Trail School and Crew Leader
Certification Course Agenda
To: All trail and off road enthusiasts, land agencies, and aspiring advocacy groups
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 4:30pm.
Lunch will be provided courtesy of the Southern Off Road Bicycle Association.
Session one: Trail Design and Layout (March 1st and August 9th
2003)
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 (March 29th and September 6th
2003)
The classroom portion will cover corridor clearing for
all types of use and proper trail tread construction. Different types of tread
construction, cribbing and raised tread sections, switchbacks and a section on bridges and
boardwalks are also included.
A Test on the subjects covered will be taken just before
lunch.
The field portion will put your construction knowledge to
work clearing and constructing the trail we laid out in the previous session.
Session three: Trail Maintenance (April 5th and September 27th
2003)
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. 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 rehabilitating an
old section of trail and building a series of water control devices near the site of the
previous class work.
Session four: Crew leader Training (May 3rd and November 1st
2003)
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.
The minimum age for the course is 18. The course will be
limited to a maximum of 20 participants. Booklets and an interactive power point show will
be provided. The sessions will run approximately 6 hours long (3 classroom, 3 field).
There is no cost associated with the course for SORBA
members or Georgia residents. Out of state participants are encouraged to come and a $200
fee per person (full course) will apply.
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 RSVP! Contact Mike Riter at traileducation@sorba.org or call 678-410-8021
to enroll.
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