Foundation Grant Funds Tool Trailer Revamp

Thanks to a generous grant from the Rasmuson Foundation (www.rasmuson.org), Alaska Trails will begin revamping its two tool trailers, both of which are dedicated to building and maintaining sustainable trails. Located in Fairbanks and Anchorage, the trailers enable volunteers to safely put their energy and enthusiasm into their local trails. Well-built trails are expensive and can cost $20,000 per mile. The tool trailer allows volunteers to keep costs down while directly connecting them to trails.

In 2012, the Interior tool trailer was used for 1,000 volunteer hours on projects including the Ester Dome Singletrack, the Fairbanks Pump Park, Birch Hills Nordic Ski Trails, and on trails in the Chena Hot Springs Recreational Area.

The Southcentral tool trailer was used for 3,384 volunteer/rented hours on such projects as the Student Conservation Association/CIRI/Talkeetna Lodge trail project in Talkeetna, the Kincaid Singletrack in Kincaid Park, MOA-YEP trail projects in Anchorage and Girdwood, the Friends of Palmer Hayflats Reflections Lake trail project, the USDA Forest Service – Mears Jr High Trail Service-Learning Trail Project, and the Portage Pass Trailhead Restoration.

South Anchorage High School senior Nick Reiter used the Alaska Trails Tool Trailer this past summer for his Eagle Scout project. He directed 49 volunteers, including other Boy Scouts, to rehabilitate a mile of the Historic Iditarod Trail in Girdwood. Throughout the four work days, the 49 volunteers put in 383 hours on the site, brushing out a mile of the trail.

Alaska Trails, a statewide non-profit dedicated to building and maintaining sustainable trails in Alaska, typically charges a rental fee for the tool trailer, but often provides it free of charge for volunteer projects.