This workshop is being held in La Crosse, WI (2 hours from Madison). Attendees will be based in La Crosse during the workshop and will receive lodging options via email.
Dates: Saturday, April 12 and Sunday, April 13
Cost: $800
Level: Intermediate
Maximum Size: 10 students
Classroom Site: TBD (La Crosse, WI)
Field Site: Community Trail Farm
Schedule:
Day 1- 8 am - 5 pm (Classroom/Field)
Day 2, 8 am - 5 pm (Field)
Description
This two-day workshop offers an introduction to mechanized equipment, focusing on mini-excavators and trail dozers. It combines classroom learning with field instruction, emphasizing hands-on experience and skill-building. With small student-to-instructor ratios, participants will have plenty of time to practice and refine their techniques on the machines.
Topics covered in the workshop include:
Introduction to mechanized equipment
Equipment maintenance essentials
General machine safety practices
Overview of machine types and their applications
Trail maintenance techniques
New trail construction
Finish work behind machines
This workshop is led by experienced PTBA member company owners and board members Dawn Packard of Blue Sky Trails and Erin Amadon of Town 4 Trail Services, both of whom have logged thousands of hours operating equipment. Designed exclusively for women, this workshop builds on discussions from the Women in Trailbuilding session at the 2024 Sustainable Trails Conference. As the first of its kind offered by PTBA, it represents a significant step toward engaging more women in the trailbuilding industry.
Learning Objectives
1. Understand the types of mechanized equipment and their applications
2. Understand basic equipment maintenance
3. Demonstrate ability to operate a mini-Excavator
4. Demonstrate ability to operate a trail dozer
Instructors
Erin Amadon, Town 4 Trail Services (PTBA Member Company)
Erin Amadon’s passion for trail work began over two decades ago when she first served as a member of a youth conservation corps, and she has been doing trail work ever since. During Erin's 12 years as a dedicated partner of Peter S. Jensen and Associates LLC, a professional trail contracting business and member of the Professional Trail Builders Association, she contributed to the completion of many substantial trail projects. Including a 3,200-foot helical anchor boardwalk for The Nature Conservancy, a natural surface accessible trail just under 3 miles for the Crotched Mountain Foundation and worked with a team of professional trail builders to complete 338 stone steps in the Niagara River Gorge.
As a former Training Coordinator for the Maine Conservation Corps, Erin developed and implemented an eleven-week environmental training curriculum for the Trail Training Academy. Erin is committed to youth conservation work and supporting the next generation of trail builders through her work as a Conservation Work Skills Instructor for the Student Conservation Association and in her role on the Maine Conservation Corps Advisory Board.
Erin holds a United States Forest Service Sawyer certification, Wilderness First Responder, CPR, OSHA 10 Hour Construction Safety & Health, Leave No Trace Trainer, and American Canoe Association quick start certifications. In 2017 Erin completed the 270-mile-Long Trail in Vermont which runs up the spine of the Green Mountains.
Whether Erin is immersed in a technical stonework project, is building a machine-built trail that meets Federal Trail Standards for accessibility, or in the backcountry, she is committed to building high-quality, trails. Erin brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to volunteer groups, clients, students, and fellow trail lovers and continues to do this through her business Town 4 Trail Services, LLC. Erin volunteers as the treasurer for PTBA.
Dawn Packard, Blue Sky Trails (PTBA Member Company)
Dawn Packard has worked in Resource Management since 1990, starting her career as a Ranger for City of Boulder Mountain Parks and Open Space. While with the City she worked with the legendary trail designer Jim Angell, designing and implementing climbing access trails on Dinosaur Mountain. After ten years with Boulder, Dawn was hired as the Field Programs Coordinator for the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative (CFI), serving on the design team and overseeing construction on summit trails on many of Colorado's 14,000' peaks. From CFI, Dawn spent five years as the Executive Director of Headwaters Trails Alliance (HTA) in Grand County, Colorado, coordinating multi-agency and public-private partnerships benefiting trail development throughout the Middle Park region. Dawn founded Blue Sky Trails LLC in 2003 and has been a member of PTBA since 2004. Blue Sky Trails LLC offers a wide range of trail construction, design, and planning services to professional land managers. Dawn volunteers as the president of PTBA.