Volunteer Opportunities

Local Trail Committee (LTC) Chair | New York and New Jersey
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The Local Trail Committee Chair (Trail Chair) is an important part of the Trail Conference. Our Trail Chairs take the big-picture view of a region and work with a Program Coordinator to build a positive future for all the trails and volunteers they oversee. Trail Chairs support and empower a team of Trail Supervisors and identify the short- and long-term needs of the trails in their assigned area to ensure the public has a safe and positive experience in the outdoors.

Roving Trail Team | New York and New Jersey
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Looking for group volunteer adventures across our regions that are convenient for your schedule?

Trail Maintainer | New York and New Jersey
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Become a part of the Trail Conference family and adopt a trail of your very own!

Trail Steward | Hudson Highlands State Park
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Our volunteer Trail Stewards educate trail users about natural resource protection, trail safety, and Leave No Trace principles to protect our trails and landscapes in the Hudson Valley and minimize the need for First Aid and Rescues. 

Trail Supervisor | New York and New Jersey
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Trail Supervisors are a key part of the Trail Conference. They are the boots on the ground that oversee a team of Trail Maintainers and ensure the trails in their assigned area are maintained in good condition.

Publications Field Checker |
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Get out on the trails and also help with our maps and books by becoming a Publications Field Checker! You can play an important role in the production of our maps and books by helping to review and verify maps, trail descriptions, and information about a park as part of a map or book project.

Publications Committee Member |
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Do you have an interest in our maps and books and want to help with their production? The Publications Committee is a group of trail-loving volunteers who work hard to produce quality publications, and we could use your help!

Publications Author |
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If you love writing and are passionate about the trails, join our Publications Committee's efforts to produce high-quality guidebooks and hike descriptions for the region! A Publications Author is responsible for creating new content or updating existing content for our guidebooks, maps, online hike descriptions, or other resources.

Publications Project Manager |
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If you have an interest in helping to manage the production of a map or book, consider becoming a Publications Project Manager! The duties vary depending on the type and scope of each project, but the Project Manager plays a key role in organizing the project and seeing it through to completion.

Invasives Strike Force Surveyor |
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Help find the next problem invaders that threaten our region's natural areas...Become an Invasives Strike Force (ISF) citizen science volunteer!

We are excited to unroll our newly refined ISF survey program for 2023! 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.

 

Trail Crew Member | New York and New Jersey
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Join one of our Trail Crews for a day or a full season restoring and building sustainable trails for all!

Appalachian Trail Corridor Monitor | New York and New Jersey
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Have a passion for the Appalachian Trail? Become a monitor of the trail boundaries that surround this historic, beloved trail.

E.g., 12/06/2023
No Worktrips were found matching your search criteria
E.g., 12/06/2023
Trail Project Ideas: Navigating Land Manager Compliance and Review| Virtual | 12-14-2023
Workshop

Join Senior Trail Builder Ben Sugar for this webinar on how understanding your land manager's review process for proposals can help pave the way to making good trail ideas a reality!
Trail Project Ideas: Navigating Land Manager Compliance and Review| Virtual | 12-19-2023
Workshop

Join Senior Trail Builder Ben Sugar for this webinar on how understanding your land manager's review process for proposals can help pave the way to making good trail ideas a reality!

Our Volunteers Rock

Building, Maintaining, and Protecting Trails

The Trail Conference is supported by thousands of volunteers who annually donate over 90,000 hours of time to keep trails open, safe, and enjoyable for the public.

Our volunteers are hard at work in the field...

  • Building new trails and rehabilitating old ones 
  • Keeping trails accessible for fellow users
  • Monitoring and removing invasive species

... and off-trail

  • Protecting trail lands through advocacy, conservation, and stewardship efforts
  • Using their professional skills to help support our mission

Outside or inside, close to home or at your go-to weekend trail destination, we aim to connect you with the volunteer opportunity that is right for you. Tell us how you'd like to be involved!

COVID-19 Volunteer Protocols
As caretakers of the region’s trails and natural areas, the Trail Conference puts the safety of our service members, staff, and trail users first and foremost.
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Questions?
Find answers to the most frequently asked questions about volunteering with the Trail Conference.
FAQs
Adopt A Trail
There's trail out there that needs you! Volunteers who "adopt" a trail do the on-the-ground work to ensure it remains open and safe for fellow users. 
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Get Out With Us
We're a community of volunteers who build and maintain hiking trails. Grab your workgloves and spent a day on a trail crew. Or, we can match your group to the right trail project.
Find a Trail Crew
Trail U
We build trails and teach on-trails skill to our volunteers. Our classes range from Intro level in basic trail maintenance to advanced training in trail layout & design, rock work, and more. Workshops are usually held in the field on real trail projects.
Workshops
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