Promoting Natural Surface Trails to Developers

Learn how-to promote trails to developers in a language they understand: Value. Trails enhance sales rates, sales prices and create positive community relations. Sports and building industry experts have studies and research that prove that trails don't just serve a limited target market – they serve a mass market with money to spend. Randy has financial projections that will demonstrate how a trail can positively impact the bottom line of a planned development.
For over 20 years Randy Martin has been in the residential construction and development business and has worked with Del Webb, Shea Homes, Lennar, and John Laing Homes. His company is Trailscape, Inc.

Speaker(s):

Randy Martin, Trailscape, Inc.

Understanding Grubbing in Trail Construction

Description TBA.

Speaker(s):

Gerry Wilbour, Northwest Trails and past President of PTBA

Transformation of a Landscape - the Most Unique Trail Project Ever

This session documents a most unique trail and landscape improvement project: from concept through planning and design to construction phase and completion. Trail designers usually study landscapes and design trails to take advantage of interesting features. What if there are no interesting features? Build them. Come learn how a private landscape was transformed from flat and boring with little vegetation to 25' berms with a wide variety of flora and landscape features to provide for positive trail sensory stimulus. Learn how to build: a rain forest trail, a jungle trail, a desert trail and a mountain trail: all starting from scratch. The net result: a mountain bike trail running through beautiful landscapes rivaling most botanical gardens.

Speaker(s):

Woody Keen, President PTBA and owner Trail Dynamics.

Maximizing Your Trail Budget Through Competitive Bidding

This informative presentation discusses how, what, where, when and why to put your trail projects out to bid. It covers the different steps and information you need for the bidding process as well as discusses opportunities for optimizing your trail funding through a fair and competitive bidding process. Professionally designed and constructed trails minimize costs, headaches, staff time, liability and long-term maintenance, while enhancing the trail experience and trail program success stories. Let long-time member Tony Boone & Cuatro Hundley of PTBA share how to bid out trails with ease.

Speaker(s):

Tony Boone, Arrowhead Trails, Inc.

Cuatro Hundley, Anasazi Trails, Inc.

Proposed Architectural Barriers Act (ABA) Accessibility Guidelines for Outdoor Developed Areas

Access for people with disabilities must be integral to the planning and design of outdoor recreation facilities including trails. This session will provide participants with an overview of the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) for Outdoor Developed Areas which containing accessibility guidelines for trails, picnic and camping facilities, and beach access issued by the US Access Board on June 20, 2007. The comment period closed in October of 2007 and this session will discuss the proposed guidelines and their application to newly constructed or altered outdoor developed areas including trails. These new guidelines will apply to all Federal land management agencies covered by the Architectural Barriers Act (ABA). Come and hear a discussion of the issues uncovered through the comment period and the timeline for these pending guidelines.

Speaker(s):

Bill Botten, United States Access Board

Extreme Trail Makeover: the Wissahickon Park Sustainable Trails Initiative

One of the largest and oldest urban parks in the U.S., Wissahickon Valley had more than 60 miles of trails, much of it in bad repair. When the non-profit Friends of the Wissahickon decided to fix the situation, they turned to the International Mountain Bicycling Association for assistance. Come learn how the partnership worked with stakeholders to develop a revamped trail system that meets the varied needs of hikers, runners, mountain bicyclists, equestrians, bird watchers, education groups, and fishermen. Not just another pretty trails plan, the partners have implemented two significant test projects and are scheduled to begin major construction this summer, with everything from new singletrack to extensive rock armoring.

Speaker(s):

Jill Van Winkle, IMBA

Richard Edwards, IMBA

Tools and Technology for Accessible Trails

Learn how to inventory and create trail information that will help trail users make informed and safe decisions about where they want to hike. We will review the latest design guidelines and equipment for providing detailed trail information including grades, cross slopes and distances. You will learn how to create different signs and maps for displaying this information at trailheads, web sites and information centers. We will also review proven techniques for trail maintenance, surfacing improvements, construction practices and new trail design that will provide better trail access and reduce maintenance concerns. Tips for obtaining trail improvement funding will be shared.

Speaker(s):

Peter Axelson, Beneficial Designs, Inc.

Jeremy Vlcan, Beneficial Designs, Inc.

Best Practices for Trail Design and Construction

Description TBA.

Speaker(s):

Gerry Wilbour, Northwest Trails, Inc.

Troy Duffin, Alipine Trails LLC

Helicopters and Trail Construction

Description TBA.

Speaker(s):

Gary Paull, Wilderness and Trails Coordinator, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest

Tony Reece, Hi-Line Helicopters

Dawn Erickson, Trails Coordinator, Darrington Ranger District, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest

Trail Tools - Tips and Tricks

Several highly-experienced trail builders will share their tips and tricks on the best tools for construction, and how to get the most from them. Custom-made tools and clever construction techniques will be highlighted. Attendees will come away with great ‘insider’ information on the latest in efficient use of trail tools.

Speaker(s):

Troy Duffin, Alpine Trails LLC

Several other PTBA Members

Using GPS and GIS to Improve Trail Project Management

GPS Trail data, and ways to present it using GIS mapping. Taking a trail project from concept to final map presentation.

Speaker(s):

Yvonne Barnes, Mountain Mapping

Don Hays, Donald R. Hays Trail Contractor

Joel Rathje, Lassen County, CA

Rigging for Trail Work - Working Smarter, Not Stronger

Lester C. Kenway of Trail Services LLC has been working with rigging for nearly 30 years. While initially these techniques were utilized by trail crews in Maine, they have assisted or been adopted by trail crews throughout the United States. This presentation will explore rigging equipment and it’s many applications in trail building. Via slides and narration, information regarding the safe use of rigging will be presented. Griphoist winches and specialty tools with be described. Applications from simple pulling/dragging situations to overhead systems hundreds of feet long will be illustrated.

