Volunteer Trail Assessment

Thacher Park is home to over 25 miles of trails, which means it can be tough knowing what state of quality some trails are in all the time! When trees come down, trails erode from rain, or overgrowth suddenly spreads, it can sometimes be a while before a staff member finds out, and these are some things that we like to take care of before a park patron stumbles across it, as hazards like this can lead to a potential risk of injury. 

Volunteer trail assessment is a simple opportunity available to anyone at any time, and helps us keep track of the quality of our trails more efficiently! If you'd like to take on some volunteer trail assessment, just grab a map and pick a trail! If you find something worth reporting, use AllTrails or a similar app to note where on the trail you are, and mark it on the map. Then when you're done, send a picture of the map and detailed account of what you found to ThacherVolunteer@parks.ny.gov

Things to looks out for:

• Hazardous trees, either hanging over the trail or blocking a path.
• Shrubs and bushes overgrowing and making a trail too narrow
• Excessive invassive species (buckthorn, purple loosestrife, hemlock woolly adelgid, etc.)
• Dense sections of grass taller than shin-height 
• Missing or confusing trail markers 
• Excessive trash or debris
• Anything you think might negatively effect a hikers experience
• You can also report positive things as well! Such as any wildlife you encounter or how many hikers you see! 

There is a volunteer log at the Nature Center that we'd ask you to sign into before and after volunteering, but if the building is closed or you can't make it there, just include what hours you were present for when you send your report at the end!