NATIONAL TRAILS TRAINING PARTNERSHIP Stewardship training continued
together in caring for the outdoors— especially in the U.S. as public lands enter our political discourse and outdoor recre- ation proves itself to be a billion-dollar force. Collaboration continues to cross borders. Two weeks after the Brazilian volunteer seminar, Camilla Helena da Silva and Cristiane Ramscheid Figueiredo, Coordinator and Environmental Analyst (respectively) for the ICMBio’s National Coordination for Participatory Management and in their home city of Denver to dive deeper into volunteer engagement, retention, and project management strategies. In the end, however, collaboration isn’t just about manu- als and paperwork. As Easley summarized, something much simpler is at play: “Even though we had translators, there was no lack of cultural understanding. We all share a vision for a healthier planet; for natural places to be sustained and protected; and for all people to have access to beautiful, out- door spaces and a clean and healthy natural world.”
Learn more about Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado trail training programs at
www.voc.org/leadership-training.
Statistics from Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado’s annual report “Some people can be skeptical that volunteers are a via-
ble workforce,” Easley explained, “But when outdoor indus- tries share data with one another, the results prove other- wise.” The COSC found that in 2014, more than 60,000 volun- teers contributed over a million hours to outdoor stewardship in Colorado alone— a labor value of nearly $35 million. The secret to success, Easley says, is to foster committed, well-trained volunteers capable of taking on important lead- ership roles. VOC accomplishes this through the Outdoor Stewardship Institute (OSI), a training program originally born from multiple organizations. Each year, about 300 people are trained through OSI in skills such as crew leadership, trail design, ecological restora- tion, and technical work including rock wall and drainage structure construction. While some trainees advance to lead VOC volunteer crews and projects, many are employees and volunteers from other agencies.
When Easley spent her last day in Brazil at the National Park of Brasília with Fabio de Jesus, a Business Analyst for ICMBio, they once again found similarities in the procedures and problems facing park management in the U.S. and Brazil, including the need to instill a stewardship ethic in the local public; recruit well-trained volunteers; build partnerships to bolster funds and programming; and develop better data col- lection across conservation units. Despite the challenges, there’s good reason to be optimis- tic about the future of volunteer stewardship: more and more land managers, community organizations, and users them-
30 FALL 2017
AmericanTrails.org State and regional training:
Fall 2017 highlights Pennsylvania Greenways and Trails Summit September 24-26, 2017 — Reading, PA Every other year, the PA Recreation and Park Society and PA forces with a local host committee to present the statewide conference. The Summit provides trail professionals, volun- teers, and advocates with the essential information needed to build, manage, and maintain trails throughout the region.
Southeast Greenways & Trails Summit October 1-3, 2017 — Trail and transportation leaders, policy makers, wellness pro- fessionals, parks and recreation leaders, and others will gath- er for the first Southeast Greenways & Trails Summit. The goal is to share best practices, build relationships, and influence trail and greenway development in the Southeast.
Massachusetts Trails Conference Leominster, MA The theme for 2017 is “Building Trail Communities: A Path to Vibrant Communities.” The Conference is hosted by the MA Department of Conservation and Recreation in partnership with the Massachusetts Recreational Trails Advisory Board with funding provided by the Recreational Trails Program.
See details of these and many more training opportunities at
www.AmericanTrails.org/Calendar.html.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40
