Q2C Grant-Funded Trails Workshops Offered in Gilsum
KEENE, N.H. — The Monadnock Conservancy and the Student Conservation Association (SCA) invite interested citizens in the Monadnock Region to participate in a four-day trail work skills training in Gilsum, N.H. on the Conservancy’s John and Rosemarie Calhoun Family Forest. The training will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday October 8 through Friday, Oct. 11.
Many local groups and communities maintain trails in their towns but lack formal training and resources. This trail skills training is intended to help community and land trust volunteers gain the skills they need to create and maintain trails, enabling them to bring skills back to their communities to facilitate trail projects of their own. The training will feature an introduction to tools and safety procedures, followed by instruction on trail design, construction and maintenance, including construction of the following structures: timber bridges, stone steps, puncheons, turnpikes and switchbacks. The training will also include emphasis on volunteer management.
The Monadnock Conservancy’s John and Rosemarie Calhoun Family Forest is a publicly-accessible demonstration forest in Gilsum. An existing trail features Porcupine Falls, a scenic cascade along White Brook. Over the course of this training, participants will help complete one half-mile of trail connecting the Porcupine Falls Loop Trail to a newly installed parking area and trailhead on the property. This passive recreational resource is within a mile of Gilsum center, offering recreational opportunity to the citizens of Gilsum and the employees of local companies.
This training opportunity is made possible through funding from the Quabbin-to-Cardigan Partnership (Q2C). Space is limited for this unique opportunity, and interested parties are encouraged to register by contacting Emily Hague, stewardship director, by phone at 603-357-0600 or by email at Emily@MonadnockConservancy.org. A non-refundable registration fee of $100 applies. Food will be provided, and local lodging options are available. For information about course content, please contact Lew Shelley, Training and Education Specialist at SCA: LShelley@thesca.org, or 603-504-3264.
The Monadnock Conservancy, founded in 1989, is an accredited land trust and the only one dedicated exclusively to the 35 towns in the Monadnock region of southwestern New Hampshire. Its mission is to work with communities and landowners to conserve the natural resources, wild and working lands, rural character and scenic beauty of the region. Based in Keene, N.H., the Conservancy has protected 17,000 acres of forest, farmland, shoreline, wetlands, wildlife habitat and recreation trails in the region. For more information, call 603-357-0600 or visit www.MonadnockConservancy.org.
The Student Conservation Association is the only national organization that develops tomorrow's conservation leaders by providing high school and college students with service opportunities in all 50 states, from urban communities to national parks and forests. More than 4,000 SCA members annually render over two million hours of service to America's public lands. Since 1957, SCA has helped to develop new generations of conservation leaders, inspire lifelong stewardship, and save the planet. SCA is headquartered in Washington, DC and maintains offices in Anchorage, AK, Boise, ID, Chicago, IL, Charlestown, NH, Houston, TX, Oakland, CA, Pittsburgh, PA, and Seattle, WA. For more information, visit www.thesca.org.
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