On-trail Position Descriptions

A.T. Natural Heritage Monitor

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Trail Stewards will help ensure that the new trail is enjoyed and used responsibly by all, as well as help to keep the County informed about trail maintenance issues that arise. We’re looking for friendly people to greet new trail users and help with any questions they might have about the new trail or the local area.

Stewards can work on bicycle patrol or stationary at the trailhead parking areas. Stewards are needed Saturday and/or Sunday during 4 shifts:

• 7am – 10am
• 10am – 1pm
• 1pm – 4pm
• 4pm – 7pm

Want to join this important team of trail stewards? E-mail Kimberly Daley at [email protected] to sign up!

Assistant Trail Supervisor

Bear Mountain Project Manager

Camp Host-Hostess

Volunteers in the Catskill Park are responsibile for a number of stewardship activities, including work on trails, lean-tos, fire towers, fishing areas, boat launches and more.  The Trail Conference helps the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) manage these efforts in the region.

In addition to the 200 miles of trail and 29 lean-tos that the Trail Conference has direct responsibility for, we work with our partners in the region to identify volunteer opportunities park wide on a multitude of stewardship activities.

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Core Responsibilities 

• Stakeholder Coordination: Communicate and coordinate with the Lean-to Assistant Chair, agency partners and land managers, Crew Leaders, and Trail Conference staff to carry out this role. 
• Caretaker Management: Act as the point person to place new volunteer interests for vacant lean-tos, with help from the Assistant Trail Chair. Coordinate onboarding of new Caretakers and foster the region’s volunteers. 
• Lean-to Management: Be familiar with and inspect lean-tos in the assigned area. Participate in annual planning with the Program Coordinator to identify and prioritize lean-to needs/projects. Work and communicate with land managers. Regularly review Caretaker assignments to ensure all changes are reported to staff.  
• Accomplishments Reporting: Volunteer reports are critically important and demonstrate the value of our volunteers to land managers, partners, donors, grant programs, government officials, and others. The Lean-to Chair takes the lead in collecting reports from the Assistant Lean-to Chair, Caretakers, and Crew Leaders and sends them to the Program Coordinator and [email protected].  

Support and Training 

• An onboarding packet and training will be provided when starting the position and they will receive ongoing guidance from their Program Coordinator. Additionally, they will have the support of the Volunteer Engagement team. 
• Regional Trails Council (RTC) meetings provide the opportunity to network and learn from fellow volunteer leaders. Knowledge sharing with peers is a fantastic way to grow skills and expertise. 

Responsibility Details  

• Managing the Lean-tos and Team of Volunteers 
• Work with the Volunteer Engagement staff and Assistant Lean-to Chair to fill vacant positions.  
• Support implementation of Trail Conference and applicable land manager policies and practices. 
• Solve problems beyond the ability of the Caretakers, including coordinating with crews or other help as needed. 
• Foster a positive culture through recognition of your Caretakers. Nominate outstanding people for the annual awards and help distribute annual recognition items. Host group get-togethers and clean up days. 
• Identify volunteer training needs and if interested and able, facilitate training opportunities. 
• Replace volunteers whose work does not meet Trail Conference standards, with support of the Volunteer Engagement team, if attempts to work with them to improve their skills are unsuccessful. 

Big Picture Planning 

• Identify and prioritize regional lean-to and volunteer needs and resource requirements based on discussions with the Assistant Chair, Crew Leaders, land managers, the Program Coordinator and other applicable parties. 
• Attend and participate in meetings of the Regional Trails Council (RTC) and other groups/committees of interest. 

Someone with a current USFS certification that volunteers as a Trail Conference Sawyer.

Chainsaw USFS Certification Instructor

Club Co-Trails Chair

Director of Land Stewardship

East Hudson Regional Representative

Write descriptions of hikes in selected regions to add to our website. You need to enjoy hiking and be willing to carefully document routes, features, and take photos. Work doesn't get more fun than this!

Intern - RC AmeriCorp

Intern SCA Crew Leader

Invasive Strike Force - Other

Help find the next problem invaders that threaten our region's natural areas...Become a Trail & Ecology (T&E) volunteer! (formerly Invasives Strike Force Surveyor volunteer)

This iteration of our citizen science survey programming will now exclusively target species that have been identified as high-priority species by Lower Hudson PRISM partners and other regional and state agency collaborators.

As a T&E volunteer, you have the opportunity to become a forest health detective! Volunteers are trained in the identification and reporting of invasive species by attending a fun and interactive webinar, complete with field ID footage, to help learn what key ID features to look for when out in the field. Volunteers are then assigned a section of trail to search for these invasive plants and have the entire summer and early fall to survey and report back to us.
 

