CORA’s mission is to create amazing trails throughout our region for everyone to enjoy. That’s easy enough to say, but accomplishing it is where the rubber meets the dirt, and this work wouldn’t be possible without the dedication and hard work of every single CORA volunteer.
Read below to learn more about some of our hardest-working volunteer trail stewards.
Jim Southward, our resident bridge-building maestro, works with Eagle Scouts to build and replace bridges at East Fork and Caesar Creek State Parks. While the Scouts oversee the projects as part of the Eagle Scout Service Project requirements, Jim sets them up for success by providing detailed plans and guidance to them. He identifies where bridges should be placed on trails which can significantly reduce issues with erosion and improve trail sustainability. Additionally, a well-built bridge makes the trail easier to navigate for all users and provides a safer throughway when updated with new materials.
Ginger Marsh (pictured above in the pink hat) is CORA’s first female trail steward, overseeing project maintenance of the mountain biking trails at East Fork State Park. Since beginning her work at the park in September 2020, she’s been instrumental in building the relationship with the Park Manager and Administration. Additionally, she worked with the Trail Crew on the P1 trail to restore it to a beginner-friendly trail. She wants to improve the trail user experience and works alongside other trail groups to make them more inclusive for all.
Troy Kammerer told us that he volunteers for CORA because it is a way that he enjoys giving back to the community, hikers and mountain bikers alike. Since 2019, he has dedicated his time and effort to maintaining quality trails. Spending most of his trail work time at Devou, Troy has helped with many different projects at those trails, including features on Devil’s Backbone, the bathroom/changing station by the Montague parking lot, and almost all the work done on Gnarnia. He says he is most proud of the recent work he has helped accomplish on Sleepy Hollow, opening it up and creating a flow trail with great jump lines, just like what the community was calling for. And the motivation behind it all, like everyone else at CORA: “creating trails for all to enjoy.”
We are incredibly grateful for our volunteers and the hard work that each one of them puts in to make CORA’s mission possible. They carry the outdoor community on their shoulders, maintaining the trails so that they can be used year-round, improving features to keep everything fresh and exciting for any activity or skill level, and helping to build entirely new trails, continuing to set our region apart as a hub for outdoor recreation.
To Ginger, Jim, Troy, and all our dedicated supporters like yourself, we want to say thank you and happy holidays. If you'd like to make a donation to CORA that supports the work of our dedicated Trail Stewards, you can do that here.