1 ARKANSAS TECH UNIVERSITY PARKS, RECREATION & HOSPITALITY ADMINISTRATION RP 4993 TRAIL MAPPING & DESIGN FALL 2011 RP 4993. Special Topics: Trail Mapping and Design. This is an introductory course to the art and science of mapping, design, construction and maintenance of recreation trails. The student will be introduced to Global Positioning System (GPS) and other tools for trail mapping and design including clinometers, transit-levels and Swecos. The student will also get acquainted with tools for trail maintenance. Students will be introduced to a variety of recreation trails, urban, suburban and remote. Topics of discussion may include unique design requirements for various uses, conflicts between uses, design, construction, and maintenance issues. Policies of various agencies that design, construct and manage recreation trails will be examined. Recreation and Park Administration Mission Statement The mission of the Recreation and Park Administration Program is to educate Recreation and Park professionals for self, community and society. The Recreation and Park Administration Program at ATU is accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Parks, Recreation, Tourism and Related Professions. Students graduating from ATU are qualified to sit for the Certified Park and Recreation Professional (CPRP) exam immediately following completion of the baccalaureate degree in Recreation and Park Administration. ATU has the only Recreation and Park Program in Arkansas nationally accredited by COAPRT. Class Meets Tuesday 2:30 pm 5:20pm, Williamson 201 Instructor Dr. Theresa Herrick, Williamson 202, 479-968-0386, therrick@atu.edu Required Texts Flink, Charles A., Kristine. Olka, and Robert M. Searns. ( 2001). Trails for the twenty-first century: planning, design, and management manual for multi-use trails. (2 nd ed). Washington: Island Press.
2 Student Conservation Association (2 nd ed.). 2005. Lightly on the land: the SCA trail building and maintenance manual. Seattle, WA: The Mountaineers Books. U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service and U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration. 2007. Trail construction and maintenance notebook. Washington D.C.: Government publication 0423-2825-MTDC-P. Other resources U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. (2006, May, revised 2008, July 21). Accessibility guidebook for outdoor recreation and trails. Forest Service Technology and Development Program. U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration. (2001, ember). Designing sidewalks and trails for access, Part II of II: Best practices design guide. Retrieved from http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/sidewalk2/index). Annotated Resource Directory in Trails for the Twenty-First Century (2 nd ed). pp. 189-196. International mountain bicycling association (IMBA). 2004. Trail solutions: IMBA s guide to building sweet singletrack. Boulder, CO: International mountain bicycling association. DePriest, Dale. 2003. A gps user manual: working with Garmin receivers. 1 st Books Library. McNamara, Joel. 2004. GPS for dummies. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. Course Objectives 1. Introduce students to recreation trail design, considerations for various recreation uses, and examine conflicts with various users. 2. Introduce students to the design of trail heads. 3. Introduce students to the process of multiple use recreation trail layout and signage. 4. Introduce students to the maintenance of recreation trails. 5. Acquaint students with trail policy for various state and federal agencies. 6. Introduce students to U.S.G.S. maps, map reading and interpretation.
3 7. Introduce students to GPS and GIS and their uses in trail mapping and design. Council on Accreditation Standard Standard 7.02.01 Students graduating from the program shall demonstrate the ability to design recreation and related experiences clearly reflecting application of knowledge from relevant facets of contemporary professional practice, science and philosophy. Standard 7.02.02 Students graduating from the program shall demonstrate the ability to facilitate recreation and related professional experiences for diverse clientele, settings, cultures, and contexts. Learning Outcome Design recreation areas and facilities to provide experiences clearly reflecting application of knowledge from relevant facets of contemporary professional practice, science and philosophy. Design trails and related facilities to facilitate recreation experiences for diverse clientele, settings, cultures, and contexts. Method of Assessment Trail plan Trail plan Exams There will be two exams in this course, Mid-term Final Project Trail Design and Narrative 200 points Presentation 50 points On site evaluations Trail Critique 200 points
4 We will be visiting various recreation trails during this class. Please dress appropriately. That means long pants, boots with socks. Bring insect repellant, water, notebook and pencil, in a light pack. We may not return exactly on time at 5:20 pm on some days. Advance notice will be given if we will be late in returning to campus. Grading A = 90-100% of total points B = 80-89% of total points C = 70-79% of total points D = 60-69% of total points F = 0-59% of total points Policy for Late Assignments There will be a penalty of 20 percent of the assignment grade per day for late reports, projects or assignments. Attendance Students are required to attend all classes. Students should notify the instructor prior to the class if they are unable to attend. If a student has more than 3 absences, excused or unexcused, they will be dropped from the course. This includes absences from lecture and lab. Cheating Plagiarism by definition is when someone steals the thoughts or words of another and uses it as their own. Students caught cheating or plagiarizing will be given an F on the test, project or assignment they were caught cheating on or plagiarizing. Students may be asked to provide proof of original work if there is a question of cheating or plagiarism. Papers may be submitted to turn-it-in.com to check for plagiarism. Electronic Devices While in class all electronic devices will be turned off including cell phones, beepers and any other devices that can distract students or the instructor during class. Special Services If any member of the class feels that he/she has a disability that requires special accommodations the disability must be documented through the ATU
5 Testing and Disabilities Services 968-0302. They are located in Bryan Hall Suite 103. Course Outline Week Topic Reading Assignment Aug 30 6 13 20 27 Intro Multi-use trails, considerations, resources, definitions Planning and public involvement; landowners, stakeholders, agencies Designing your trail; users, accessibility, single tread vs. multiple tread, surfacing, dimensions, attractions Designing your trail (con td); bridges, tunnels, roadway crossings, signage Flink, Chap 1 SCA, Chap 1 Flink, Chap 2 SCA, Chap 2 SCA, Chap 8,9,16 Trail Critiques Trail support facilities and amenities SCA, Chap 8,9 Trail Critiques Oct 4 Environmental issues, historical aspects SCA, Chap 17,18 Oct 11 Conflicts among user groups and multiple uses of trails Oct 18 Building your trail; land acquisition, permits, NEPA, funding, partnerships Trail Evaluation Oct 25 Managing and maintaining your trail; volunteers, work crews, costs, sources of funding Flink, Chap 4,5 SCA, Chap 2, 3, 4, 10,11,12, 13,15 Nov 1 No class, NRPA - Atlanta Flink, Chap 5 SCA, Chap 2,3,4,12 Nov 8 Managing and maintaining your trail (cont d) Flink, Chap 5 SCA, Chap 2,3,4,12 Nov Maximizing your trail s potential Flink, Chap 6 15 Nov 22 Trail Design Work Nov 29 Trail Design; Drawing and Narrative Presentations