tional Civilian Community Corps. A taxpayer-supported Federal program, AmeriCorps NCCC trains and deploys teams of young adults aged 18-24 to conservation and community projects nationwide. Trails for Illinois will also partner with local stakeholders and communities to develop a model for trail construction and repair. The goal is a locally administered alternative to existing Federal and State trail grant public agencies out-of-pocket. Trails for Illinois will provide:
• Overall program development and management
• Training and coordination for AmeriCorps NCCC crew members
• Volunteer recruitment, coordination, and training
• On-site direction for work crews • Necessary tools and equipment • Media coordination
• Report development and evaluation coordination
to recover swept funds for trails, and leaves new funding as vulnerable to sweeps as past funding. The State of Illinois is very unlikely to make up any shortfall in the Federal trail fund- ing programs.
The Opportunity Establish an Illinois Trail Corps. An
Illinois Trail Corps can leverage civil- ian conservation corps and a volunteer service model to lower the cost of completing suitable trail projects by 80 percent or more when compared to projects funded through State and Federal grants. Communities passed over for Federal grants gain a viable option for moving their projects for- ward with local funding. Young adults receive job training and a scholarship stipend. Illinois gains a volunteer service opportunity. And more trails in Illinois can be built, repaired, and reopened to the public.
The Model
Illinois Trail Corps’ model is built on local partnerships plus volunteers plus civilian conservation service. At Lake Shelbyville, our civilian conser- vation partner was AmeriCorps Na-
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Recent examples of Illinois Trail Corps work include projects at Lake Shelbyville and Kickapoo State Rec- reation Area. These trail rehabilita- have saved the State and communities about $200,000 so far, while building some remarkable trails. Our local part- ners include the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Kickapoo Moun- tain Bike Club, and the General Dacey
for AmeriCorps NCCC and volunteers was coordinated by USACE at their Lake Shelbyville camping areas. Other contributing partners include the National Park Service, Student Con- servation Association, Central Illinois Mountain Bike Association, the Boy Scouts of America, and Lakes Volun- teer Association.
The Objectives
• Improve and expand the trail experiences available to visitors
• Achieve 80 percent cost savings over comparable work funded through Federal trail grants
• Provide job skills training for young adults through AmeriCorps NCCC
• Establish a local volunteer trail corps for ongoing trail maintenance
• Engage volunteers to directly contribute to trail development in Illinois
• Develop a model for repeated deployment to trail projects around the State
• Expand the capacity of Trails for Illinois to meet the trail development and repair needs of the State
Federal grants, if awarded, cover at most 80 percent of the total costs of a trail project, requiring at least 20 percent of the funding to come from
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