DOCUMENT RESUME RC 021 846 ED 427 928 Boehringer, Brad; Merrill, Kurt AUTHOR Trail Crews: Developing a Service Component to Your Program. TITLE 1999-00-00 PUB DATE 6p.; In: ICORE '98: Proceedings from the International NOTE Conference on Outdoor Recreation and Education (12th, Fort Walton Beach, FL, October 20-24, 1998); see RC 021 840. Speeches/Meeting Papers Non-Classroom (055) Guides PUB TYPE (150) MF01/PC01 Plus Postage. EDRS PRICE Agency Cooperation; *College Programs; Higher Education; DESCRIPTORS *Outdoor Education; Program Development; *Service Learning; Staff Development; *Student Volunteers; Trails; Wilderness Pennsylvania State University; Stewardship; *Trail Crews IDENTIFIERS ABSTRACT Through wilderness stewardship programs, service projects, or trail crews, college outdoor programs can help land management agencies with their maintenance needs and provide student participants with rewarding service learning opportunities. Trail crews are usually composed of volunteer outdoor enthusiasts who take part in a multitude of technical and nontechnical work projects. In particular, trail crews are heavily utilized to reopen badly damaged trails after harsh winters. This paper uses Penn State University's Outdoor Program as a model to explore the steps in developing a trail crew component to a college outdoor program. These steps (1) establishing a solid working relationship with a local trail include: (2) locating and securing organization, state or local park, or state forest; a sufficient number of high quality trail tools (borrowing tools from agencies, buying the most needed tools over time, soliciting donations from (3) developing funding (avoiding costs, grant writing, local stores); (4) developing safety guidelines; and (5) staff fee-based workshops); training. Included is a general outline of the training requirements for apprentice leaders, assistant trip leaders, trip leaders, and trail crew instructors in Penn State's Outdoor Program. (SV) ******************************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ******************************************************************************** Trail Crews: Developing a Service Component to Your Program U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Brad Boehringer Office of Educational Research and Improvement Ey CATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION Trail Crew Coordinator CENTER (ERIC) This document has been reproduced as Penn State University Outdoor Program received from the person or organization originating it. 0 Minor changes have been made to PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS improve reproduction quality. Kurt Merrill BEEN GRANTED BY Points of view or opinions stated in this Director document do not necessarily represent Ro b to nes official OERI position or policy. Conservation Work Crew Program Student Conservation Association, Inc. TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) Abstract wonderful way for Wilderness stewardship programs, service projects, or trails crews are a agencies accomplish their back-logged your program to help land management incredibly rewarding maintenance needs, and in turn, provide your participants with an with land management agencies, service learning opportunity. By developing relationships viewed not only as a user but as an asset, an ally, and a your organization will be novel idea and concerned motivated solution to "the problem". A service project is not a implementing service components in their programs for years. many programs have been organization, they have At Penn State University's Outdoor Program, a fully student-run activity taken the concept a step further and have fully developed the trail crew into an weekend overnight trips, and full area of its own that includes instructional courses, integration into the Wilderness Instructor Leadership Development (WILD) program; the staff training branch of Penn State's program. Wilderness Stewardship Over the years, stewardship in the outdoors has become a burgeoning topic. Groups ranging from local trail organizations to high school clubs have developed an interest in service to the land. As the number of adventure based outdoor programs continues to outdoor program grow and participant levels swell, it is imperative that we, as administrators and dedicated students, begin to incorporate service components into our developing trail crews, service learning programs. This paper will explore the nature of events, and wilderness stewardship programs in collegiate level outdoor programs. More specifically, the authors will explore the "nuts and bolts" of developing a trail crew including developing agency relationships, securing tools, and developing staff training. What is a trail crew? The first question that may come to mind when beginning a stewardship program is "What does a trail crew actually do?" A trail crew is usually composed of a group of volunteer outdoor enthusiasts (although many paid crews do exist) that conduct a multitude of technical and non-technical work projects. Trail crews are heavily utilized to reopen badly damaged trails after harsh winters when blow-downs cover the trail and water from the winter thaw erodes essential trail structures. Trail crews, armed with chainsaws, bow eroded saws, and digging tools hit the trails to clear the winter