Trail Crew
Maintaining the Trail
Some of our SBHT Trail Ambassadors are also members of the Trail Crew, who perform regular maintenance on the Heritage Trail. That includes blowing leaves and debris from the trail, removing trees that fall over the trail, repairing erosion issues, and grooming the trail for cross-country skiing in the winter. Trail Crew members receive additional training on equipment and procedures depending on the tasks assigned. New Trail Crew members go with an experienced volunteer until they feel comfortable becoming a lead crew member for a specific activity.
Maintenance projects are described in an email and sent to the Trail Crew list. Crew members respond with their availability and the scheduler will set the schedule based on availability and ability, matching new and experienced volunteers. When the work is done, the Trail Crew members involved report their hours on a clipboard at the maintenance garage and send an email to the Trail Crew email list summarizing the work done.
Responsibilities
Trail Crew volunteers are responsible for keeping the trail clear for all users by maintaining trail shoulders and operating a blower to keep the trail clean from debris and leaves. Crew volunteers will also remove trees and branches from the trail with chainsaw and other equipment, as needed. Chainsaw operation requires an NPS certification. At present, we have 2 Trail Crew members certified.
If volunteering in the winter, you could be operating a snow groomer preparing the SBHT trail for cross-country skiing.
To learn more about becoming a Trail Crew volunteer
1st
Review the full Trail Crew Volunteer Description
2nd
Complete a Volunteer Registration Form and one of our Volunteer Coordinators will contact you to answer questions and get you into the program
3rd
Our Volunteer Coordinator will help you sign up as a Volunteer-in-Park (VIP) at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. If you are already a VIP, we will add this job to your existing VIP profile. If you are not a VIP, fill out the Volunteer Agreement Form
4th
Training with the Trail Crew Manager will be scheduled and you will receive a parks pass and an orange Friends Volunteer vest