filed under: community & partnership development


Training and Resources for Building & Promoting Trails

This session will present educational opportunities, training providers, and a wide range of resources for land and water trails.

by Stuart Macdonald, Trail Consultant, American Trails, Kim Frederick, Owner, Chinook Associates LLC

Better training and promotion help build more sustainable trails, empower volunteers to be more effective, and expand recreation, public participation, and ecotourism. This session will present educational opportunities, training providers, and a wide range of resources for land and water trails. Efforts of the National Trails Training Partnership in promoting and coordinating training will be highlighted. The session will discuss ways to work with states, and to develop and fund regional training initiatives as well as learning about creating a Water Trails Clearinghouse for regional coordination and promotion. Join us in sharing ideas and needs for trails training, improving skills, and building public involvement.

About the Authors

Stuart Macdonald spent 19 years as Colorado's State Trails Coordinator. He is the editor of American Trails Magazine. During 1998-99, he represented State Trail Administrators on the national committee that proposed regulations for accessible trails. He chaired the National Recreational Trails Committee, which advised the Federal Highway Administration in the first years of the Recreational Trails Program. Stuart grew up in San Diego and his main outdoor interest besides trails is surfing. He has a BA in English from San Francisco State and a Masters in Landscape Architecture from Utah State.

Kim Frederick created Chinook Associates LLC in 1990. It is a consulting company established to provide all aspects of recreational trail system management, working closely with government, community and volunteer leaders. Included among Chinook’s many successes are: Creation and delivery of trail development, design and management workshops throughout the United States, Italy, Lebanon and Mexico, trail master plan development, construction management and the analysis of existing trail systems and creation of management plans to implement corrective measures, .

Kim is a talented and accomplished Trails Program Manager with over 40 years of experience in developing partnerships, teaching, directing staff, and managing projects. As the Trails Services Supervisor for Jefferson County Open Space (Colorado) he managed a professional staff, youth corps, and volunteers in the development and management of over 250 miles of trail. This multi-use trail system connects urban areas with foothills parks and experiences over 7 million visitors annually.

The Mission of the Colorado Outdoor Training Initiative (COTI) was to provide conservation leadership and land stewardship skills training to agencies and organizations. As a founding member and Board Chairperson for COTI, Kim provided the leadership for the successful partnership of over 40 Federal, State, and local agencies, and other groups. This partnership has resulted in well-trained crew leaders and individuals, who maintained high quality standards, were extremely productive, increased their effectiveness as employees, and provided an excellent volunteer experience.

Contact: [email protected]

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