Trail Maintenance Spring Workshop 2006

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Spring Workshops for Basic Trail Maintenance, Construction, and GPS/GIS for Trail Management - April 15, 22, 23

 The New York-New Jersey Trail Conference will conduct its annual trail maintenance workshop on Saturday, April 22 and a construction and restoration workshop on Sunday April 23, at the Visitors Center in Sterling Forest State Park, from 9 am to 4 pm.

Conference club and individual members, as well as non-members, who are interested in acquiring or upgrading a working knowledge of basic trail maintenance or construction and restoration, are welcome. There will be lectures indoors and field work on hiking trails in Sterling Forest. Advance registration is required and class size is limited. Members of the Trail Conference must include a $5 per person registration fee. Non-members must include an $8 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. Participants may register for any of the three courses. Only one fee payment per person is required to apply for any of the three courses. An information packet will be sent to all registrants shortly before the workshop dates.

The day will begin with bagels and coffee/tea at 8:30 am. Lectures will begin at 9 am, to be followed by discussions and fieldwork. At 3:30 pm, all participants will return for group socializing and certificate distribution. The workshops will be held rain or shine.

Workshop details are:

April 15 -Globol Position Systems (GPS) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) For Trail Management - This course will be held at the NY-NJ Trail Conference office in Mahwah, NJ. The day will start with coffee and bagels at 8:30 am and the class will run from 9 am to 4 PM and will be mostly classroom work with some field practice. Please 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 grub hoes, pick mattocks, pry bars, or shovels, bring them.

This day of training will provide a basic level of skills for using GPS units and technologies to aid in trail layout, design and inventory keeping as well as use for maps and other publication work. The basics of GIS as used for map making will also be presented. Registration will be limited to 20 students. If you can bring your own GPS unit please indicate this on your registration form.

April 22 - Trail Maintenance 101 -

This session will provide training in basic techniques, maintenance standards, the types of problems you may encounter on the trail, and how to solve them. Sign up for this session if you are interested in becoming a maintainer or want to enhance your knowledge of the subject. Please 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 hand clippers, loppers (long-handled branch cutters), small bow or pruning saws, bring them.

April 23 - Trail Construction and Restoration Techniques - Hiking trails are built with switchbacks, side hilling, steps, and water bars; erosion repair and stream bridging may also be needed. Workshop participants will restore a section of trail by using these techniques. If you have ever wanted to learn about heavy trail repairs or to help on a trail crew, this is the session for you.

Registration