Training & Education

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New York-New Jersey Trail Conference

The Trails Council oversees all the on-the-ground activities of the Conference having to do with building and maintaining trails.

The New York-New Jersey Trail Conference provides a variety of workshops on trail maintenance and improvement. NYNJTC is a federation of member clubs and individuals dedicated to providing recreational hiking opportunities in the region, and representing the interests and concerns of the hiking community. The Conference is a volunteer-directed public service organization committed to:

Developing, building, and maintaining hiking trails.
Protecting hiking trail lands through support and advocacy.
Educating the public in the responsible use of trails and the natural environment.

Workshop Descriptions

See current training information at www.nynjtc.org/workshops/maintainers/index.html

Trail Maintenance 101 - This one-day training session teaches maintenance techniques, trail standards, and what problems to expect on the trails and how to solve them. If you are interested in becoming a maintainer or enhancing your skills maintenance skills, this is the perfect workshop for you. No previous experience is necessary and beginners are welcome. Students will spend the morning in a classroom environment and then head out into woods for a hands-on exercise.

Introduction to Trail Construction and Restoration - If you have wanted to help on a trail crew, this is the workshop for you. During this day long workshop participants will restore a section of a trail by constructing steps, waterbars, side hilling, and learn other basic construction elements of many hiking trails and techniques often used to restore eroded trails. There is a preliminary overview of the course in the morning and then we head off for a hands-on training session. No previous experience is necessary and beginners are welcome.

Advanced Trail Construction and Restoration Techniques - Learn how to build and repair hiking trails using advanced rock work, high-line rigging techniques with a grip hoist system, bridge construction, and other exciting methods. Prior trail crew or trail building experience is recommended. This class is held in the field and is a hands-on learning experience. Class size is limited for the safety of the participants.

Trail Layout and Design - This day long workshop is devoted to establishing guidelines for laying out a safe, exciting and ecologically sound trail with special attention paid to digital route making, dealing with sensitive environmental and archeological conditions, designing for single and multiple user groups and designing for a fulfilling hiking experience. Class participants will spend half the day in a class room environment and half day in the field.

GPS and GIS for Trail Management - This one day workshop provides a basic level of skills for using Global Position Systems and Geographic Information Systems to aid in trail layout, design and inventory keeping. This is a great workshop for all you "techies" who love to hike.

USFS Chainsaw Safety Certification - The emphasis during this two-day course is to enhance the participant's knowledge of safe chainsaw use, identification of hazards, mitigation of hazards, and practical experience using chainsaws. Attendance priority is given to individuals volunteering on NPS lands (i.e. AT and DWGNRA). Students do not need to own a chainsaw to attend, but if you have one please feel free to bring it.

Trail Land Boundary Monitoring - During this one day workshop provides participants will first hand experience on checking land boundaries and trail corridors for illegal uses such as ORV activity, trash dumping, trail land encroachment and other common problems. The "in the field" portion of this workshop will be spent off trail; therefore students should feel comfortable with off-trail hiking situations.

Water Control - A special purpose workshop dealing only with various waterbars and other structures to keep water off of trails.

For more information:

New York-New Jersey Trail Conference
156 Ramapo Valley Road (Route 202), Mahwah, NJ 07430
Telephone: (201) 512-9348 -- FAX: (201) 512-9012
info@nynjtc.org - www.nynjtc.org/workshops/maintainers/index.html

The National Trails Training Partnership

American Trails, P.O. Box 491797, Redding, CA 96049-1797 • (530) 547-2060 • Fax: (530) 547-2035 • nttp@americantrails.org • www.AmericanTrails.org

The National Trails Training Partnership is an alliance of Federal agencies, training providers, nationwide supporters, and providers of products and services. Visit the online calendar of training opportunities, access hundreds of trail-related resources, read the news, learn how you can help, and see training resources in your state.

This material is based upon work supported by the Federal Highway Administration under Cooperative Agreement DTFH61-06-H-00023. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the Author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the Federal Highway Administration.

Related Pages:

Training & Education

New York-New Jersey Trail Conference

The National Trails Training Partnership