Arizona Trails Maintenance Program

Arizona is a good example of a State with policies that value and encourage corps involvement in conservation work. Arizona’s Trails Maintenance Program applies 44 percent of the State’s Recreational Trails Program (RTP) funds for work on existing trails. The State invites Conservation Corps and other workforce development service providers to submit their qualifications for trail work. Those who are selected become contractors with Arizona State Parks for employment by project sponsors. Land managers using these pre-approved trail crews are assured of a capable work force while reducing the administrative load typical of traditional grant application and reimbursement programs.

Range of Funding Programs
As in many States, the areas which can benefit from trails ranges from urban greenways to open space parks to remote areas, and includes motorized and nonmotorized activities. Arizona’s approach was to create different programs to take advantage of the funding opportunities.

Federal Recreational Trails Program legislation allows States to use up to seven percent of their funds for administration and up to five percent for safety and education. Arizona splits the remaining 88 percent of the funds equally between the State’s motorized and nonmotorized trail programs. The result is the Trails Maintenance Program, which currently receives more than $1 million for a two-year funding cycle.

The RTP motorized portion funds several larger projects each year for major work on existing OHV riding areas. The Trails Heritage Fund taps State lottery proceeds for nonmotorized trail acquisition and construction. Both the OHV and Heritage programs follow the typical grant procedures, which involve competitive grant applications and reimbursement for completed work. Conservation Corps may partner with project sponsors on either of these funding programs.

Arizona’s Trails Maintenance Program
The unique element of Arizona’s program is the pre-selection of the crews who do the actual work for project sponsors receiving RTP grants. The procedure includes several steps:

» The State sends out a Request for Proposals seeking trail crew services every two years.
» Corps and other workforce development service providers submit their qualifications, expertise, financial responsibility, references, etc.
» The State selects the qualified trail crews who will perform the eligible work under a contract with Arizona State Parks.
» Project sponsors choose which of the pre-selected corps to use for grant-funded work depending on availability of the crews, crew structure, or price.
» Trail crews will complete the work for the project sponsor and invoice Arizona State Parks directly.
» Project sponsors are responsible for supervising the work and ensuring its satisfactory completion.

State Perspective
Different funding programs allows for a wide array of trail maintenance and construction needs. The Trail Maintenance Program has an additional benefit of encouraging use of Conservation Corps resources. The type of work under this program is very specific, emphasizing maintenance and improvements to existing trails. This policy is based on a need identified in Arizona’s Statewide Motorized and Nonmotorized Trails Plan. In both 2000 and 2005, survey respondents indicated that maintenance of existing trails was more important than building new trails. With the impact of Federal budget reductions, the State’s program aims to help land managers keep their trails safe and useable.

Corps Involvement
Currently under contract with Arizona State Parks for trail crew work are Coconino Rural Environment Corps (CREC), Northwest Youth Corps (NYC), and Southwest Conservation Corps (SCC). The Oregon-based NYC comes to Arizona for work in winter and spring. The travel enables several projects to develop crew leaders in preparation for the busy summer season back in the northwest.

Project sponsors can apply for up to $50,000 in funding with a required match of 10 percent of total project costs, either with in-kind contributions or dollars. Most sponsors request the maximum amount, which equals about eight weeks of corps work over two years. On Federal lands, work includes clearing fallen timber with crosscut saws and reconstructing trails in rugged areas. Other projects, sponsored by towns and counties, require work on crushed rock trails or clearing vegetation along paved trails.

Crew Qualifications
A qualified workforce is another key to making Arizona’s system work. CREC training is a good example of the investment needed to develop basic skills. First, new corpsmembers receive a full week of basic orientation on camping skills, public service, healthy lifestyles, safety, and first aid. An additional 40 hours of instruction on trail building and maintenance teaches a wide range of basic techniques for different conditions. The terrain, ecosystems, and recreation activities vary greatly from desert to foothills to forest. Later on crew members may receive a third week of in-depth training for chain saw and forestry work.

The CREC trail construction and maintenance training was developed in-house from several resources, including curricula from Student Conservation Association, the National Park Service, and U.S. Forest Service. Recently, with mountain biking developing into a major activity, materials from the International Mountain Bicycling Association training is also included.

CREC staff does most of the training, but outside experts from universities and Federal agencies often contribute their expertise. The solid training in the basics, plus one or more seasons of experience, enable corps members to compete for jobs and careers on public lands after they graduate from corps work.

Benefits
Arizona’s program reduces the load of administrative procedures while ensuring that a highly competent, professional trail crew completes every project. In a typical grants program, a State may be producing dozens of individual contracts for separate projects. With work done by different Federal agencies, State parks, city and county governments, special districts, youth corps, and trail organizations, the legal issues proliferate. Applications may run to 60 pages or more, which consumes time both in writing and reviewing. Competitive applications raise the bar and identify the most beneficial projects but, for basic trail care, this elaborate process may be excessive. The essential ingredient is a clear agreement on trail needs and work standards. Finally, this process eliminates the separate contracts, agreements, billing, and reimbursement normally required for each project sponsor.

For Federal land managers, the program provides an opportunity to address trail needs efficiently. While the word “cumbersome” is often used to describe the Federal personnel and accounting procedures, agencies can contract for services such as the State’s trail crews. The real accomplishment of Arizona’s program is to make RTP funds readily available to land managers. Good trail projects are waiting to be done, and the State needs to spend the RTP funds.

For the corps, one benefit is diversity of available projects. Instead of working in the same location for weeks at a time, crews get a variety of experience, both backcountry and urban. The two-year cycle of RTP funding provides more ability to plan ahead. Being a pre-approved contractor simplifies the entire administrative process, and smoothes relationships with land managers. What’s more, with pre-approved status, a contractor ensures that a corps is included in every project and provides a steady stream of paid projects to the State’s corps.

Key Points and Lessons Learned:
Pre-selecting a cadre of trail crews ensures that there is a consistent level of high-quality work on all RTP projects.

» By reducing the load of administrative procedures, more work gets done on the ground.
» For a noncompetitive program to work, all parties need to agree on trail needs and work standards.
» Different kinds of projects -- maintenance vs. paved trail construction -- need appropriate funding mechanisms.
» Different crews have different capabilities, and project sponsors need to clarify expectations and provide active supervision.
» With so much recreation taking place on Federal lands, it is important to develop efficient ways of helping fund needed trail work.
» A key asset of corps organizations is the quality training that trail crews get to ensure quality work.

For more information, Contact:

Coconino Rural Environment Corps
5410 E Commerce Ave.
Flagstaff AZ 86004
(928) 679-8160
www.crecweb.org

Northwest Youth Corps 
2621 Augusta Street
Eugene, OR 97403
541-349-5055
www.nwyouthcorps.org/

Southwest Conservation Corps
701 Camino Del Rio, Suite 101 
Durango, CO 81301
(970) 259-8607
www.sccorps.org

Trails Maintenance Program
Arizona State Parks
Resources Management Section
1300 W Washington St
Phoenix AZ 85007-2932
(602) 542-7116
www.pr.state.az.us