Trail section assignments are individually tailored to make it easy and convenient for that volunteer to access, and each volunteer can survey their trail assignment on their own schedule. Our goal is to make it fun, educational, and convenient to help protect the land you love! Data from these community-powered surveys are utilized to help make management decisions to help fight the further spread of invasive species into our natural areas and to organize volunteer workdays to help with the removal of invasive plants.
 

Not only will you learn how to identify invasive plants as part of your ISF experience, but you will also learn how to use some user-friendly mobile apps to help identify many other types of native plants and wildlife that you are seeing along your hike or in your neighborhood. It truly takes the nature experience to the next level! Please sign up today!

Chair of an ad hoc committee of Trails Council to look into some multiuse trail issues.

Park Ranger

PRISM Volunteer

Program Coordinator

Summary

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Core Responsibilities

• Review Existing Map/Book: For a map project, study the existing map before visiting to know what to expect. For a book project, study the existing trail or park description before visiting to know what to expect.
• Hike and Record Notes: Visit the trails and carefully note all corrections that should be made to the map or description, including noting errors and suggesting modifications and additions.
• Collect GPS Data: If possible, the Field Checker should also record a GPS track of the trails they visit to assist with any mapping components.
• Reporting: Notes and GPS data are submitted to the Project Manager.

Support and Training

If you feel you might not have the necessary skills but are interested in learning, we can help you develop the skills! The Field Checker will be supported by a volunteer Project Manager, who will be managing different components of the map or book project on behalf of the Publications Committee. The volunteers on the Publications Committee have decades-worth of field-checking and overall publications experience, and they can share best practices for this position. This committee welcomes volunteers who are interested in contributing to our efforts to produce and market authoritative trail resources for our region!

Responsibility Details

• Attention to detail is very important, and field checking can be an art that notices what is missing as much as what is right or wrong.
• The time commitment generally depends on the scope of the map or book project.
• Field checking is largely performed individually, so it would be up to the Field Checker to schedule their own trips.
• Depending on the project, a Field Checker may be asked to verify details such as the following:
  • Blazes (color, shape, special style)
  • Viewpoints (location, view direction, what can be seen)
  • Turns (left/right directions)
  • Major features and points of interest (such as rocks, special vegetation, or structures)
  • Driving directions and parking lots
  • Public transportation access
  • Park information (name, contact information)
  • Permitted uses
  • Overall condition of the trails
  • Correct appearance of the trail on a map

Apply to be a Publications Field Checker Here!

Publications Map Field Checker

Ridge Runner

The Trail Conference stewards over 2,000 miles of trails from the Delaware Water Gap to the Catskills, and sometimes jobs arise that can’t be handled by a local Maintainer or Trail Crew. That’s where Roving Trail Teams come in! 

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By signing up to our Roving Trail Team emailing list, you’ll hear about all the local opportunities to help out such as maintaining, clipping, reblazing, building, or restoring trails under the guidance of other volunteers or staff. Whenever an opportunity comes up we’ll send out an email to the list, and you can jump on to each adventure you’d like to take part in. Not interested or available? No worries, simply don’t respond! It’s totally up to you what opportunities you take.

This is a great option for people who want to travel and see different trails and parks. The only qualification to join the team is a sense of enthusiasm and willingness to work hard (surrounded by stunning vistas). We encourage everyone to take our Trail Maintenance Workshop before signing onto the list, but all Roving Trail Team events will welcome people new to trail work.

Click here to become a Roving Trail Team member!

Please note that you must be 18 or older to apply for the Roving Trail Team. If you are under 18, please have your guardian apply for the position and then you may volunteer with them. 

The Sawyer Committee Chair leads and manages the sawyer program for the Trail Conference.

Co-Supervisor for Trail

A Trail Crew Chief's primary role is that of a resource and project manager. It encompasses the multiple areas of expertise and experience needed to manage a successful trail crew within the structure of the Trail Conference.

Responsibilities:

• Work with Agency Staff and other Trail Partners to determine needed involvement.
• Work with Trail Conference Regional Chairs and Supervisors to determine needed involvement.
• Determine and pursue project funding, if needed and not provided by others.
• Establish project scope and anticipated timeline.
• Establish a project list and set priorities in consultation with partners.
• Work with Trail Crew Leader(s) to establish working calendar and communicate same to Crew Members, Agency Staff and other Trail Partners; advising them of changes as and when they happen.
• Work with Trail Conference Staff, Regional Chairs and Supervisors to recruit crew members.
• Develop, train and maintain crew members.
• Identify and encourage/train Trail Crew Leaders.
• Collect, maintain, and submit all appropriate reporting
• Ensure work trips and calendar are posted on website appropriately, handling volunteers who are directed to the crew via email or online registration.

