2012 VT Trail Symposium Presenter List

2012 Vermont Trail Symposium

Event Presentation Descriptions We would like to thank the following presenters for sharing their knowledge with us at the

2012 VT Trail Symposium! Everyone will participate in the same morning sessions. You will

need to pick from the following tracts in the afternoon: Trail Structures, Mountain Bike

Trails, Wetlands, Recreation Trail Resources, Stone Structures, Mechanized Trail Equipment,

or Trail Easements. You can find more information about the workshops and presentations

offered below. Enjoy!

Morning Presentations Heather Furman

10:30am-11:30am

Concept to Completion: Mobbs Farm Trail

Heather Furman has worked in the conservation, recreation and natural

resource fields for nearly 20 years. Early in her career Heather spent 3

years in the Himalayan region of Nepal focused on community

reforestation projects and sustainable small-scale farming. Upon her

return to the US, Heather moved to Vermont and obtained an MS in

Natural Resource Planning from the University of Vermont while

working for the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps and the state’s

Department of Environmental Conservation. She is the founding

President of the Climbing Resource Access Group of Vermont (CRAG-

VT) where she led the organization in its first acquisitions of land to

protect public access to popular rock and ice climbing areas. Heather

also served on the Board of Directors of the Access Fund, a national

non-profit climbing advocacy organization based in Boulder, Colorado.

Currently Heather serves as Executive Director for Stowe Land Trust.

Since 2003, she has helped the organization conserve over 1000 acres and oversees the

management of several popular recreation areas. Heather is also Chair of the Mobbs Farm

Committee in Jericho, Vermont, charged with managing a 265 acre community-owned property.

She is an avid trail runner and participates regularly in races up to 50 miles long. Heather lives

in Jericho Center with her husband Dave.

Heather will be giving a general synopsis of the Mobbs Farm Trail project from concept to

completion. This project is a prime example of the many players and facets that are incorporated

into a recreation trail project.

Afternoon Workshops/Presentations

Trail Structures

GMC Bridge over the Winooski Dave Hardy 2:30pm-4:30pm

Receiving his first trail maintenance seminar from Seymour Smith, the second maintainer/manager of Connecticut’s Appalachian Trail since 1925, Dave Hardy led volunteer maintenance trips in New

Hampshire for Appalachian Mountain Club before moving to Vermont in 1991 to pursue his calling to work with volunteers and seasonal staff on the Long Trail in Vermont. Since 1999 he has been Director of Trail Programs for Green Mountain Club and during his tenure GMC has forged enduring relationships with VYCC and VT Forests, Parks and Recreation. GMC also works closely with the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and Green Mountain National Forest to manage the entire Appalachian Trail in Vermont and help move the North Country National Scenic Trail into Vermont. GMC, a private non-profit club with membership open to all, is Vermont’s largest non-profit organization with over 10,000 members. GMC mobilizes 1,000 volunteers per year contributing over 30,000 hours annually to hiking trails in America’s 14th state. When not permitting suspension bridges, Hardy is an enthusiastic and award winning homebrewer. He shares a home with his partner Carol and two Maine coon cats.

Dave will explain the process of proposing, developing the plans for, and implementing the construction of the new Long Trail Winooski Bridge.

Water Trail Structures

Walter Opuszynski and Noah Pollock

4:00pm-5:30pm

Walter Opuszynski is the Trail Director for the Northern Forest Canoe Trail, a 740 mile paddle trail

extending from Old Forge, NY to Fort Kent, ME. Walter also serves as chair of the Vermont Trails and

Greenways Council and is chair of the Public Outreach and Marketing subcommittee of the Lamoille

Valley Rail Trail Committee. Walter firmly believes that recreation trails can reduce our carbon footprint

and add to the mental and physical health of public while spurring Vermont’s economy.

Noah hails from Delmar, NY, and graduated from Cornell University in 2003 with a Bachelor of Science in Natural Resources. In 2007, he earned a Master's degree from the Rubenstein School for Environment and Natural Resources at the University of Vermont, where he studied sustainable community development and ecological economics. His thesis examined the economic impact of paddler tourism and recreation along the waterways that make up the Northern Forest Canoe Trail. Since earning his degree, Noah has continued his work with the NFCT, first as an intern, and then as the NFCT Field Coordinator, assisting with intern and waterway work trip programs, building on his experience leading trail crews with the Student Conservation Association.

Walter and Noah will co-present a hands-on workshop about new structures in development for water

trails. These structures have been developed through the Northern Forest Canoe Trail’s field programs

and include floating log ladders, self-cleaning stone staircases, and cable anchored bog bridging. The

group will be working to build a floating log ladder. Please bring work gloves and eye protection if you

are participating in this workshop.

