Volunteer Opportunities
Trails

Routine trail maintenance consists of brush clipping, marking and re-marking the trail (paint or plastic markers), removing blow downs (downed trees across the trail) with hand tools, building rock stepping stones over wet areas, cleaning water bars, etc. All new maintainers receive “on the trail training” from a fellow volunteer supervisor. We also provide all maintainers a complimentary copy of our comprehensive Trail Maintenance Manual.

Maintainers are expected to make trips to their trail at least two to three times a year, and are required to complete a short, semi-annual report. If your trail develops special problems (i.e. major erosion or a huge blow down), your supervisor can assist or arrange for special help through one of our trail crews.

One of the best ways to get started is to attend a Trail Maintenance Workshop, usually given each spring and fall. Watch the Trail Walker for announcements and register early!

Trail Crews - Building and Restoring Trails Throughout the Region

The Trail Conference trail crews are made up of volunteers dedicated to the construction and rehabilitation of foot trails. They perform the heavy construction and repair work beyond what is expected of maintainers, such as building bridges and rock stairs. Volunteers must be members of the Conference or one of its Member Clubs to participate in these projects. A one time "guest" participation is allowed. Important: no great strength or special skills are required; just a willingness to do hard outdoor work. Check out the Schedules for our Trail Crews & Special Projects or SignUp for a Trail Crew and get notified about upcoming trips.

Lean-to/Shelter Caretaker

Lean-to adopters (Catskills, Appalachian Trail) check their assigned shelters every few months. They do light repairs; clean up the area and report problems.

Trail Corridor Monitor

Looking to get off the beaten path? Monitors are needed for both the Orange/Rockland and the Dutchess/Putnam AT Committees to patrol and watch the Appalachian Trail Corridor to protect against misuse and illegal activities. Responsibilities include: walking the corridor boundaries 2 to 4 times per year, verifying boundary markers along the corridor boundary, reporting evidence of trespassing and misuse, such as dumping, logging, ATVs, etc, assist Corridor Manager in handling problems discovered, and meeting trail neighbors and easement holders annually.