The winner has completed capital improvement projects that benefited the park or forest and/or users, provided ongoing maintenance or improvements to trails, buildings, etc., or innovatively protected the natural or cultural heritage of the park or forest.
The Nittany Mountain Bike Association (NMBA) has made and continues to make a positive and lasting contribution to the Rothrock State Forest trail system. Their efforts support and advance the goals of DCNR by furnishing opportunities for healthful recreation to the public. The club’s hard work allows for a larger portion of the public to enjoy a high-quality outdoor experience in Rothrock State Forest.
NMBA provides ongoing maintenance to the trail system that could not be provided by the limited number of DCNR staff. The trail work consists of clearing overgrown trails of brush and debris, removing downed logs, building water crossings, installing rock armoring, building sustainable reroutes, and maintaining water management features such as rolling grade dips. NMBA has contributed more than 4,800 volunteer hours in the last seven years, averaging 686 hours of trail maintenance a year. In the last five years, the club has spent $31,011 to support these efforts on Rothrock through the purchase of tools, supplies, rental equipment, and hiring professional trail builders for staff training.
This ongoing maintenance benefits the District by reducing staff time spent on trail maintenance, allowing for more time to plan and work on larger trail improvement projects. NMBA’s work has benefited forest users by providing a well-maintained trail system that allows for an enjoyable trail experience.
In 2016, NMBA sponsored a four-week-long excavator training workshop for eight of DCNR’s maintenance equipment operators on Croyle Trail. The work included approximately 5,975 ft. of road-to-trail conversion, 1,257 ft. of sustainable reroute construction, and created numerous water management features throughout. The changes created a more enjoyable, safe, and sustainable trail.
In 2019, the club sponsored a workshop focused on sustainable trail building techniques and correcting trail drainage issues on existing trails. It was a three-day workshop consisting of two days of mechanized training, a half-day of instruction on sustainable trail building fundamentals, and a half-day of field work focused on rock armoring techniques. NMBA rented two mini-excavators to train eight individuals, including two DCNR employees. During the workshop, three water management features were created, approximately 25 ft. of rock armor was installed, and approximately 125 ft. of reroute was completed on the heavily used Lonberger Trail. Learn more about NMBA here.
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