IMBA-SORBA Two Day Sustainable Trails Workshop

Instructor info: We have an incredible opportunity for you to expand on your trail stewardship knowledge.  IMBA-SORBA Staff Member and Georgia Trails Education Specialist, Walt Bready will be teaching a Two Day Sustainable Trails Workshop.

When: Saturday/Sunday, April 14th & 15th 9am-3:30pm both days

Where: Bell’s Bend Park (Map Link)

Details:Two Day Sustainable Trails Workshop

This workshop is for all nature-surface trail enthusiasts, land agency staff, and aspiring advocacy groups. The focus is on shared or multi use trails; however some specialized single use applications will also be addressed (mountain bike). The workshop is designed around current, modern, low impact trail design and construction practices and complies with current specifications by most land agencies.

Day one: Trail Design and Layout

The morning classroom session 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 afternoon field session will put what we covered in the class to work by actually laying out a new section of trail using sustainable trail guidelines.

Day two: Trail Construction and Maintenance

The morning classroom session will cover proper hand tool use and safety, trail corridor clearing, building full bench cut trail, and how to build turns. What to do in wetlands, water crossings, turnpikes, boardwalks and tread armoring techniques. Look at different kinds of effective trail signage. Talk about maintenance issues on well-designed and poorly designed trails. We will discuss how to do a trail assessment, identify problems and the drainage solutions. Techniques for rerouting and reclaiming damaged trails.

A test on the subjects will be taken just before lunch.

The afternoon field session can focus on one of several construction or maintenance options. We could put your construction knowledge to work clearing and/or constructing new trail. Or realign and restore an old section of trail, build a series of water control devices, or do some standard trail maintenance.

Workshop Details:

The base cost is $50 per student for the full workshop and each student will get a copy of the IMBA Trail Solutions book (MSRP $40).  The daily sessions will run approximately 6-7 hours long (3 classroom, 1 lunch break, 2-3 field), from 9:00AM to 3:30PM.

Optional lunch will be available; additional $15 covers both days/meals (workshop fee $50 + lunches $15 = $65 total), or you can brown bag your own ($50 workshop fee total only). The IMBA Trail Solutions book and an interactive power point show will be provided. The minimum age for the course is 18. Each workshop will be limited to a maximum of 20 people, (normally limited to 12.  additional assistance has been arranged for the outdoor field sessions). Minimum workshop size is 8 people.

Contact Info:

Payment/Donation Options: (REGISTER NOW!!  CLASS SIZE IS LIMITED)

Paypal Below offers Workshop Total, either with lunch or “no lunch” brown bag options…..or you can mail a check ( payment must be received by April 7th) to:

**Include your name, address, phone# & email address with check.

Workshop Fee / Lunch Options

Wrksp Fee w/lunch $65.00 USD Wrksp Fee w/o lunch $50.00 USD