How much does it cost?
Both conference fees and accommodations are very reasonable. Please see the Fees section, below.
Why Reno, and why February?
The wide arch at the entrance to downtown proclaims Reno as “The Biggest Little City in the World,” and its many high-rise hotels back the claim. Reno is recognized by federal and state governments as a conference center. February is in the off season in Reno, enabling us to save on lodging expenses. We’ve arranged to have the conference at the nice but inexpensive Sands Regency Hotel.
February is also the slowest season for trailbuilders and agencies alike, making it easier and less stressful to get away from day-to-day demands.
Reno is easy to reach. It has a modern, efficient airport close to downtown, and our hotel runs free airport shuttles every hour. If you drive, Reno is on I-80. The Amtrak station is only blocks away for arrivals by train. Download our custom downtown Reno map (PDF format, 79K).
In case you’re leery about coming to Reno because of the gambling and general atmosphere, please know that everything is pretty low-key in the off season. Gambling is limited to licensed casinos only, and other than the fact that casinos are unavoidable (including the Sands Regency, which also has a casino), most of us just ignore it.
What’s typical weather in Reno during the conference?
Usually partly cloudy with an averate high of about 52°F and lows in the 20s, although light rain, light snow, and/or warmer or cooler temperatures are possible. Summarized weather data for February 16 (Day Two of the UTAP Workshop) for the years 1994-2001. The Sierra Nevada range protects Reno from most rain and snow. The generally good weather makes the outdoor portions of the conference comfortable. Click here for current weather info and forecast for Reno.
Can I take the UTAP Workshop without attending the Trailbuilders Conference?
Yes. Just register for the UTAP Workshop only when you send in your registration.
Can I take the HazMat Training without attending the Trailbuilders Conference?
Yes. Just register for the HazMat session only when you send in your registration.
Are lodging and meals bundled into the conference?
No. You may stay wherever you like and dine wherever you like. We will, however, have “networking meals” where you can optionally choose to chat with others from the conference at restaurants while everyone gets separate checks.
NEW—For lunch on Wednesday and Thursday, we have an entire “private” restaurant reserved for catered lunch each day (The Palm Court) where you can conveniently enjoy a good lunch for only $9 while networking in our own group. (WTBA is subsidizing $2.83 of lunch cost.) With this fixed price and fixed menu lunch, we avoid the time-wasting hassles of searching for restaurants, long lines, separate checks, and gratuities. See the schedule at right for menus. Lunch tickets must be purchased in advance during initial conference registration. More info.
We also have an optional banquet on Wednesday night.
I am on per diem. Can I sign up for the banquet and catered lunches but pay for them separately?
Yes. Each of the registration options has ways for you to pay for conference fees separately from reserved meals such as the banquet and the catered lunches. If you use our online registration, you can even use two credit cards or mix credit cards and checks.
How do I get from the airport to the conference? If I drive, can I park at the hotel?
The Sands Regency has a free airport shuttle every hour. It also has large parking lots with plenty of free parking.
Can I become a WTBA member in order to reduce my conference registration fee?
Maybe. WTBA members must be sole proprietorships, partnerships, or corporations generating income from trail design, trail construction, or related activities. New members must also be sponsored. If you have a WTBA member sponsor you, apply for membership, and are accepted, we’ll rebate the applicable portion of your conference registration.
Can I register online?
Yes. We have multiple registration options.
Do I have to prepay? Can I get a receipt?
Prepayment is greatly appreciated from all parties, but we can be flexible, especially with governments. If you preregister, your receipt will be in your folder which you’ll pick up at the registration desk.
Can I pay with a credit card?
Yes. While WTBA doesn’t accept credit card payments directly, we’ve signed up with PayPal.com to enable you to use your credit card. PayPal is an easy-to-use conduit between all credit card companies and our bank account.
Will I be glad I came?
Absolutely. We’ll see you there.
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Tuesday, February 12
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| 7:30 - 8:45 AM |
Networking breakfast — everyone invited to Mel’s Diner (in the hotel) |
| 8:45 - 11:45 |
WTBA Members Business Meeting (members only) |
| 8:45 - 1:00 |
Registration and informal networking time—meet new and old colleagues. A message board will be available for catching up with your colleagues. You’ll be able to use the main conference room for informal meetings. |
| 11:45 - 1:00 |
Networking lunch for everyone at Mel’s Diner (in the hotel). Order what you like with separate checks for lunch. |
| 1:00 - 1:30 |
Introductions—meet the conference attendees, registration continues |
| 1:30 - 2:45 |
National Trails Training Partnership (NTTP) — Stuart Macdonald and Jim Schmid
NTTP is a partnership of 13 founding organizatons with the mission of encouraging trail training and bringing trainers and trainees together nationwide. Learn how this works, how your agency can get training, or how you can provide training. |
| 2:45 - 3:00 |
Break |
| 3:00 - 4:00 |
Secrets of a Master Trail Designer (session 1 of 6) — Jim Angell, Corplan, Inc.
