The Jolly Rovers and the Killalemy Trail

In 2015, Manitoga was introduced to The Jolly Rovers Trail Crew, a nonprofit whose mission is to improve recreational access to trails in public parks, to provide and apply education of the stonework craft and to foster an atmosphere of camaraderie and mutual respect. Landscape Manager Emily Phillips has been working with them to apply their stone working skills to the restoration of the Russel Wright designed stone stairs and stepping stones within Manitoga's trail system. 

After a trial project on the Killalemy Trail in the Fall of 2015, Jolly Rovers Co-Founder and Executive Director Chris Ingui proposed adopting Manitoga as the organization's first participant in their Stewards of Stone Work program dedicated to restoring historic pathways and improve access to historic sites. Manitoga has accepted the invitation, allowing the Rovers to improve the entirety of the Killalemy Trail-resetting stone steps and repairing treadways in areas where there has been severe erosion and degradation of the path over the years. This project is funded in part through a grant from Open Space Institute's Malcolm Gordon Charitable Fund to support the ongoing Killalemy Trail work.

Visit the Jolly Rovers web site for more information about their organization and the Stewards of Stonework program. 

Photo: Emily Phillips