Training

• Basic First Aid/CPR at a minimum is recommended.
• Wilderness First Aid training is recommended.

A Trail Crew Leader's primary roll is the execution of specific projects as defined by the Crew Chief. It encompasses more of the field-work expertise needed for the physical execution of a given set of tasks and/or projects.

Responsibilities

• Develop specific working plan for each project.
• Work with Crew Chief to determine needed resources, tools, etc.
• Lead crew on the assigned project(s) in the field.
• Collect sign-in/permission/release forms and return them to the Crew Chief.
• At beginning of work trip, welcome new-comers.
• Provide safety and task skills training to all crew members as needed.
• Determine crew members' individual abilities, and ensure that they stay within them.
• Assign and direct the Crew members' task(s).
• Encourage/enforce safe practices – including cancelling or shortening a trip if needed.
• Ensure that work being executed results in a safe, environmentally sound conclusion.
• Document work, both completed and incomplete; and return same to the Crew Chief.

Training

• Basic First Aid/CPR at a minimum is recommended.
• Wilderness First Aid training is recommended.

Become a part of the Trail Conference family and adopt a trail of your very own!

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From the Catskills all the way to the Delaware Water Gap, the majority of our 2,200 volunteers are Trail Maintainers. Each Trail Maintainer "adopts" a section of trail to ensure the best possible experience for fellow users. Responsibilities include keeping the trail clear, making sure it's well-marked, and reporting major issues. Each Maintainer is expected to hike and care for their adopted trail at least twice a year and report their efforts back to their volunteer supervisor. 

No experience is necessary. Training is provided through our Introduction to Trail Maintenance workshops or with the experienced volunteer who serves as the Trail Supervisor in your region.

Please note that you must be 18 or older to apply for this volunteer position. If you are under 18, please have your guardian apply for the Trail Maintainer position and then you may volunteer with them.  

Apply here to become a Trail Maintainer.

Location: New York and New Jersey

Trail Overseer

Rock The Ridge. Photo by John Aylward.

Since 1920, the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference has been committed to educating and assisting the public in the safe, enjoyable, and responsible use of trails. Become a Trail Race Aid Volunteer to be a part of that legacy!

Responsibilities:

• Distribute water and first aid supplies when necessary.
• Assist runner with race check in
• Encourage safe and responsible trail use, including the principles set forth by Leave No Trace.
• Help with parking and gear management
• Educate the public about the Trail Conference, our mission, and what we do for the trails

Qualifications:

• Should have good communication skills and feel comfortable interacting with people
• Should have a positive attitude
• Ideal candidate would have a passion for the trails

 Applicants must be 18 years or older or accompanied by an adult

Current trail race volunteer opportunities and registration links:

*Please sign up for these opportunities through the registration links provided on this page.

Since 1920, the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference has been committed to educating and assisting the public in the safe, enjoyable, and responsible use of trails. To advance our efforts, in 2013 we began deploying Trail Stewards at popular hiking destinations. This season, awesome volunteer Trail Stewards are needed at Gertrude's Nose in the stunning Minnewaska State Park Preserve, Bear Mountain and throughout the Catskills.

Responsibilities:

• Educate the public about safe and responsible trail use, including the principles set forth by Leave No Trace.
• Inform visitors of the park rules and regulations.
• Track visitor attendance on the trail, as well as, recording any notable observations.
• Monitor the conditions of the trail and report any misuse (including vandalism, fires, large hiking parties of 8 or more, etc.)
• Pack out litter found on the Trail.
• Inform park staff of any issues beyond the scope of the Trail Steward’s expected duties (emergencies, noncompliant visitors, etc.).
• Be an ambassador of both the park and the Trail Conference to the public.

Qualifications:

• Must be able to hike a minimum distance of seven miles on a combination of footpaths and carriage roads (for Minnewaska).
• Possess good communication skills,
• Should have a positive attitude, patience, and problem-solving ability
• Must dependably fulfill their volunteer commitment.

 Applicants should demonstrate the interest and ability to contribute to the public-service effort of working to promote the responsible use of trails, volunteerism, and membership in the Trail Conference.

Applicants must be 18 years or older and proper hiking footwear is required. The Trail Steward is responsible for providing their own weather appropriate clothing/gear.

*Trail Stewards are needed for Minnewaska State Park Preserve, Bear Mountain and the Catskills.

Trail Vice Chair

Trails Director