Message from the Chair: A new member gifts us with a new website! Thanks to new committee member Jackie Kline our website has been totally revamped and is much more presentable and informative. Please note that in an effort to save costs, our interpretive brochure may now be downloaded from this site. You may do the same for our annual newsletter mailed out to our donors. COME VISIT US ON FACEBOOK: Thanks to committee member Elaine Winslow we now have a Facebook page. Just type in Hadley Mountain Fire Tower Committee and share your photos and experiences with us. This site has proved most beneficial to us as it has brought us three new committee members and two outside contributors to this newsletter . FACEBOOK Message from Erica M. Hayes : I posted this photo on the FTC last month. It's actually a photo my Mom sent me as proof that they used to hike and drive up to the Hadley Fire Tower when she was a kid. The kids would hike up with my grandmother while my grandfather and the neighbor would take the old Scout. (I'm thinking this photo is over 40 years old). I was absolutely fascinated by it! (as are we ... Thanks for sharing, Erica) Volume 24 April 2019 Published by Hadley Fire Tower Committee Visit us at: hadleymtfiretower.org Contributions Are Needed!! Your contributions help pay for our summer steward, interpretive brochures, Hiker Cards for kids, patches and more! Send donations to: Hadley Fire Tower c/o Joe Busch, Treasurer Post Office Box 4501 Make Checks Payable to: Cornell Cooperative Extension of Saratoga County with a note "For the Hadley Tower Project" Donations of $30 or more go into an annual drawing to win a $75 gift certificate to EMS. The Winners of Our 2018 Donor Drawing are Nancy and Harry Hanson of Tower Road Hadley, New York. Thanks to them and all our donors for keeping our goals alive! Order Patches for $6.00 each Many Thanks from the Hadley Fire Tower Committee: Jack Freeman, Founding Member Linda Champagne, Founding Member Kirstin Seleen, Forester Benjamin Thomas, Forester Tony Goetke, Ranger Linda Ranado, Chair, Newsletter Fr. Joseph Busch, Treasurer Elaine Winslow, Secretary, Facebook Steve Mackey, Trailmaster Matt Evans, Steward Coordinator Jackie Kline, Webmaster Dave Cox, Trail work Sue Howard, Jill of All Trades Jenn Shepard, trail work Judd Driscoll, general input/help Deb Nordyke, general input/help An open and informative relationship with the public has always been a top priority with our committee. For years we have had two primary avenues to utilize for this purpose - personal contact (usually on the mountain ) and through this newsletter that goes out to our donors. We have more recently expanded our efforts with very positive results thanks to you, our supporters ,who keep our efforts alive, and to those who hike our mountain and/or volunteer to help us maintain the trail and structures. At a more basic level, at Steve's suggestion, we added a comment notebook in the tower's cab which allows hikers to share a bit of their "Hadley experience" with us and gives us insight into the demographics of those who ascend the mountain and tower (see "Notes From the Tower" article). Other steps we have taken are noted on the front page of this newsletter. Thanks to Elaine, we now have a Facebook page and thanks to Jackie, we have a much more professional webpage. Both have been a boon to our being able to communicate to and hear from Hadley's visitors. We are also grateful for the volunteers who help us out every season, many who repeat the offer . Whether cleaning out water bars or sprucing up the cabin for the incoming steward, their time and effort are always appreciated. We even get added bonuses from them as can be seen in the trail work video on our webpage in the Committee and Steward section, thanks to Amy and Chris Bergman. Hopefully, we will continue to keep in contact and make new friends along the way! Thanks to all for the continued support - and your donations (see info to the right) that help us keep our efforts alive! Happy Hiking ... and simply enjoy life and the great outdoors! Linda