Trail Conference Conservation Corps End of Year Report

December 17, 2016
Kevin Simpson
New York-New Jersey Trail Conference

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Trail Conference Conservation Corps End of Year Report
Crew member using a rock bar and a grip hoist to set a stepping stone.

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        The Trail Conference Conservation Corps has closed out our 2016 season. Together, the Highlands Trail Crew, Invasives Strike Force Crew, Megalithic Trail Crew, Palisades Trail Crew, and Taconic Trail Crew achieved:

  • 19,995.2 Hours of Service over 465 worktrips
  • 19 Conservation Corps Members served a total of 14,862.5 hours
  • 602 Community Volunteers served a total of 5,132.7 hours
  • 81 of those volunteers were recurring

Resulting in the completion of:

124 Miles of Trail Inventoried

Including:

  • 1,400 data points collected

22,885 Linear Feet of Trail Improved

Including:

  • 2,770.5 linear feet of sidehill
  • 19 trees cleared from treadway
  • 149 stairs
  • 78 stepping stones
  • 60 blazes hung or painted
  • 39 drainage improvements
  • 605 square feet of stone crib wall
  • 941 square feet of habitat restored

70.5 Acres of Land Improved

Including:

  • 66,134 invasive plants removed

We were fortunate to have the opportunity to work together with:

  • ATC Mid-Atlantic Crew: 14 Individuals – 469 Hours
  • Dirty Thursdays: 10 Individuals – 47 Hours
  • Excelsior Conservation Corps: 9 Individuals - 734.5 Hours
  • Gear to Go Outfitters: 3 Individuals – 18 Hours
  • Goldman Sachs: 23 Individuals – 184 Hours
  • Jolly Rovers: 26 Individuals – 440 Hours
  • Marist College: 40 Individuals – 160 Hours
  • MEVO: 5 Individuals – 126.5 Hours
  • Nature Place Day Camp: 60 Individuals – 214 Hours
  • North Face: 13 Individuals – 104 Hours
  • Ramapo College: 33 Individuals – 132 Hours
  • REI National Trails Day: 48 individuals – 192 Hours
  • Rockland Conservation and Service Corps: 25 Individuals – 200 Hours
  • Ugg: 5 Individuals – 17.5 Hours
  • USMA West Point: 40 Individuals - 160 Hours

        Our Corps trains, enables, and empowers future conservation leaders by teaching sustainable trail building and steward­ship techniques while engag­ing and teaching community volunteers on the responsible use and care of open space by addressing the needs of land managers.  Recruitment for eight Corps crews for the 2017 season will begin soon; check www.nynjtc.org/corpsmembers for details.

        We’d like to thank our partners: Appalachian Trail Conservancy, The Corps Network’s AmeriCorps Education Award Program, Corporation for National and Community Service, John and Marianne Gunzler, Friends of Old Croton Aqueduct, Harriman State Park Group Camps, Henry Morgenthau Preserve, Highlands Natural Pool, Lower Hudson Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management, Mianus River Gorge, National Park Service, New Jersey Audobon Society, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation, The New Weis Center for Education, Arts & Recreation, Palisades Interstate Park Commission, Palisades MTB, Palisades Parks Conservancy, Recreational Equipment Inc., Rockland Conservation and Service Corps, Teatown Lake Reservation, Westchester Land Trust, Trail Conference Volunteer Leadership, and other private donors for contributing to our success this season and enabling us to provide opportunities for stewardship to our communities.

    We are looking forward to seeing and working with you in 2017.  

Check out the Trail Conference Conservation Corps Final Report