Trail Volunteers
We have posted our short term events Work Days Calendar for spring 2010 - see you soon!
Thank you for your interest in volunteering for our trails program. Building, inspecting and maintaining Montgomery Parks’ popular system of natural surface trails is a big job, and community effort helps us do it right! If you live or work near us, love trails or would simply like to give something back, please consider joining our team, either as a long term volunteer orpitching in on a Saturday morning now and then for our short term events.
We have positions and projects suitable for a wide range of ages, fitness and experience levels and time commitment. Whether you want to help on your own or rally a team of your co-workers for an event, there’s a way for you to lend a hand!
How to Volunteer
Individuals & Families | Corporate & Community Groups | Special Projects
Individuals & Families
Short Term Events*
Give your Blackberry the boot, unplug and join us for one of our weekend projects March through November. It’s a great way to get outdoors and meet new people while helping our trails stay ship-shape! Minimum Age: 14.
The work involved ranges from vegetation clipping and digging trail tread to tree-blaze painting or bridge construction. Use one of the links below to find an event that's right for you. You can also send an email to Ben.Sugar@montgomeryparks.org if you'd like to receive email updates and reminders about workdays.
Work Days Calendar | More Details and Apply / Sign Up
Volunteer Trail Ranger
Become our boots on the ground for reporting trail problems and performing light maintenance. We are looking for trail users 18 and over who want to go the "extra mile" and help us inspect and maintain Montgomery Parks' natural surface trails in various locations countywide. Accepted applicants receive training and official parks gear. What we ask in return is inspections and some light maintenance on an assigned trail quarterly and after major storms. It's a great way to make a big difference on the trails you use without a big time commitment! Minimum Age: 18. Trail Ranger Forms & Info
VTR Training Schedule | More Details and Apply / Sign Up
Trails GPS Technician
Use your handheld GPS unit to help us with our new project to catalog and map informal paths associated with our natural surface trail system. After receiving training, volunteers hike the trails in pairs armed with a GPS unit, a PDA, and a park T-shirt, aiding our efforts each time they stop to collect data. It's a great job for long-time trail users or college students looking for a summer project. Minimum Age: 18
More Details
and Apply / Sign Up
Corporate & Community Groups
Short Term Events*
Looking for a team-building day for your organization or just feel like getting them involved in the community? Most weekend projects are group-friendly if we can accommodate your numbers.
Work Days Calendar | More Details and Apply / Sign Up
Special Projects
Create a Group Project
If our projects simply don’t fit your group’s scheduling or size needs, contact us and we may be able to tailor an event to suit you.
Scouting Projects
We receive dozens of requests per year from those seeking an Eagle project on Parks trails, of which we can only sponsor 2 or 3. If you'd like to be one of them, please contact us at least 3 months prior to your desired project date and be willing to work on one of our priority items.
* Short Term Events
Scheduled short term workdays typically take place on Saturdays in late morning/early afternoon. Contact us to be notified the precise times. The work involved ranges from vegetation clipping and digging trail tread to tree-blaze painting or bridge construction. The minimum age for weekend project dates is 14, though exceptions for groups on special projects are not unheard of. We are Student Service Learning (SSL) approved. Volunteers should wear clothes that can get dirty, bring gloves and water, and generally prepare for a day working outside in a wooded setting.
We just updated our Work Days Calendar for spring 2010. Please be sure to check back here as new dates are added throughout the season.
Work Days Calendar
Date |
Event Description |
|---|---|
| SUMMER | |
| Right now the Fall volunteer events are being planned. Check at parksvolunteers.org for individual opportunities to help with trails. | |
FALL |
|
TBD |
Check Back Soon! |
More Info |
Individuals or Families || Corporate or Community Groups |
| NOTE: Trails are "Shared Use" by all users (Hikers - HK, Bikers -BK and Equestrians - EQ) unless otherwise noted above. | |
Volunteer Trail Rangers (VTR) Training Schedule
Become our boots on the ground on a long term basis for reporting trail problems and performing light maintenance.
More Details and Apply / Sign Up
Date |
Event Description |
|---|---|
| TBD | Check Back Soon! |
| More Info | More Details and Apply / Sign Up |
Contact
Ben Sugar, Trail Volunteer Coordinator
Ben.Sugar@montgomeryparks.org
301-650-4395
What else can I do?
We encourage you to consider becoming a Volunteer Trail Ranger (VTR) with us. If that doesn't work for you, there are still some basic things you can do help out until weekend dates are posted:
- Report serious safety hazards, downed trees or trash dumping: Make note of the nature of the problem as well as the location in relation to major trail landmarks (nearest road or trail intersection, stream crossing, etc.)
- Send an email to the Montgomery Parks Service Center at service.center@montgomeryparks.org or call 301-670-8080. Include the problem details and location in your message, and be sure to note if it’s a significant safety hazard to users.
- Pick up as you go. Users do a great service by merely clearing the corridor of downed branches or trash they encounter on their trail outings. This is especially true on heavily used trails or after windy days.
There are many parks facilities and events currently looking for volunteers. To see if there’s a match for your time and talent please visit www.parksvolunteers.org.
back to top - Last update: July 7, 2010
Montgomery County Department of Parks