Supervisor Training

Become a trail leader in the Catskills and beyond! Being held in a beautifully restored former Ulster & Delaware Railroad station on the Mountain Top Historical Society campus in Haines Falls, this workship will, through a series of case studies and activities, help you learn how to supervise volunteers who maintain trails in the Trail Conference’s network of over 2000 miles of trails, including over 200 miles of trails in the Catskills. Hands-on exercises and discussions will provide information to find solutions to problems that supervisors commonly face. An effective supervisor will have a tool kit of skills which includes access to a variety of resources: fellow supervisors, trail crews, staff, park partners, and his/her trails chair.  While this information will be tailored to the Catskills, existing or potential supervisors or trail leaders from any region will find the information presented in this workshop useful and worthwhile. This will be an indoor workshop that will be held rain or shine. Workshop Goals: Develop skills to effectively manage maintainers from recruitment to recognition Learn about on-the-ground and off-trail responsibilities activities and Develop and tap into resources to solve problems on and off the trails.   Light refreshments and snacks will be served throughout the day, but participants should bring a bag lunch to have when we break for lunch.  Lunch will be a great time to check out the western trailhead of the Kaaterskill Rail Trail, which heads eastward along the former U&D railroad corridor towards Kaaterskill Falls. While this workshop is geared towards helping train existing supervisors, no previous Trail Supervisor experience is necessary and all are welcome to attend to learn how to become more involved with stewardship activities in the Catskill Park.  This workshop is a great opportunity to sharpen your leadership skills and learn how to manage volunteers. This workshop is just part of the Trail Conference's many stewardship activities in the Catskill Park and the Catskill Mountains region.  To learn more about our efforts, including Trail and Lean-to Maintenance, Advocacy, Outreach, Open Space Protection and more, please visit the Catskills section of our website.