Get Involved With Trail Volunteer Work

repairsNo matter where we live or what we use them for, we all love our trails. Be it your favorite hiking trail up to the high country or your favorite flowey single-track mountain biking trail, we are liberated when we are out hitting the dirt, adrenaline pumping and sweat rolling. It would seem only fair and just to acknowledge that these trails did not form themselves (sorry creationists), and that we owe some higher power for our local network of beautiful trails. Why not then take a moment of time to appreciate the fact that these trails were built, and have been maintained over time by non-profit organizations and volunteers. These organizations are always looking for help from people with a passion for trail maintenance and can always put you to work locally to restore trails!

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The US Forest Service, following natural disasters, overuse, or land degradation will often times contract out companies to do trail repair, regionally, throughout the US. The Forest Service, in conjunction with National Parks and Monuments are responsible for the upkeep of public trail networks and their safety and management. Typically groups like the Southwest Conservation Corp and NOLS get groups of volunteers together to do repairs. Youth groups from high school and college are also great outlets for younger age groups and those seeking to instruct those age groups.

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Repairs range from installing trail bridges and drainages and steps to re-routing trails away from overused areas, re-seeding trees, and removing trees for trail borders or density control. Trail repair crews also sometimes work with fire mitigation teams to cut down high risk burn patches for controlled burns. Following California and Colorado fires of last summer, fire mitigation has become a large part of trail maintenance, and a mutual necessity for trial upkeep and burn control.

Volunteers for trail work can sign up through several organizations (list given below) for daily work, or a more committed traveling trail repair crew position. A traveling trail repair crew member travels and camps with the lead crew preforming work along long stretches of affected trail. Sometimes base camps are established in backcountry areas where groups can fan out to make restorations, build trail markers and fix walkways.

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The American Hiking Society is a great go to group for finding out about local trail repair projects. Instrumental in allocating funds for trail building grant money, organizing volunteers, and connecting people to federal trail projects the American Hiking Society supports the hiking and biking community. Sign up for their newsletters, and be sure to be on top of local trail projects that you may want to get involved in. They have a solid alliance with trail groups, hiking clubs, and land trusts in every corner of the US working to promote and protect hiking trails, trail lands, and the hiking experience.

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IMBA, or the International Mountain Biking Association is one organization that is dedicated to the preservation of the movement of the wheels (credit George Clinton) on trail, and all things that come along with that. IMBA has 35,000 individual members; more than 750 chapters, clubs and patrols; more than 200 corporate partners; and about 600 retailer shops. Their work ranges from clinics on low impact riding, to trail repair training and projects that improve local trails, and save them when damaged. Headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, IMBA has been hard at work after recent floods to repair rutting and other damage done to local mountain bike grails such as Walker Ranch, Heil Valley Ranch and Flatirons Vista Trails. Sign up for local trail rebuilding and repair projects through IMBA’s website and register to do repair on one of your local trails!

 

Contact:

IMBA

US FOREST SERVICE

BLM

SCC

NOLS

AMERICAN HIKING SOCICETY

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