STERLING FOREST STATE PARK: The NY–NJ Trail Conference has agreed with New York State Parks to develop a volunteer-based Back Country Trails Restoration Program in the Sterling Forest State Park.
The program will train volunteers to inventory and assess trails, repair existing trails, and build new ones. Able-bodied individuals with an enthusiasm for outdoor service that enhances our public access to nature are encouraged to participate.
The project got underway Saturday, July 20, when 26 potential new volunteers attended an orientation and Tool Use & Safety workshop at the Frank Lautenberg Visitor Center at Sterling Forest State Park. Additional workshops and trail service outings will be scheduled at the park weekly through October.
A series of both entry-level and advanced hands-on workshops will teach volunteers how to lay out and design sustainable, user-friendly trails, as well as how to build, repair, restore, and maintain them. Advanced techniques on how to repair and install crib wall, install or build rock paving, steps, drainage structures, stepping stones, and turnpikes will be taught as needed.
Up to 125 miles of selected trails will be inventoried, primarily by trained volunteers utilizing professional GPS Trimble equipment and Trail Conference methodology.
Training will be provided for all tasks, and volunteers will work alongside experienced staff, interns, and other volunteers. All who participate will go home with new skills, new friends, a new appreciation for our trails, and the satisfaction of contributing to public recreation and health.