damage and reconstruct trails. One of the greatest attributes to trail work is that anyone can lend a hand. A wide first timer to the range of projects and skills enables anyone ranging from the rookie 2 101 BEST COPY AMIABLE Projects may include rock improve our nations' trail systems. veteran "trail dawg" to help construction, brushing (clearing brush), blazing, step and timber work, revegetation, cribbing, as well as the drainage structures, assembling building water bars and other and construct new trails. "science" of reading terrain to design Starting a Trail Crew Program outdoor program, as with any new program, Developing a trail crew component to your developing a trail crew of action. At the beginning, will take time, effort and a clear plan been involved with trail work immense task, especially if you have never may seem like an this paper, we it is not as overwhelming as it seems. In before. To most peoples' surprise, to Program as a model to explore the steps necessary have used the Penn State Outdoor community. after presence in your local trail work create a respected and sought Contacts and Agency Support incredibly with your agency contacts can be an Establishing a solid working relationship and participants. It is also one of the most rewarding experience for your program Where to begin? The best advice important steps to developing your trail crew program. parks, and state forests and let them is to seek out your local trail organizations, state have their with them. Trail organizations often know that you are interested in working the day or weekend. Some folks can come out and volunteer for own service days where training in trail maintenance, tool safety, or trail associations may offer specialized have and forest services are usually delighted to chainsaw use. In the same respect, park short trail work. Most parks and forests are so volunteers roaming the trails performing gold. staffed that volunteer workers are as good as association establish a relationship with either a trail You may also find an opportunity to nation's adopt-a- section of trthl. This works much like our or local park to "adopt" a commit to oversee a section of trail; highway program where individuals or groups the in place. Most "overseers" perform keeping it clear and making sure the blazes are larger organizes the larger projects that require general trail maintenance while the agency crews and more money. Tools securing a sufficient developing a trail crew is locating and A second crucial component to several ways that you can secure the number of high quality trail tools. There are angle is to borrow tools from groups such as appropriate tools for trail work. The first happy to Most local agencies are more than local trail associations, parks, and forests. idle in especially when they are most likely sitting loan out their tools to your program used for Since many digging and "grubbing" tools their tool shed or maintenance building. local tools, it may also be useful to approach your trail work also double as fire fighting fight forest fires. fire fighting community that is armed to few relationship with your agency partner, keep a To help maintain and enhance a working they were given tools: (1) always return them how things in mind when borrowing agency thoroughly, (4) (2) sharpen the tools, (3) clean them to you (if not in better shape), thank anything that was broken, and (6) always lubricate the tools if necessary, (5) note the owner profusely. 3 102 purchase your tools. Most The second angle for securing trail tools is to actually and purchasing tools is collegiate communities, however, struggle with inadequate budgets of the best pieces of advice would be to acquire your tool cache a low priority. One hundred dollars, slowly: piece by piece, tool by tool. Whenever you can allocate fifty or a make the investment into a polaski or a new saw. It may take a few years, but think about few short years, you what tools are used the most and focus on acquiring those first. In a will acquire enough tools to begin to outfit your own trail crew events. The third angle for securing tools is to solicit donations from your local business community. Solicit donations from local hardware stores and large chain hardware stores such as Lowes, Home Depot, and Ace Hardware. The large chains often have programs that allow for the donation of tools and other goods to non-profit organizations. Once again, be creative, and remember that it never hurts to politely ask. They may say no, but the reality is, many times they say yes! Funding Although a seemingly impossible hurdle, a collegiate trail crew can be established without generating revenue to support itself. As described previously, establishing good agency relationships can mean a world of difference. An agency may provide you with tools, lodging. Major personpower, support, and will sometimes even provide your crew with transportation costs such as the rental of vehicles can be avoided by utilizing a carpool. Once you have established some projects and begun to utilize your agency relationships, you can move forward with becoming self-sufficient and self-sustaining. Another angle to obtain funding for your trail crew is to investigate and write appropriate grant proposals. Large organizations such as Eastern Mountain Sports, Backpacker, or other large