The Four E's of Access
Proven Formula to Protect Access and Save Motorized Trails
By Del Albright, Sustainable Motorized Recreation Advocate
Proven Formula to Protect Access and Save Trails
By Del Albright
Saving
(and sustaining) a trail system, protecting access, and keeping our
off-pavement motorsports alive and well boils down to a proven formula:
Engineering, Education, Enlisting, and Enforcement. In the simplest of terms,
this means 1) design it right; 2) let people know the rules and how to help; 3)
get involvement from as many and varied users as you can; and 4) use trail
patrols and if needed, law enforcement officers to ensure the rules are
followed.
I am borrowing from my career in the fire service with their fire prevention programs that rely on the “three E's” -- Engineering, Education, and Enforcement. In fire prevention, the object is to design (engineer) a building, house, or sub-division in such a way as to minimize the chances of fire. You then educate folks about preventing fires with signs, letters, commercials, school programs, and whatever it takes. Then, if that doesn't work, you bust people with tickets for not complying and thereby jeopardizing not only themselves but their neighbors as well.
With protecting trail access, we have to add in the fourth E, Enlisting – getting involvement from as many volunteers, agencies, users, and businesses as you can. It is through volunteerism that we add a workforce to an always diminishing “staff” in land management agencies. When agencies or land owners say, “We don’t have the staff to maintain the trails,” volunteers step up, adopt the trail and become that staff. This kind of dedication and involvement has to be enlisted; it doesn’t happen by itself.
Here are many of the formula's components for you to add to your efforts to protect sustainable motorized access.
Engineering:
Risk
Management Assessment
Water
control and runoff
Water
crossings (hardening)
Soil
stability
Rolling
dips, waterbars, and other erosion/sediment control devices
Gabions
and other rock structures to strengthen and harden trail surfaces
Vegetation
(as a soil stabilizing factor)
Grade,
or slope; out slope/in slope
Rider
conflicts and user needs
Good
inventory of all routes and trails
Loop
trails/roads where possible
Monitoring,
with data collection to meet agency needs and trail future
Education:
Signage
to ensure rules are known and "stay the trail" is in effect
Brochures
and handouts (tap into TreadLightly! RIDE ON, and other programs out there)
Check-in, kiosks, permits
Web
page/forums and user meetings as needed
Develop and share trail “code of ethics.”
Hold volunteer meetings or training sessions for trail education
Enlisting:
Getting
volunteers (users, agencies, businesses) involved
Volunteer
training to ensure leadership and efficiency
Leadership
development and ongoing training
Adopt-a-trail programs with agencies and landowners
Organized
segmented layout for easy adoption/maintenance
Publication
of volunteer efforts
Application
for grants using volunteer hours
Developing
advocacy talents within the volunteer ranks
Enforcement:
Grant
for LEO or security/cops
Rules are well posted.
Warning
system
Well-advertised
Volunteer
trail patrol
Published
activities and successes of enforcement as needed
As always, I suggest you belong to and check with past successes of your national, regional, and state associations to see how this formula might have already been applied to your area.
If you apply the elements of this formula to protecting access, my 40+ years of landuse (and fire service) tell me we will all have a better and more sustainable trail future!
Del
HELPFUL LINKS:
DEL'S BOOKS (LAND USE, WILDFIRE, DEATH VALLEY, COWBOY POETRY, AND MORE)
WEBSITE (HOME PAGE)
PINTEREST (BOOKS, ARTICLES, AND MORE)
DEL'S ARTICLES (LAND USE, LIFE, WILDFIRE, VOLUNTEERISM, AND MORE)
More land use and volunteerism help here:
- MEETINGS:
- RUN A BETTER MEETING
- NEPA:
- LEARN MORE ABOUT NEPA
- LETTERS:
- WRITE A LETTER
- SPEECHES:
- GIVE A SPEECH
- FACILITATE:
- LEARN TO FACILITATE MEETINGS
- CLUBS:
- WHY JOIN A CLUB
- CONVOYS:
- ORGANIZE A CONVOY
- JOIN:
- JOIN THE RIGHT GROUPS
- TRAINING:
- GET VOLUNTEER TRAINING
- LEAD:
- LEAD VOLUNTEERS
- JOBS:
- CHOOSE THE RIGHT JOB FOR YOU