Know Your Client
Define relationships between client and trail designer; define the design problem itself and who the users may be so as to solve the real problems—is the trail multipurpose (which to me can mean huge compromises in suitability for each of the multi users), is it only one trail, or can it be directional? Assign tasks and schedule for client and designer; how to document the design so its location on the ground can be restored if naysayers remove the stakes; how this documentation can be used for grant writing; advantages of USFS-style trail logs with time estimates and extensive photo documentation. |
| 4:00 - 4:15 |
Break |
| 4:15 - 5:15 |
Secrets of a Master Trail Designer (session 2 of 6) — Jim Angell, Corplan, Inc.
Don’t Get Trapped Into Taking Easy Answers From the Client
First time in the field is a walkthrough to understand the client’s concept. Need to agree on important places for the trail(s) to visit or avoid. If the terrain has large elevation differences, is the client willing to accept directional trails based on modality? For example, if mountain bike direction is defined as uphill only on one trail and downhill only on another, is it reasonable to include two-way foot and horse traffic on the uphill trail as well as uphill bikes? Is it reasonable to include uphill-only foot traffic on the downhill bike trail and prohibit horses? Then there are all the standard things about what make a trail interesting. Once, and only after agreement is reached between client and designer should the designer flag (not stake) alternative choices. Discussion of how to handle terrain and other challenges must be solved by a walkthrough of the flag line by designer and client. |
| 6:00 - 7:30 |
Networking dinner (location TBD) |
| 7:30 - 10:00 |
Informal party |
Wednesday, February 13
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| 7:45 AM - 9:00 |
Networking breakfast — everyone invited |
| 9:00 - 10:15 |
Standardization and Interpretation of USFS Trail Bid Contracts — moderated by Krista Thie, Twin Oaks Construction
USFS staff and trail contractors will brainstorm and discuss ways that USFS can further standardize trail bid documents so that information and important details are handled consistently by contracting officers across different forests. Vagueness causes contractors to bid unnecessarily high, and unexpected “gotchas” that disqualify otherwise low and acceptable bids waste everyone’s time. We want to create a “win-win” situation in which both USFS and trail contractors can operate more efficiently by better knowing what to expect in preparing bids. |
| 10:15 - 12:00 |
Trailbuilders Trade Show, indoor portion (indoors also continues after lunch).
Tool Swap runs throughout the Trade Show. Put your name and desired price on any hand tools, non-motorized tools, or accessories you would like to sell. Prospective buyers can negotiate directly with you. No commission or fees for either buyers or sellers. |
| 12:00 - 1:00 |
Catered networking lunch at the Palm Court (right next to the Trade Show). While you can choose to eat elsewhere, we strongly encourage you to join us here for both convenience and networking. Menu: Lemon Pepper Grilled Chicken served with wild rice and green beans, fresh seasonal fruit cup, fresh-baked rolls and butter, fruit pie for dessert, and your choice of coffee, tea, or milk. $9 lunch ticket needs to be purchased during preregistration. Very few tickets will be available during onsite check-in. |
| 1:00 - 2:15 |
Trailbuilders Trade Show (continues), outdoor and indoor portion |
| 2:15 - 3:30 |
Real-World GPS/GIS Applications: What To Do With All the Data — Don Hays, Donald Hays Trail Contractor, Inc.
Learn how to make the most of your GPS data. Donald Hays Trail Contractor, Inc., has worked extensively with state-of-the-art GPS data collection and GIS applications over the past two years. Don will present what you need to know before, during and after data are collected; provide an overview of “data dictionaries”; explain how critical the data collector is in collecting data and how critical it is for the data dictionary to be complete; and show many types of reports that can be generated from the data after data collection. |
| 3:30 - 3:45 |
Break |
| 3:45 - 5:00 |
Secrets of a Master Trail Designer (session 3 of 6) — Jim Angell, Corplan, Inc.
Know Your Challenges and Design Options
Perform exploratory staking to grade and stake alternatives where there may be a question. At this point, propose solutions to specific terrain problems. Is there a stream? How will it be crossed? Is there terrain on which one should gain elevation rapidly but need to avoid the shortcutting potential of linked switchbacks? Presentation of an inventory of trail structures which may be useful, as well as those which are traditional but may be a waste of time and money. Well-illustrated with examples. |
| 6:15 - 10:00 |
Banquet, awards, and entertainment. No-host bar begins at 6:15, banquet seating at 7:00. The banquet is a combination of Prime Rib & Salmon with red or white wine. Entertainment and making our own fun follow the banquet. Banquets must be reserved during preregistration. Very few tickets will be available during onsite check-in. |
Thursday, February 14
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| 7:45 AM - 9:15 |
Networking breakfast — everyone invited |
| 8:30 - 9:15 |
Agency Trail Budgets
Trail budgets and pending contracts for 2002 and beyond. Representatives from USDA Forest Service, BLM, National Park Service, and state agencies will present an outline of current projects going out to bid and future trail budget trends. |
| 9:15 - 10:15 |
Secrets of a Master Trail Designer (session 4 of 6) — Jim Angell, Corplan, Inc.