Speaker(s):

Lester "the Winch Guy" Kenway, Trail Services LLC

300 Miles of Trail Planning Along the Rio Grande

A massive corridor study including GPS/GIS, land ownership, public scoping meetings, stakeholder meetings, surfacing options, surveys, etc., for the Nation's flattest long distance trail, and most culturally DIVERSE! A project that encompasses 300 year old hispanic land grant settlements, Hatch green chilis (the best), the 5th largest state, with less than 2 million people, in a state that is not even 90 years old....Cooool!

Speaker(s):

Tony Boone, Arrowhead Trails, Inc.

Cuatro Hundley, Anasazi Trails, Inc.

Don Hays, Donald R. Hays Trail Contractor

Yvonne Barnes, Mountain Mapping, Salida Colorado

OHV Trails - Designing and Managing for Sustainability

This session provides trail managers, trail designers, and trail builders the basic tools necessary to design and manage for OHV sustainability. With about 2400 ATVs sold per day nationally, there has been a huge explosion in the amount of OHV use. Unmanaged use can lead to resource impacts and social conflicts. Many federal, state, Provincial, and local agencies are feeling challenged, frustrated, and overwhelmed. With the impending implementation of the Forest Service Travel Management Rule in 2009, many units are struggling with more questions than answers. How do we provide for this use? How do we control this use? How do we manage this use? There is a shortage of expertise in OHV management. What do we do? This session addresses those questions and with the successful application of these tools, we can create high-quality recreation experiences while providing resource protection.

Speaker(s):

Dick and Joani Dufourd, RecConnect LLC

Plastic Lumber in Trail Construction

This session will focus on the use of Plastic lumber in trail construction. We will discuss in depth the specific issues and unique challenges that people need to be aware of when building/designing with plastic lumber.

Speaker(s):

Tom Spear, Schrader Co. Sales LLC

Design of Cross Country Mountain Bike Trails

The classic x-c mountain bike trail ride is all the things a backcountry hike is with the added enjoyment of experiencing it on two wheels. Even though free-riding has received most of the attention as of late, x-c riding, with it's accessibility to a wide range of skill levels, remains the most popular. A well designed trail blends with the landscape, is sustainable, and provides a satisfying rider experience. The techniques used to manage water and control rider flow must be considered together and implemented in a way that fits with the local terrain. This session will focus on harmonizing the key elements of good trail design so that their functions are complementary and result in great trails with low maintenance needs. The information presented will be useful to trail designers, land managers, volunteers, and anyone building or maintaining a mountain bike trail.  Following the trail design presentation there will be an update on the Colonnade mountain bike skills park being built in Seattle. Phase 1 of this project was presented at last years conference; this update will showcase the continued progress that is now more focused on free riding with jumps, drops, and structures.

Speaker(s):

Art Tuftee, Concept Construction

Meeting the Challenge in an Environmentally Sensitive, World Class Park

King County, Washington's Soos Creek Trail, located in an environmentally sensitive wetland, has undergone several extensions over a twenty-year period, successfully meeting permitting, design and construction challenges head on. In addition to minimizing the impact on designated wetland areas, the project team was challenged to find new methods for construction needs that allowed shorter permitting processes. In this session, you will learn how the project team utilized innovative approaches that "bridged the gap" between preservation of a pristine environment and provision of a venue for experiencing its serene beauty in the construction of the Soos Creek trail extension and boardwalk.

Speaker(s):

Don Helling, PE, Huitt-Zollars, King Co, WA

Desert Trail Design and Construction

Erosion comes easily in the desert; water can come down in torrents, running across sandy soils that have few organic binders. This environment requires more stringent design standards and different construction techniques than other landscapes. This session will provide trail designers and builders with a "toolbox" of specific design guidelines and construction techniques that have proven highly effective in the Sonoran Desert of Southern Arizona. Many of them can be applied and/or adapted to other regions.

Speaker(s):

Mark Flint, Pima County Arizona

Pacific Southwest Region Mountain Bike Management Strategy - Process and Findings

The Forest Service's Pacific Southwest Region Mountain Bike Management Strategy identifies current issues and potential solutions associated with mountain biking on National Forests throughout the region from southern to
northern California. The findings from 5 "Listening Sessions" with the public will be presented and issues such as solutions to user conflicts, trail planning, volunteerism and funding will be discussed during this 1:15 minute presentation. The plan also discusses concepts for mountain bike trails that are acceptable within the Forest Service regulations and trail construction guidelines. The presentation will be interactive with participants and feature real world examples from many different locations within our National Forest. This presentation will provide insight to what types of trail development are possible and the associated challenges in different forest settings. Important information will be provided for those who are interested in pursuing opportunities to develop trail systems on National Forest System lands that provide fun and challenging single track, freeride opportunities, and downhill opportunities. Come prepared to engage in this dynamic presentation and gain insight of the challenges and opportunties within our National Forests.

Speaker(s):

Garrett Villanueva, USFS Trail Engineer

Treated Wood and Trail Building

This session is a discussion of pressure-treated wood technical characteristics and related building applications.  The presentation addresses many current issues that concern treated wood in construction. For the past four years (CCA is no longer allowed by the EPA for most applications), there have been many new preservatives introduced into the market to treat wood. CCA was first replaced by copper-based preservatives such as ACQ and CA-B. In the near future, new preservatives such as micronized copper and preservatives based on organic chemistry will be available in most of the United States.  The session also addresses the types of fasteners to be used with preservatives, where treated wood is required to meet safe trail building requirements, standards and specifications, quality control, identification and safety issues.

Speaker(s):

Jerry Parks, Western Wood Preservers Institute