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Georgia Trails and Greenways

The Georgia Trails and Greenways office coordinates Georgia's Recreational Trails Program, which provides funding for trail construction, trail maintenance and trail education. The Program has also funded trail signs, maps and other efforts. If you have an idea for statewide efforts on education in trail design, construction, or maintenance, please call Program staff at (404) 656-3830.

Georgia Trails Education Partners:

• Georgia Department of Natural Resources
• Georgia Recreational Trails Program
• Gainesville State College
• Elachee Nature Center
• International Mountain Bike Assoc
• Southern Off-Road Bicycle Assoc
• Federal Highway Administration

Trail School and Crew Leader Training Courses

This is for all nature-surface trails and off-road enthusiasts, land agencies, and aspiring advocacy groups. This course will be taught at Gainesville State College (www.gsc.edu) located in Oakwood, Georgia.

The focus of the course is on shared-use trails however some specialized single use applications will also be addressed. This course is designed around current, modern, low impact trail design and construction practices and complies with current specifications by most land agencies.

All classes will start at 9:30am and end around 3:30pm. Lunch will be on your own. See class dates for next trail school cycle on the Georgia Training and Resources page.

See class dates for next trail school cycle on the Georgia Training and Resources page.

Session one: Trail Design and Layout

The classroom portion will cover all aspects of how to properly design and layout a trail. We will discuss issues on how to avoid erosion, user conflicts, and impact problems through design. It will give you a good working knowledge of what causes trails to erode through water/soil relationships. A test on the subjects covered will be taken just before lunch.

The field portion will put what we covered in the class to work by actually laying out a new section of trail.

Session two: Trail Construction

The classroom portion will cover corridor clearing for all types of use and proper hand tool use and safety. Different types of trail construction, building full bench cut and tread armoring sections. How to build turns (climbing, switchback and insloped). What to do in wetlands and for water crossings. A test on the subjects will be taken just before lunch.

The field portion will put your construction knowledge to work clearing and/or constructing new trail.

Session three: Trail Maintenance

The classroom portion will cover maintenance issues on well-designed and poorly designed trails. We will discuss how to make long-term repairs, and lower environmental impacts. Drainage solutions and techniques along with rerouting and reclaiming damaged trail. A test on the subjects will be taken just before lunch.

The field session will concentrate on rerouting an old section of trail and/or building a series of water control devices.

Session four: Crew Leader Training

This final session will be broken into three portions; organizing the workday, selecting and getting your crew to the work site, and overseeing the project and/or trail work session. Safety and efficiency are a main focus of this class. A crew leader must have a basic set of technical trail work skills. All students are required to pass sessions one, two and three before attending the final session.

An informal graduation is held at the end of this session and each person will receive a Crew Leader hat.

Course Enrollment and Details

The minimum age for the course is 18. The course will be limited to a maximum of 15 students. The IMBA Trail Solutions book and an interactive power point show will be provided. The sessions will run approximately 6 hours long (2-1/2 classroom, lunch break, 2-1/2 field), from 9:30AM to 3:30PM. Lunch will be on your own.

The cost is $100 for the full round of four sessions or $25 per session. Out of state (Georgia) participants are encouraged to come and a $200 fee per person (full course) or $50 per session. SORBA members attending all four session will receive one free class. Make any checks payable to Gainesville College Foundation. Payment can be made at the first session with a completed application form.

Please come prepared for the type of weather expected that day. You will need to bring boots, gloves, and something to write with. Class size is limited and all participants must enroll via email.

To enroll, please contact:

Walter Bready
Georgia Trails Education Specialist
Gainesville State College
(404) 423-7257
wbready@gsc.edu

The National Trails Training Partnership
American Trails, P.O. Box 491797, Redding, CA 96049-1797 • (530) 547-2060 • Fax: (530) 547-2035 • nttp@americantrails.org • www.AmericanTrails.org

The National Trails Training Partnership is an alliance of Federal agencies, training providers, nationwide supporters, and providers of products and services. Visit the online calendar of training opportunities, access hundreds of trail-related resources, read the news, learn how you can help, and see training resources in your state.

This material is based upon work supported by the Federal Highway Administration under Cooperative Agreement DTFH61-06-H-00023. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the Author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the Federal Highway Administration.

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