Take Advantage of Possibilities
The major mistakes of trail designers are 1) failing to take advantage of the possibilities inherent in “problems” on the ground and 2) putting a trail where it’s easy to build but hard to sustain. All the reading of trail manuals is of no avail if one cannot recognize the problems and possibilities on the ground or lack the guts to take advantage of these possibilities. People say, “Why don’t we do ____ because it would be easier?” The answer is that you don’t build trails where they’re easy to build—you build them where they’re supposed to be because thery're only built once but used thousands of times. The simplest and easiest solution is often a bad one. Using many illustrations, we’ll look at the methodology behind crafting elegant solutions to difficult situations, including restoration of heavily damaged areas. |
| 10:15 - 10:30 |
Break |
| 10:30 - 11:45 |
Secrets of a Master Trail Designer (session 5 of 6) — Jim Angell, Corplan, Inc.
Answering Your Questions, Loose Ends, and More
Recap of the first four sessions with questions and a lot of time for answers. In case there aren’t many questions (shame on you for blowing this opportunity!), there is a great deal more to present on successful trail design, such as tips for working with volunteers, defending your decision to put the trail where it needs to be, etc. This session, however, is your opportunity to have your complex questions answered (the less complex ones were addressed as we went along). |
| 11:45 - 1:00 |
Catered networking lunch at the Palm Court. Menu: London Broil Bordelaise served with potato au gratin and Italian zucchini, a Caesar salad, fresh-baked rolls and butter, carrot cake for dessert, and your choice of coffee, tea, or milk. $9 lunch ticket needs to be purchsed during preregistration. Very few tickets will be available during onsite check-in. |
| 1:00 - 2:15 |
The Nature of Trails: Making the Most of Your Opportunities — Troy Scott Parker, Natureshape
With recent emphasis on avoiding ecologically sensitive areas and an increasingly urban background in new trail designers, new trails can be less interesting than their older predecessors. In a dual-projector slide show, you’ll see ways to make the most of what site opportunities we still have, learn simple terms for certain fundamental shapes and relationships in nature, learn how to perceive sites and landscapes of any size in those terms, see many techniques for using the shapes of nature to integrate trails and trail structures into their sites, and learn how to improve both trail user satisfaction and trail sustainability through anchored design. Examples encompass all types of trails from single track to multi-use bike paths to accessible trails. |
1:00 - 5:00
(concurrent with remainder of afternoon) |
HazMat Training (for all users of explosives in backcountry). A USDA Forest Service representative will conduct Hazardous Materials training and issue required annual certificates to holders of blasting licenses. Licenses are required for both private contractors and US agencies. |
| 2:15 - 2:30 |
Break |
| 2:30 - 3:45 |
Naturalistic ADA Trail Design & Construction Techniques — Don Beers, California State Parks
Examples, methodology, design, and construction of highly naturalistic accessible trails in steep and/or challenging environments. These trails integrate landscape architectural principles of tying trails to sites with envelope-pushing trail techniques to form interesting, fun, engaging, and accessible trails that feel much like any trail for the able-bodied. |
| 3:45 - 4:00 |
Break |
| 4:00 - 5:00 |
Secrets of a Master Trail Designer (session 6 of 6) — Jim Angell, Corplan, Inc.
Building ADA Trail Subgrades/Finish Grades With Volunteers
How does one get the best quality control from enthusiastic volunteers who are in a hurry? Don’t hurry, but instead use easy-to-make custom grade measurement tools to ensure they get it right the first time. Also, like Don Beers’ preceding session, techniques for integrating ADA trails into the site so that the trail takes advantage of the possibilities of the site while still being accessible and sustainable (even on slopes). |
| 6:00 - 8:00 |
Networking dinner in downtown Reno Color |
Friday, February 15
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| 8:00 AM - 5:00 |
UTAP Workshop, first day (with noon lunch break) — Kathleen Mispagel and other trainers, Beneficial Designs. See description. The morning is spent indoors in classroom training while the afternoon is practice outdoors on the trail. Transportation will be arranged.
Weather and climate is usually pretty decent: Summarized weather data for February 16 in Reno for the years 1994-2001. |
Saturday, February 16
|
| 8:00 AM - 5:00 |
UTAP Workshop, second day (with noon lunch break) — Kathleen Mispagel and other trainers, Beneficial Designs. See description. Again, the morning is spent indoors in classroom training while the afternoon is practice outdoors on the trail. Transportation will be arranged. |
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