Trail Maintenance and Operation - Rails-to-Trails Conservancy

Getting It Done
VOLUNTEERS
Volunteers are at the heart of almost every trail maintenance effort.
Even trails fortunate enough to have some paid maintenance staff
will use volunteers whenever possible. This is the best way to stretch
Armstrong Trail, Pa. (Allegheny Valley Land Trust)
scarce trail maintenance dollars as far as possible. Here are some
tips for using and finding volunteers:
➺ Volunteers should always work under the direction and supervision of a
responsible adult. This person should preferably represent the entity that
will be liable if any mishaps occur.
➺ Volunteers should not do anything that runs contrary to your insurance
coverage, private property rights, laws, ordinances, regulations, etc.
➺ Power tools and equipment should not be operated by minors or in the
presence of unattended children.
➺ Volunteers should not engage in any police or medical functions unless they
are properly certified to do so.
If a trail is owned or managed by a nonprofit group, the most likely source of
volunteers is the group’s members. These individuals can get stretched thin, however,
so it’s a good idea to tap other sources of labor. Some of these include:
➺ Boy or Girl Scout troops and individual Eagle Scout candidates.
➺ School and church groups (youth and adult).
➺ Adult service clubs (Rotary, Kiwanis, Lions, etc.).
➺ The county court system or corrections department can often provide
individuals who are incarcerated or have mandatory community service
sentences.
➺ Alternative education programs for at-risk youth.
➺ United Way Day of Caring.
The more voluntary a person’s participation is, the
more he will want his time put to good use with a
tangible result, such as planting a garden or building a
picnic area, rather than picking up trash.
Another way to spread the maintenance load is
through an adopt-a-trail program. This follows the
adopt-a-highway model that many departments of
transportation have. A business, community group, or
even a single individual or family, agrees to take on
certain routine maintenance functions for a section of
the trail. Much like the highway program, “adopters”
aren’t going to fix the trail surface. But they can cut the
grass, keep the trail clean and attractive, and inform the
Baltimore & Annapolis Rail-Trail, Md. (Dave Dionne)
RAILS-TO-TRAILS CONSERVANCY • 25