Do you have a favorite trail or group of trails in the Stowe network? Do you ride or walk these trails often? Do you love getting your hands dirty? 

If you answered yes to these questions, you may be a great fit to become a Stowe Trails Partnership (STP) Trail Steward!

What is a Trail Steward?

The main goal for Trail Stewards is to help STP increase our eyes and ears for spots that need maintenance throughout the 38+ miles of trails we manage. Trail Stewards are not expected to do the work for us, but to let us know where the trail needs some love. STP would then use this information to arrange volunteer workdays or pass it along to our trail crew for them to address. 

This being said, if you are interested in going a step further and putting tools in the dirt to fix issues you see we welcome you to do so. STP is willing to train interested folks in what to look for and how to conduct basic fixes and clean up.

Trail Steward Responsibilities and Requirements:

We need Trail Stewards in all three of our networks, Cady Hill Forest, Adams Camp, and Sterling Forest. The following are guidelines for Stewards:

• Monitor your desired/assigned trail frequently, ideally once per week to regularly report trail needs. There is no specific time or day of the week that we expect you to be out on the trails. 
• Report any trail maintenance or repair needs to STP, and we will direct our trail crew to take care of the issue or a arrange volunteer workday.

If you’re interested in helping with basic trail maintenance or want to know what to report as a Trail Steward, here are some examples of possible responsibilities:

• Attend a meeting with STP’s Trail Manager to learn the basics about trail work. 
• Remove leaves from where water wants to flow on the trail, such as drainages, low spots, or perpetually wet areas.
• Remove any sticks or loose rocks in the middle of the trail.
• Keep the trail corridor to its original width and prevent widening of the trail and trail braiding (the creation of shortcuts).
• Be on the lookout for culverts and help us clean and clear out any debris that has accumulated. This helps prevent the trail from becoming damaged during wet weather events.
• If you see a tree down, take a picture, note the location, and let us know. STP will send an experienced sawyer to remove the tree safely.
• Similarly, if you see something that needs more love or attention that you can give, such as a broken bridge, eroded berm or corner, etc., please note the location and let us know. 

Trail Steward Rewards

• Free STP gear (t-shirt and hat)
• An opportunity to add nonprofit experience to your resume
• The knowledge that you’re helping the community at large!

If interested in becoming a Trail Steward, please fill out this application. We accept Stewards on a rolling basis!