NATIONAL TRAILS TRAINING PARTNERSHIP Stewardship training beyond boundaries


By Kellie Flowers Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado


It was a natural connection when the head of Denver


 Baker Easley, arrived in Brazil’s capital for a three-day confer- ence hosted by the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio), Brazil’s federal agency for managing public lands.   Colorado’s 14,000 ft. peaks appear to have little in common. Yet both serve as cultural symbols and economic drivers; are revered worldwide for their humbling beauty; and face the ongoing challenges of climate change, overuse, and limited resources.   volunteer seminar on behalf of the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), a valued partner to both the ICMBio and VOC for decades: thousands of volunteers have tended to USFS-managed lands in more than 400 VOC projects since 1984; and the USFS has provided Brazil with critical support in environmental and economic initiatives, including a decade-old volunteer pro- gram to build infrastructure in the country’s park system. It was for this program that Easley arrived with sample training materials and project manuals to show land manag- ers and volunteers from across Brazil how VOC manages upwards of 5,000 volunteers in nearly 90 stewardship projects each year— the majority of which include trail construction and maintenance. Easley’s presentation was just one of many workshops


 address stewardship needs across the globe: public use, research and monitoring, environmental education, voluntary


brigades, and program administration. “Every ecosystem has its unique needs,” said Easley, “But


there are systems that can be adjusted and adopted by nearly every organization that wants to engage the public in caring for preserved lands.” Easley shared such systems at the semi- nar including VOC’s best practices for training volunteer  volunteer evaluation, and monitoring. VOC is already working to spread these practices at


home through capacity-building initiatives like the Colorado Outdoor Stewardship Coalition (COSC). The group of nearly 30 land managers and outdoor stewardship organizations was formed in 2010 to promote volunteer stewardship; they’ve conducted studies on the collective impact of volun- teers and launched the Statewide Stewardship Initiative, which aims to establish common metrics, goals, and resources for creating sustainable volunteer programs across Colorado.


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The World’s Only Association of Professional Trail Contractors More Info: trailbuilders.org


Save the date for the 2018’s only national trails conference! Sustainable Trails Conference//March 23 - 30, 2018//Stonewall, WV


Join trail experts on the leading edge of sustainable trail development for hands-on workshops and innovative education sessions!


Colorado Outdoor Stewardship Coalition crew leader training 29


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