Adopt a trail or portion of a trail and be responsible for keeping it free from debris, pruning back plants that encroach on the trail, and reporting down trees or other obstructions that make the trail unsafe or unpassable.
Preference for trail adoptions goes to the person who was assigned the previous year, but trails become available each year as monitors retire from their trail roles.
Trail Monitor Guide - Habitat Action Team
Thank you for your interest in being a Trail Monitor at York County Parks. Below is a guide to help you understand the ways you can help improve our trails and support the efforts of the Habitat Action Team.
1) Suggested Tools: bag for trash; pruning shears; folding saw; garden hoe (for fixing uneven trail spots and cleaning out swales); garden gloves (many plants have thorns); trash pick-up tongs (if high litter area); scissors (for cutting fishing line)
2) Walk the trail every other week if possible and try to walk the trail after major storms. Most damage occurs after storms.
3) Clean up any hiker debris that you might find along the trails.
4) Use pruning shears to trim back briars and other plant life that grow out across the trail. A folding saw can be used for larger jobs. (Make sure all cut branches get moved off the trail.) Do not cut branches higher than an adult's head walking on the trail.
5) Remove branches that have fallen and block the trail.
6) Clean out any water diverting swales that become clogged. A trails' biggest threat is water. We try to keep water from traveling long distances on the trail. As water picks up speed, the trail has a greater tendency to erode. A garden hoe is a great tool for cleaning out swales.
7) If applicable, check drainage pipes underneath the trail and clean out any that become clogged.
8) Contact the parks to inform:
- any problem areas that require support like big tree down or severe erosion problems. Send a photo and specific area of problem Parks@YorkCountyPA.gov
- ideas to improve the trail and user experience
- concerns about invasive plants
