly kept his hand on the pulse of the tribe, guiding our growth while nurturing the spirit, community and fun that has always been integral as to why we kept showing up to do the creative work we do.
Please join us in wishing Chris the best in his new endeavor! With deep gratitude for the vision, spirit, and talent he has shared with the Rovers we are excited to see what he will create as a Landscape Architect in the future, and certainly look forward to seeing him around the campfire.
We also invite you to welcome our new Interim Executive Director, Leigh Draper, who comes to us with a wealth of experience from Teatown Lake Reservation (right, and above at left). Through her thirty-year career in outdoor recreation and environmental stewardship, Leigh has demonstrated a commitment to connecting people to nature, particularly youth, and encouraging people to play, learn, serve and work in the outdoors. Leigh has also known the Rovers since our inception, and has hosted several work projects through her role at Teatown.
In the words of board chair Emily Hague, "Leigh Draper has been a supporter of the Rovers since our early days. She brings more than a decade of experience in trail work and nonprofit governance. Her enthusiasm is contagious and her leadership style is a perfect fit for us. We are thrilled to be working with her as the organization grows."