Friends of Great Bear

Wed. 4/28/21, Trail work on the 440 Trail: Yesterday, Tue., a group of Friends worked on a muddy sections of the Six North Trail and the 440 Trail, by the arched bridge area. Crusher stone was hauled by wagons to the site. Grading and directional drainage was improved first, before putting the stone down. This adds and compliments Mike's previous work on other 440 sections. Alway more to do.... At this time Friends of Great Bear wishes to recognize and thank CNY Air and Waste Management for their generous donation to Friends of Great Bear. For projects, trail repair and improvements, Friends relies on donations from organizations and from people who enjoy Great Bear . Thank you, FOGB

Roadside litter cleanup by Great Bear. This past Saturday, April 24th, participants, including families did a roadside litter pickup at the three road section by the Great Bear parking area and nearby. A good amount of litter was collected. Most items picked up were from the fast food venders. Plastic cups, lids, straws and food wrappers/containers. Non returnable bottles were also common. Friends thanks the volunteers, especially the young folks who were dynamos, helping with the litter pick up! FOGB

Friday 4/23/21, Earth Week Clean up for Saturday update: Looks like we should have very nice weather for Saturday’s roadside clean sweep, around the parking area. The meet time is still 9:30 am at the entrance. Fulton Water Works will take care of disposing of the bags of collected litter. As mention, trash bags will be provided and gloves are available for those that need them. Hope to see you Saturday morning. Just to be precautionary, please have your mask or scarf with y...ou to use if needed. Thanking you for your help. Received a note from Fulton. Fulton Mayor Deana Michaels will be helping with the cleanup. Please forward to anyone you think might also be interested in helping. Friends of Great Bear See more

Monday Update, 4/19/21 Oswego County Earth Week: Due to possible inclement weather (maybe snow?)The Thursday, April 22nd, Earth Week, litter pickup has been changed to Saturday morning, meeting at 9:30 at the entrance area. Areas to pickup will be Rt 57 across from the parking area and on Hawthorne Rd. along Great Bear property.... Trash bags will be provided and gloves are available for those that need them. Hope to see you Saturday morning. Thanking you for your help. FOGB . More info later in the week Thank you, FOGB

General trail rules of etiquette. This particular sign made up by the International Mountain Biking Association. Simple courtesy is to give a hello or similar, if coming up behind a horse and rider. FOGB

Thurs. 4/15/21- Trail work on the 440: Not the nicest day, but Mike Smith having time, took the opportunity to do some trail repair on the 440. With crusher stone piles at staging locations, Mike used his Gorilla cart to haul the crusher to fill in a number of pot holes, muddy spots and grade over roots on the trail. Much thanks for Mike's efforts today with the trail work! Mike is a mountain biker with his group Average Joe MTB. FOGB

While at Great Bear, Please... Stay on open trails. Stay on Great Bear Property. Respect & stay off Private land.

Sun. 1/10/21, New signage: Friends of Great Bear, through a very nice donation from Oswego County Pioneer Search & Rescue Team , received a selection of directional trail signs for leading back to the parking area. With several miles of connecting trails, some new visitors have become bewildered as how to return to the parking area. Having a trail map and being aware of the trail designations (shown at the entrance area) should be a must. There are many apps, that can be used on your cell phone, that have the Great Bear map on their site. The new signs will be posted in the weeks coming up.. Signs designate straight ahead, go right,or go left. Having a cell phone and whistle with you are good basic safety items when hiking, whether at Great Bear or at other hiking areas. Thank you Pioneer Search & Rescue Team! FOGB

Sunday, 1/3/21- Families at Great Bear: An active day at Great Bear. Lots of families out hiking, enjoying the wooded trails. With some trails and bridges icy, Friends does recommend using grippers when on the trails. Lots of types for hiking and trail running. Fat tire bikers please be careful riding across the bridges. FOGB

Friday, 1/1/21: Found, set of Jeep car keys.Finder left by the gate entrance. FOGB

12/31/20 - 1/1/21: Friends of Great Bear Bear Wishes all a Happy and Healthy New Year. Celebrate New Years Day outdoors with a First Day Hike or Fat Tire bike ride. As long as rain holds off, conditions at Great Bear, as of late afternoon the 31st, make trails doable for hiking or fat tire bike riding. Grippers recommended for hiking or trail running. FOGB

Tues., 12/29/20: Transition: With 10 inches of snow falling on Great Bear, the park guidelines transitioned from bare trails to skiable and snowshoeing trails. May not last long, with warm temps and rain coming in later tomorrow. Trails should still be good for skiing and snowshoeing tomorrow. FOGB

12/24/20, Christmas Eve: Friends of Great Bear wishes all a Merry Christmas and a healthy and safe coming New Year! Friends recognizes and honors all those in the heath care field, from the doctors and nurses, first responders, county health dept. and many others that are working and helping during this pandemic time. Please stay safe. Friends of Great Bear