NATIONAL TRAILS TRAINING PARTNERSHIP College trails program funded by Duke Energy


By Tim Johnson, Director, Duke Energy TRAILS at Rockingham Community College


construction, maintenance, and management skills are the core focus. TRAILS is an acronym for “Trail Recreation and Adventure Institute for Leadership and Service.”     education. These classes will be helpful for anyone that has an interest in or is responsible for managing natural surface trails.  - ment, and economic development throughout the recently branded Dan River State Crossings region that spans parts of North Carolina and Virginia, Duke Energy sponsored the TRAILS program with a generous gift of $700,000 in the spring of 2017. Initial course development began during the summer, and classes were scheduled for late summer and early fall.


D Rockingham Community College, located in Rockingham


County, is about halfway between Greensboro, North Carolina, and Danville, Virginia, in a region once known for tobacco production. With a variety of natural assets like the Smith, Dan, Mayo, and Haw Rivers, three lakes, and two


uke Energy TRAILS at Rockingham Community  kind in the United States. Trail design and layout,


Learning best practices for trail design and construction is the key to successful employment in the field


Sustainable trail design is the ultimate goal of programs like Duke Energy TRAILS at Rockingham Community College


30 WINTER 2017-18 AmericanTrails.org


State Parks, the region has turned its attention towards out- door recreation as part of its next economic development boom. Fieldwork completed by students participating in the TRAILS program will focus on developing outdoor recreation infrastructure in the region to make its attractive natural assets more accessible to residents and visitors alike. TRAILS is beginning as a Continuing Education program and will develop into an associate’s degree program. Industry professionals and four-year colleges and universities have already expressed interest and excitement for the program, - ed industries. Duke Energy TRAILS at RCC has developed a sustain- able trail skills training sequence of classes for varying skill  meet student needs and time availability. Longer sessions provide information over multiple day classes and often - mation through individual classes on single days. Classroom teaching and experiential learning are combined to help stu- dents understand the class content in both formats. Basic trail training classes like Sustainable Trail Design and Layout, Construction, and Maintenance are appropriate for any individual who will be involved in any aspect of nat- ural surface multiple-use trails. Sustainable Trail Assessment, Permitting and Contracting, and Intermediate Trail Assessment are intermediate level classes targeted towards individuals in management roles who desire to work more 


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