Mountain Bike Trails

Managing a Network of Mountain Bike Trails C.J. Scott 4:00pm-5:30pm

CJ has been working at Kingdom Trail Association for 11 years, and is now the Trails Manager for the renowned 100+ mile mountain bike trail system located in East Burke, Vermont. He assist's in the management and everyday operations of the 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization, which includes direct management of the trail crews; trail design, construction and maintenance, general conservation, and operation and maintenance of machinery during both summer & winter seasons.

He holds a degree in Adventure Based Programming from Lyndon State College, Vermont and is also a graduate of the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), participating in a Summer Semester in the Rockies, Teton Valley Branch, Idaho. In 2004 he Thru-hiked the entire 2,100+ mile Appalachian Trail, traveling northbound from Georgia to Maine. His passion for the outdoors is reflected in his crazy obsession of mountain biking, hunting, hiking, snowboarding, fishing, and any other excuse to get him in his natural outdoor surroundings. He lives in Wheelock, Vermont with his amazing wife and two beautiful children.

His presentation will cover the following topics: A brief history of KTA

Working with landowners/state agencies

Coordinating/appointing a Trail Committee

Vision and expansion of the trail system - developing a 5 year trail plan

Crew/project management

Risk Management

Volunteer Work Days

Bike Park Operations

Recreational Trail Resources

America’s Great Outdoors Initiative

Kate Williams

4:00pm-5:30pm

Kate Williams has served as Executive Director of the Northern Forest Canoe Trail since March 2004.

During that time, she has overseen the completion of the 13-map set covering the entire route, the

publication of three books, including the official guidebook, and the development of three active

programs: 1) Trail Stewardship; 2) Community Economic Development; and 3) Connecting People and

Place. Kate is also Chair of the Board of the National Outdoor Leadership School, and is actively involved

in her community in the Mad River Valley. In all of this work, Kate’s focus has been on building strong

partnerships to more effectively connect people with the outdoors.

Kate will share what she has learned about the America’s Great Outdoors Initiative, particularly what it

might mean for trail in New England. She looks forward to questions and contributions from

participants in the session to help create the most complete picture possible about the status and

opportunities of this national initiative.

Finding the Funding and Resources to Get Your Trail on the Ground

Jennifer Waite

2:30pm-4:00pm

Jennifer Waite is the Director of Vermont Projects for the National Park Service Rivers & Trails

Program (RTCA). RTCA is the community assistance arm of NPS, providing technical assistance

to help communities and organizations create trails, protect rivers and enhance natural areas.

RTCA helps communities plan, organize partnerships and achieve on-the-ground success for the

projects they initiate. In Vermont, Jennifer has worked with many projects including the Cross

Vermont Trail, Woodstock Trails Partnership, Northern Forest Canoe Trail, and the West River

Trail. She has been involved in the Vermont Trails and Greenways Council since 1989, most

recently serving on the Recreation Trails Grant committee.

Jennifer will be leading a workshop about how to gather the myriad of funding and other

resources needed to take a trail project from idea to on-the-ground success. She’ll be using the

Historic Faulkner Trail Restoration project as an example of creating a strategy for challenging,

multi-year trail projects. Workshop participants are encouraged to bring their own success

stories to share.

Stone Structures

Charley MacMartin and Jessica Ricketson Stone Structures Workshop 2:30pm-5:30pm

Charley MacMartin is a Vermont dry-stone waller based in Hinesburg. He has over 15 years of experience and has trained through Britain's Dry Stone Walling Association. His stone work has been featured in Vermont Life and on Vermont Public Radio. Charley runs workshops on dry stone walling during the winter through his business, Queen City Soil & Stone. He will co-present with Jess Ricketson, vice chair of the Vemont Trails and Greenways Council. Their workshop will focus on the basic principles for dry stone walling and their application to trail work.

Mechanized Equipment

Alex Hoffmeier

Mechanized Trail Construction: Choosing the Right Machine for the Job

2:30-4:00 PM

Alex Hoffmeier works for Timber & Stone, LLC, a company

specializing in trail design, planning, and construction. He

has worked on trail projects throughout the northeast

ranging in size from a 15 foot long bridge to installing 400

stone stairs near Niagara Falls. Combining his background in

landscape planning and design with construction, he has

found that trail work utilizes both skill sets and continually

challenges him. On any given day he can be found behind

the controls of an excavator, setting stone by hand, building

a bridge, or working with volunteers.

Alex will offer an overview of specialized low impact trail

construction machinery. There will be a classroom slideshow

highlighting a variety of machines used for building trails as

well as a breakdown of efficient and effective operation. An emphasis on minimizing site impact, the

import of material to remote sites, and the construction of multi-use and naturally surfaced trails will be

discussed. A machine demonstration will take place during the second half of the workshop.