Through GIS modeling and analysis, ground truthing, and public facing data presentation the Green Mountain Club and Community Geographics have created a tool that provides valuable insights for long term trail stewardship and climate resilience of legacy trail systems. This session will review the iterative modeling process, field data validation, and results that confirm long held truths in sustainable trail design and provide insights to unseen factors that can influence trail sustainability.
Learning Objectives:
Provide insights and stewardship approaches for trail managers on systems large and small
Discuss aspects of sustainable trail management with new insights and confirmation of old truths
Allow participants to evaluate their systems with simple GIS techniques and estimate for a full modeling
Presenters:
Keegan Tierney, Field Director, Green Mountain Club
Keegan is responsible for the long-term stewardship and sustainable management of the Long Trail, the Appalachian Trail in Vermont, and all associated side trails. He works with a full-time staff of 5, seasonal staff of 40, and over 750 volunteers annually to coordinate projects from basic annual maintenance to long-term capital investments. With two decades of professional experience in Vermont trails he has built collaborative partnerships across local, state, and federal land management agencies, private landowners, educational institutions, and non-profit organizations. He is inspired by community, public access to the land, and coffee.
Tanner Arrington, Senior GIS Specialist, Community Geographics
Tanner Arrington (he/him) began his route to all things geospatial through his studies in geomorphology and water resources at the Universities of Texas and South Carolina. He spent 10 years with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, where he directed agency GIS operations. He now works as Senior GIS Specialist at Community Geographics mastering geoprocessing workflows and data manipulation to create real-world applicable data and mapping solutions. You can usually find him on a bicycle, in a canoe, in his garden, or at a baseball game.