Trail Symposium: Stewards + Trail Systems

This year, several of our staff members presented at the International Trails Symposium in Syracuse, N.Y.  At our first Trail Conference Trail Symposium this year, our staff will be sharing their presentations at our headquarters.  Come out and join us for a fun night of exciting presentations, light snacks, and refreshments!  Additionally, guests are welcome to bring any potluck-style treats you'd like to share (and/or a beer or wine to enjoy).

Symposium Agenda:

6:00 p.m. – Arrive and mingle with fellow volunteers

6:30 p.m. – Presentation by Hank Osborn: "Managing High-Use Trails: Why Trail Stewards are a Necessity in Creating Safe, Sustainable Trails" (description below)

7:15 p.m. – Q&A

7:30 p.m. – Break and mingle

7:45 p.m. – Presentation by Peter Dolan: “Old Trails, New Systems: Re-Imagining Existing Trail Networks” (description below)

8:30 p.m. – Q&A

9:00 p.m. - Closing

Hank Osborn: "Managing High-Use Trails: Why Trail Stewards are a Necessity in Creating Safe, Sustainable Trails"

Overuse and misuse of the most popular outdoor destinations are threatening the ecological integrity of these special places. In the greater New York metropolitan region, the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference is taking a leadership role in coordinating stewardship efforts to keep up with growing threats. There is no one answer to solving this issue; it is our belief that we can create better outdoor experiences through user education, public participation, and sustainable, on-the-ground solutions. The Trail Conference has joined with land managers and local partners to begin a multi-phased stewardship approach on the Appalachian Trail, at Breakneck Ridge, and in the Catskills. Learn how trail steward and trail-building programs have worked to make the public better informed, more responsible trails users while protecting the resource. Because when trails are used responsibly, they protect both the people who use them and the environment that surrounds them.

Peter Dolan: "Old Trails, New Systems: Re-Imagining Existing Trail Networks"

Many trail networks grow organically over the years – linear trails sprout connectors, spurs snake toward vistas, “social trails” are marked, and new trails are added to provide loop options. With enough time, even trail systems that are fastidiously maintained on the ground can look confusing on a map. When people are getting lost and trails aren’t meeting hiker needs, what can you do? This presentation uses examples of real-world trail networks that were reimagined with simple re-blazing and strategic use of new connectors to provide radically improved user experiences. Undertaking such projects requires the involvement of land managers, nonprofit partners, volunteers, and the input of emergency first responders… but when a tangled mess of trails evolves into an elegant system of stacked loops, the result is worth it. After walking through the projects described in this presentation, the audience will be ready to view old trail networks with fresh eyes.