corporate chains award grants for various reasons on an annual basis. For example, the Penn State Outdoor Program recently received a grant from EMS to help support their trail maintaining efforts. This grant was designed specifically to support programs that are vested in wilderness stewardship and giving back to the land. Another step towards sustaining the Penn State Outdoor Program's Trail Crew, has been the development of a fee-based instructional workshop. This workshop is composed of one classroom session followed by a full weekend of hands on project experience. This instructional course differs from an average weekend trail crew outing and is focused on teaching the techniques of trail construction and maintenance. The revenue generated from the instructional course is then reinvested into supporting the Trail Crew. Safety Safety is the number one priority in all of Penn State Outdoor Program's activities. It is important that your trthl crew operates with a set of standard operating guidelines and safety policies. For example, Penn State uses the following policies: leather work boots must be worn at all times; hard hats are required; staff to participant ratios will not exceed 5:1; long pants and shirts will be worn at all times; gloves are mandatory when sharpening tools; chainsaws will only be run by those leaders or instructors that have completed and/or obtained an external chainsaw training or certification. A good source for safety 4 103 guidelines and overall trail work skills, is the Student Conservation Association's trail construction and maintenance book entitled Lightly on the Land published by the Mountaineer's. As always, safety should be the number one priority when working on the trail. Staff Training In the past five years, Penn State's Outdoor Program has grown in size from a membership base of two hundred, to over a thousand. In response to this accelerated growth in membership, a corresponding growth in staff was also needed. A major focus of the Penn State program became developing and enhancing staff training to develop the consistent quality of instructors and trip leaders. Arising from this focus, is a program known today as W.I.L.D.(Wilderness Instructor Leadership Development). This staff training program provides the organizational structure to continually produce quality outdoor leaders. Following, is a general outline of the steps needed to attain Trail Crew Instructor status in Penn State's Outdoor Program. The first four steps of the process are standard for each of the Outdoor Program's activity areas including trail crew, backpacking, rock climbing, canoeing, kayaking, and cross-country skiing. After the initial requirements are met, each training becomes activity specific. Wilderness Instructor Leadership Development Program (WILD) Apprentice 1) Application, interview, and "hiring" process 2) Apprentice approval by the Activity Coordinator Assistant Trip Leader 1) Staff Orientation Day 2) W.I.L.D. Weekend a) Outdoor Instruction Workshop b) Wilderness Medicine Workshop (also must hold a minimum of CPR and Wilderness First Aid) 3) Participation in Work Skills Weekend (specific to trail work skills) 4) Review and approval by Tail Crew Coordinator to become an Assistant Trip Leader. Trip Leader 1) Assist on a minimum of two trail crew trips. 2) Review and approval by Tthl Crew Coordinator and Program Director to become a Trip Leader. Instructor 1) Lead a minimum of one trail crew trip. 2) Assist on a minimum of one trail crew instructional course. 3) Review and approval by Tail Crew Coordinator and Program Director to become an Instructor 5 104 trail crew or wilderness extremely important aspect of running a safe Staff training is an procedures training allows for the solidarity of policies and stewardship program. Staff with an air of professionalism. Although the and provides your trail crew program staff complete the program in two semesters. training process may seem long, most new staff member keeps a W.I.L.D. documentation folder for each The Outdoor Program also certifications, status documentation of their staff profile, medical that includes written application, and staff evaluations from trips and record, involvement record, W.I.L.D. courses. Conclusion necessity for the future of our Wilderness stewardship and trail crew programs are a realize and come to terms with, although we outdoor programs. It is a harsh reality to outdoor skills, we still have a major destructive impact on teach and preach leave-no-trace Program, creating and As exemplified through Penn State's Trail Crew our environment. is not as difficult as it seems and is a enhancing a service component in your program staff, and participants. rewarding and fulfilling undertaking for your program, 6 105 , . ICORE Proceedings Subject: ICORE Proceedings Date: Fri, 12 Feb 1999 08:46:49 -0500 From: [email protected] (Susan Voelkel) To: [email protected] Dear Rob Jones: Education and Small As in past years, the ERIC Clearinghouse on Rural Proceedings Schools (ERIC/CRESS) would like to receive a copy of the ICORE for possible inclusion in the ERIC database. Please sign the I am attaching an ERIC Reproduction Release below. release and return with the proceedings. Thanks for your help. Susan Voelkel Processing Coordinator ERIC/CRESS P.O. 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