SOUTHEASTERN FOOT TRAILS COALITION 

2009 Conference Educational Sessions

TRACK 1.  ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

1.1 SUCCESSFUL VOLUNTEERS PROGRAMS   

Charlie Rowe (Daniel Boone National Forest), Sarah Wolff (Olmsted Parks Conservancy), Rick Harris (Cherokee Hiking Club / Benton MacKaye Trail Association)     

Three independent presenters will present separate examples of successful trail construction or maintenance volunteer recruiting programs.  The format of this session is a panel presentation followed by questions from the attendees and answers from the panel.  A successful volunteer recruiting program is one that has been in existence for a minimum of three years, is sustainable, engages community, trail user groups, and / or established volunteer programs. These volunteer programs have results that are effective and ongoing.  Presentations will highlight each of these aspects and the context in which the volunteers were utilized.  

1.2 BUILDING AN EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP TEAM

The presenter will present a model of an effective leadership team for a trail building organization, defining each role in the team and the interrelationship of these roles in achieving success.  The presenter will present an overview of key “lessons learned” in the evolution of this organization.  

1.3 GRANT WRITING AND GRANT MANAGEMENT

1.3.1 The presenter will walk the participants through the process used to write effective grant applications.  The presenter has extensive experience with either writing or approving grants for trail related projects. 

1.3.2 The presenter will talk the participants through the elements of successfully managing a grant.  This will include all rules typically associated with the use of grant money, accounting and reporting systems.  The presenter will provide real examples of each element to demonstrate best practices to the participants as well as common mistakes to avoid.  Create a hit list of grants available to the trail building community.  

1.4 LEGAL ISSUES OF INTEREST TO TRAIL BUILDING ORGANIZATIONS

Chuck Sloan

Chuck Sloan, who has been legal counsel to a number of trail and hiking organizations including American Hiking Society and Appalachian Trail Conservancy, will discuss legal issues which a trail organization will typically face in building and protecting a trail system.  This will be in the format of a question and answer session for participants.   

1.5 LAND TRUSTS

Hugh Archer (Kentucky Natural Land Trusts), Kathleen Williams (Tennessee 

A presenter will present the role of the land trust in the trail project.  This will include what land trusts do, how they are an important partner to the trail building organization and how to work with a land trust on a trail project. 

1.6 ORGANIZATIONAL SUSTAINABILITY

What are the key factors that make a non-profit organization sustainable?  What are the mistakes that result in failure?  The presenter will present information which answers these two questions in the general context and helps to focus the answers on the trail community as well.  

1.7  WORKING WITH LAND MANAGERS

Tim Eling (Daniel Boone National Forest)

Tim will discuss examples of process used by US Forest Service and other public lands managers to obtain public input to trail projects and land management plans.

TRACK 2.  PROMOTING OUR TRAIL SYSTEMS

2.1 INTEGRATING TRAILS AND COMMUNITY 

Morgan Sommerville (Appalachian Trail Conservancy), Bobby Fulcher (Cumberland Trail State Park, TN) 

The presenter will present a thorough overview of how a trail system has been, is being, or can be integrated with the local community to maximize its value to those who reside there.  This should include community programs and activities, business opportunities resulting from the trail as well as any other benefits perceived by the community.

2.2 PROMOTING TRAILS AT FESTIVALS AND OTHER PUBLIC EVENTS

Bob Williams (Alabama Trails Associaton), Dennis Crowley (Kentucky Trails Association)

One or more facilitators will lead participants in a “brainstorming session” to identify and prioritize opportunities to promote the trail systems which collectively comprise the SEFTC.  The result of this session will be an action plan to promote SEFTC and its trails through participation in festivals and other public events. 

2.3 MAKING FULL USE OF THE NEW SEFTC WEBSITE

Ginny Grulke (Kentucky Recreational Trails Authority)

Ginny will lead participants in a website “modeling” exercise.  The result of this session will be a plan to expand the SEFTC website systematically to maximize its value to the coalition members and to advance the mission of the coalition.

2.4 PROMOTING TRAILS BY WORKING WITH THE MEDIA

Bob Williams (Alabama Trails Association)

Bob will lead presenters from the media: television, radio, newspapers, magazines etc in a presentation of best practices in working with the media to promote a trail project or event.  This will be a panel presentation with opportunity for participants to ask questions and get answers directly from media representatives.

