Trail Maintenance Workshop offered in Harriman

April 29th, Harriman Park

The New York-New Jersey Trail Conference will conduct its annual trail maintenance and construction workshop (from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM) on Saturday, April 29th at the Silvermine Picnic Area in Harriman-Bear Mountain State Park.

Conference club and individual members, as well as non-members who are interested in acquiring or upgrading a working knowledge of trail construction/maintenance, are welcome to attend. There will be lectures indoors and field work on hiking trails in Harriman Park. Advance registration is required and class size is limited. Non-members of the Trail Conference must include a $4 per person registration fee, which will be credited toward first year membership dues if you join the Conference at the workshop. Take home materials and a participant certificate will be provided.

The day is scheduled to begin with bagels and coffee/tea at 8:30 A.M, lectures begin at 9:00 A.M. to be followed by discussions and field work. At 3:30 P.M. all participants will return for group socializing and certificate distribution. The workshop will be held rain or shine.

You may register for one of the following three courses:

Maintenance "101." This session provides training in basic techniques, maintenance standards, and the types of problems you may encounter on the trail and how to solve them. This is the session for you if you are interested in becoming a maintainer or want to enhance an existing knowledge of the subject.

Construction/Restoration. Hiking trails are built with switch-backs, side hilling, steps and water bars; erosion repair and stream bridging may also be needed. Workshop participants will restore a section of trail constructing those features. If you have ever wanted to learn about heavy trail repairs or to help on a trail crew, this is the session for you.

Chainsaw Use and Safety. (Non-Trail Conference members are not eligible.) Recommendations and demonstrations on the purchase, use and maintenance of a chainsaw and associated safety gear. This course will qualify maintainers to use a chainsaw in clearing Trail Conference-adopted trails located in Palisades Interstate Park Commission parks only. It is not equivalent to U.S. Forest Service certification.

Fill out the coupon and send it to the Conference office by April 8, 2000. An information packet will be sent to all registrants.

Sign up is first come, first served, and past workshops have been over-subscribed, so be sure to send in your registration early!

Remember to dress for outside work in clothes that you do not mind getting wet or dirty; bring lunch, water and any other drink or snack you fancy. If you have them, bring any tools appropriate for the workshop for which you register. Basic maintenance tools are hand clippers, loppers (long handle branch cutters), and small bow or pruning saws. For the construction/restoration session, the tools are grubs and pick mattocks, pry bars, and shovels.

Registration Form
Western New Jersey Trail Maintenance Workshop
Saturday, April 29,2000

Please check the session for which you want to register:

[ ] Maintenance "101" [ ] Construction and Restoration

[ ] Chainsaw Use and Safety

[ ] Check here if you are not a Trail Conference Member and enclose a check for

$4.00 (non-member fee) payable to the NY-NJ Trail Conference.

[ ] I will be arriving by train and will need a pick up from the station.

[ ] I have questions and would like someone to call me.

Return by April 8th to: NY-NJ Trail Conference, Trail Maintenance Workshop, 232 Madison Ave., #802, New York, NY 10016