North Dakota Demo Trail a Success

The Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew helps build a textbook piece of the Lewis and Clark Trail

Mark introduces the Mcleod to KFYR's Brenda Scholten and all the folks in TV Land. This appearance on the Country Morning Today show was one of many ways that IMBA's North Dakota Reps helped promote the weekend's IMBA Trailbuilding School.
Class participants try their hand at using clinometers to measure grade.
The tireless crew battled hardy prairie grasses and hot weather to complete an example piece of full bench constructed trail.
When complete, the start of the new trail will have a self-closing gate like this one.
Ron Luethe and Mark Liebig field test a hand chainsaw provided by Durango Trails 2000. The verdict: It cuts like butter! For backcountry trailwork, this tool is indispensable.
Eeny, meeny, miny, moe. Ranger Dave decides which flavor of Clif Bar he'll try this time. To learn how you can have free Clif Bars at your next trailwork day, go to http://www.imba.com/resources/grants/clif_bars.html.
Lora and Aileen walk the finished bench cut. It was a lot of hard work, but the result was worth the effort!
A trip to Bismarck wouldn't be complete without a visit to Dakota Cyclery. This shop has been an IMBA supporter for several years.

Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew leaders Mark Schmidt and Lora Woolner traveled to Bismarck, North Dakota this August to help create a demonstration section of the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail. When complete, the Lewis and Clark Trail will stretch 250 miles along the Missouri River, from South Dakota to the Montana border.

Planned in conjunction with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, this visit was part of IMBA's Memorandum of Understanding with the agency. The Army Corps is the single largest landholder along the trail and has been instrumental in mapping the proposed route.

The visit featured an IMBA Trailbuilding School on the shore of Lake Sakakawea, a huge Army Corps reservoir that was built in 1947. With more than 1,500 miles of shoreline, there is tremendous potential for trails. Participants focused their work on an example of sustainable trail in Lake Sakakawea State Park. When finished, the demo trail will incorporate all the elements of a successful shared-use trail and will feature interpretive signs to explain various trailbuilding techniques such as design principals, grade reversals, outslope, and other construction methods.

Mark and Lora were excited about the project, saying "This will be the first interpretive trail we've seen that focuses on the trail itself and the techniques that were used to put it there. We'd like to see a trail like this in every state."

IMBA North Dakota Reps Ron and Aileen Luethe also had enthusiastic remarks: "The demo project will educate communities, government agencies, and individuals about sustainable trail design and construction and will help build new sections of the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail."

*Thanks to Ron Luethe for providing some of the photos.