2.5 TRAILS AND TOURISM       

Matt Osborne (Kentucky Adventure Tourism)

Matt will provide ideas for attracting tourism to trails.  The presentation will include successful examples which provide economic benefit and build the reputation of the trail and the communities in its corridor.  

2.6 MAPS AND TRAIL GUIDES   

Russ Manning (Author of numerous trail guide books),       (The Map Store, Knoxville, TN)  

Presenters provide examples of effective tools for communicating trail information to users.  

TRACK 3.  TRAIL DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION

3.1 THE TRAIL RUNNER’S PERSPECTIVE

Jim Ball (Cherokee Trail Runners)

Jim, a member of the trail running community, will present the trail design perspective of that segment of the foot trails community. He will give an overview of the types of trail activities in which trail runners are engaged.  The presentation will include the issues which trail runners face in using trails built to foot traffic standards and their preferred solutions to these issues.  The result of this session will be an understanding by foot trail builders of the needs and desires of this user group.

3.2 TRAIL BUILDING TRAINING AND CERTIFICATION IN THE SOUTHEAST

Bob Richards (Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation), Mark Stanfill (TDEC)

Facilitators will lead the participants in a discussion of what the existing needs are, where training gaps are, and determine how we can work together to fill these gaps.  The focus of this session will be a proposed trail training certification program (trainers) for our southeast foot trails systems and a plan for creating a schedule to do training for certification.

3.3 DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS FOR NON-MOTORIZED MULTI-USE TRAIL SECTIONS

Bobby Mitchell (Southern Appalachian Back Country Horsemen), Mike Dulin (Kentucky Mountain Bike Association), Marty Dominy (Georgia Pinhoti Trail Association)

Most of the SEFTC trail system is single-use for foot traffic only.  However, there are sections of trail that are currently multi-use and gaps which remain in our trail system which are not defined.  Presenters will overview the design issues related to construction of trail sections which are intended to be multi-use, including best practices in managing multiple user groups on trails and situations where foot trails intersect with trails designated for other uses.

3.4 SAFETY: TOOL CERTIFICATION PROGRAMS

Charlie Rowe (Daniel Boone National Forest)

 Many land managers have certification programs for dangerous tools.  The presenter will  explain the risks associated with dangerous tools, the issues with uncontrolled use, and the programs used to manage their use.  These include chain saws, rigging equipment and others.  The purpose of this session is to establish best practices, increase awareness of issues, and understand how the southeast foot trails coalition can work with its land management partners on tool certification. 

 3.5 TRAIL DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS FOR “LEAVE NO TRACE” PRINCIPLES

Doug Davis (The Trail Store), Morgan Sommerville (Appalachian Trail Conservancy), Rick Harris (Cherokee Hiking Club / Benton MacKaye Trail Association)

The presenters will talk through each of the principles of Leave No Trace and discuss each principle and the related issues that apply to the routing and design of a foot trail.  The purpose of this session is to give trail builders some ideas to improve design to give the user an improved experience.

3.6 TRAIL ROUTING STRATEGIES

Jim Schroeder (Cumberland Trail Conference / Tennessee Trails Association), Marty Dominy (Georgia Pinhoti Trail Association), Warren Devine (Cumberland Trail Conference) 

 The presenters will present their own organization’s successful strategies for routing new trail sections.  Topics will include the basic principles used in routing the trail, selection and direction of individuals selected to route trail, tools used, issues encountered, and success factors.

TRACK 4.  OTHER TOPICS OF INTEREST TO THE TRAIL COMMUNITY

4.1 KENTUCKY ATV TRESPASSING STUDY

Matt Osborne (Kentucky Adventure Tourism)

Dr. James Harford from Morehead State University recently completed a study of ATV trespassing for the Kentucky Heritage Arts and Tourism Cabinet for a report by the Kentucky Recreational Trails Authority to the state legislature with recommendations to control this serious obstacle to new trail development in Kentucky.

4.2 MINERAL RIGHTS ISSUES ON TENNESSEE’S CUMBERLAND TRAIL

Tony Hook (Cumberland Trail Conference)

Tony will open a discussion of  problems faced in the trail building community by discussing the problem Cumberland Trail has faced in its corridor with rock mining..  The purpose of this session is to raise awareness among trail building organizations of  potential trail issues such as mineral rights ownership in trail corridors.