uman Powered Trails, Inc. is a non-profit organization whose mission is:  “To develop and maintain first class sustainable and environmentally correct, human-powered, shared use trails for the La Crosse, WI region."

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Working With The Land PDF Print E-mail
Written by Gene Roberts   
Monday, 25 July 2011 16:01
In May of this year I had the opportunity to attend the co-sponsored Human Powered Trails/Department of Natural Resources trail school and I thought I’d share a few thoughts.

As a user of the trails, be it on my bike, hiking with my wife or snowshoeing with my dog, I have found that I have come to take our trails for granted. I forget that they didn’t just appear. Someone had to build and maintain them. Since I had become involved in many HPT behind-the-scene activities I felt it was important for me to get a good understanding on what goes into the design and construction of a share-use sustainable trail. It was a gift to learn the details and science of working the land under the guidance of Mike Riter of Trail Design Specialist. Mike has built trails across the United States and is considered an expert in the field. Brigit Brown, DNR State Trails Coordinator added detailed information regarding department databases, maps and waterway regulations.

With HPT members; Aaron Schmidt, Kerry Falkenberry, other trail enthusiasts from Trempealeau and CAMBA we learned the intricacy of environmentally correct sustainable trail development in the classroom and applied the practical application of what we learned in the field.

After this extensive four day class I have come to realize what a gem we have in HPT. This is especially true when you consider the recent and distant weather patterns we’ve experienced in the La Crosse region. We haven’t lost a trail! Trees were damaged or lost however no trail damage! This is a credit to the design and construction of our network of trails as well as a tribute to HPT members who have dedicated their volunteer time on this valuable community resource.

So the next time you’re enjoying one of the trails at HPT and you meet a member take the time to say thank you. More importantly ask how you can become involved in Human Powered Trails activities.
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