Use the checklist in this downloadable Trail U Brochure to keep track of what you’ve learned and note the workshop days you attended.
Courses and Course Descriptions
Core Classes (Complete All)
□ Invasive Plant Management Tips and Techniques
□ Eyes of a Trail Builder Workshop
Electives (Pick 2)
□ Graffiti Neutralization Workshop
□ Any Non-Trail U NYNJTC Event
When you complete the Expert Trail Maintainer curriculum, simply contact [email protected] to claim your well-earned "Maintainer" patch as a reward
If you have any questions about Trail U, please reach out to [email protected]
Trail Maintenance Workshop -
Interested in becoming a volunteer Trail Maintainer? Take this workshop to get involved!
Trail maintenance is clearing, cleaning, and blazing. Trail Maintainers visit their trails 3 to 4 times each year to ensure the trails are clearly marked and free of obstacles to provide a safe and enjoyable experience for all trail users.
This course helps you gain or brush up on the skills necessary to become a volunteer Trail Maintainer. Skills include using small hand tools to properly clip and clear the trail corridor, clean drainage structures, proper blazing techniques, and reporting trail conditions.
Invasive Plant Management Tips and Techniques -
Do you already care for our trails as a Trail Volunteer and are looking to take your trail maintenance to the next level? Are you a homeowner who is frustrated by the invasive plant growth on your property? Help protect native plants an/or wildlife by learning how to identify and remove invasive plants from your trail segment and property!
Invasives are often the pesky overgrowth that takes over a trail and forested areas that disrupt the surrounding ecosystem. In this workshop, you will learn some tips and techniques for the timing and type of removal of invasive plants that are common to our region. No prior plant identification skills are required to sign up!
Eyes of a Trail Builder Workshop -
Interested in trail work but not sure where to start? Join us for a guided hike to learn the art and science behind trail building!
Even beginners can learn to see trails through the "eyes of a trail builder" in this guided hike. As we walk, we'll discuss how to recognize erosion, spot wet areas (even in dry weather), look at trail grade with a critical eye, identify potential re-routes, weigh the pros and cons of trail structures, and much more. We'll also brainstorm solutions to the problems we encounter using modern trail building best practices.
Whether you're a casual trail user looking to learn about what goes into the art and science of trail building, or a volunteer looking to expand your trail skills and knowledge, we look forward to sharing the "eyes of a trail builder" with you!
Graffiti Neutralization Workshop -
Have you noticed graffiti on the trail and wonder if it can be removed? Take this workshop to learn how to neutralize graffiti and reclaim the natural features on the trail!
Graffiti defies Leave-No-Trace Principles, introducing unnecessary chemicals into the ecosystem and disrupting otherwise pristine natural and historical features, and the presence of graffiti often encourages more graffiti.
Graffiti neutralization is the process of using wire brushes, paint, and other special techniques to cover up or remove graffiti on rocks, trees, and other surfaces. This course will help you to gain or brush up on the skills necessary to neutralize graffiti on natural features such as rocks and trees.
Tool Maintenance and Repair Webinar (1:07:57) -
Want to learn how to properly clean, sharpen, and maintain your tools? Take this workshop to learn how!
Tool maintenance is cleaning, sharpening, and maintaining your tools so you can get the most out of them. In this course, we show you how to utilize wire brushes and wire wheels to clean your tools, bastard files and grinding wheels to sharpen your tools, and the types of oils used to lubricate your tools.
Old Trails, New Systems Webinar (59:23) -
When people are getting lost and trails aren’t meeting hiker needs, what can you do? Join Trail Program Manager Peter Dolan to see real-world examples of re-imagining trail networks to provide solutions to these problems.
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.
This presentation uses examples of real-world trail networks that were re-imagined 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!
Any Non-Trail U NYNJTC Event -
Attend any non-Trail U Event from the NYNJTC Events Page.