Fall has arrived and we are ready for time with family and friends, warm fires, and spiced cider. Over the past 6-months, our staff has logged many a mile traveling to conduct training and workshops to a wide variety of folks and organizations across Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia, Louisiana, and Virginia. We got to meet great people whose love and passion for public lands reinvigorated our spirit.
As we close in on the end of the year and the holiday season fast approaching, we would like to raise a cup of spiced cider to all the partnerships/friendships, new and old, and say thank you for your support of SAWS and all you give to public lands. We look forward to the coming year and the times that we will get back together to share knowledge, skills, and hopefully some good stories. Check out the smiling faces below.
In September we spent time in Chattanooga, TN providing a Trail Skills Workshop with funding provided by the Lyndhurst Foundation. Several Chattanooga organizations participated in the 5-day course. Day one and two was the Rock Work portion with the expert guidance of Artie Hidalgo of the Jolly Rovers completed a stone ramp a new section of trail within the Lula Lake Land Trust’s Durham property.
The next 3 days of the Trails Skills Workshop were at Reflective riding where we focused on sustainable trail design. We cut 2 new trails on the property. One was from a parking area to a play area and the other was for a new outdoor classroom area that will be built on the property.
Also, during the months of September and October, we provided an A/B Crosscut Saw course for the BMTA and the GATC. We did a total of 3 courses certifying 20 new sawyers and re-certifying 10 thus increasing the ability of the clubs to continue keeping wilderness trails clear along the Appalachian Trail and the Benton MacKaye Trail in Tennessee and Georgia.
We are starting to fill our training calendar for 2022 and time slots are beginning to fill fast. If interested in hosting a training or workshop for your organization, please feel to reach out to our Lead Trainer and Crosscut Saw Coordinator Scotty Bowman scottybowman@wildernessstewards.org