Georgia Trail School – Sept 4th, 5th, 11th

I would like to invite you and your chapter members to the next Georgia Trail School. Please share this message with your chapter members. Please reply to this message to enroll in trail school and receive an application.

I have continued to work with IMBA to present the most up to date information available on sustainable trails. Each student that enrolls for all three classes will receive a copy of “Trail Solutions, IMBA’s Guide to Building Sweet Singletrack”, our class text book.

The class dates for next trail school cycle are as follows. This is a new 3-day format to allow course completion in a shorter timeframe.

Design & Layout – September 4, 2010

Trail Construction & Maintenance – September 5, 2010

Crew Leader Training – September 11, 2010

Trail School and Crew Leader Training Classes

These classes are for all nature-surface trail enthusiasts, land agencies, and trail advocacy groups. This course will be taught at Gainesville State College (www.gsc.edu) 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.

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 entail putting what we covered in the class to work by actually laying out a new section of trail.

Session two: Trail Construction and Maintenance

The classroom portion will cover corridor clearing, proper trail tread construction, maintenance issues on well-designed and poorly designed trails. Trail hardening materials and techniques along with rehabilitation of disused trails will also be covered. A test on the subjects covered will be taken just before lunch. The field session will concentrate on clearing and/or constructing a section of trail, plus time reviewing some possible maintenance activities.

Session three: Crew Leader Training

This final session will be held outdoors and broken into three portions; organizing the workday, selecting and getting your crew to the work site, overseeing the project and then returning to the trailhead. Safety and efficiency are the focus of this session. Because of the nature of this level of leadership, all participants in this session will be required to pass the test in all three previous sessions before attending. Graduation for all that qualify will be held at the end of this session.

Class Information

The minimum age for the course is 18. The course will be limited to a maximum of 12 participants. The Trail Solutions book and an interactive power point show will be provided. The sessions will run approximately 6-7 hours long (3 classroom, 1 lunch, 2-3 field).

The cost is $75 for the full round of three classes. Out of state participants are encouraged to come and a $150 fee per person (full course) will apply. There is a discount for IMBA-SORBA members that attend all three classes of the Trail School. The third class will be free, total $50. Make checks payable to Gainesville College Foundation.

Please come prepared for the type of weather expected that day. You will need to bring boots, gloves, and something to write with. All classes will start at 9:00am and end at 4:00pm. Lunch will be on your own.

Regards,
Walter Bready
Georgia Trails Education Specialist
Gainesville State College
404.423.7257
walterbready@bellsouth.net