The McDowell Technical Community College Foundation announced today that the McDowell Trails Association of Marion has donated $800 to provide new scholarships for McDowell residents enrolling in the college’s new Trail Development and Sustainability Program.
“The McDowell Trails Association is establishing this scholarship with McDowell Tech because we see the need for ‘trail maintainers,’” said Steve Pierce, President of McDowell Trails Association (MTA). “With so many new and existing trails in our area, the MTCC Trail Development and Sustainability Program is introducing people to trail maintenance and demonstrating how they can establish careers in trail design. The MTA wants to support local McDowell Tech students and the Trail Development and Sustainability Program with the establishment of these scholarships.”
Students taking classes in the new program are eligible to apply for a scholarship once they have registered for a course. The next round of courses are expected in early summer. A schedule of classes will be posted in the next few weeks at www.traileducation.com.
“It’s an absolute pleasure to work with Steve Pierce and the McDowell Trails Association,” said Jeremy Poore, Coordinator of Trail Construction and Sustainability at McDowell Tech. “Their enthusiasm and hard work are a real asset to the work we are doing here, and their scholarships are a wonderful gift to local folks who want to take advantage of basic and intermediate trail construction training, covering everything from assessment and maintenance of existing trails to building structures like kiosks, boardwalks and trail bridges.”
Thanks to an unprecedented round of new trail construction in the Pisgah National Forest, McDowell Tech recently hired Poore, who has an extensive background in trail construction and outdoor recreation, to lead the college’s efforts to establish a premiere national training program for federal and state employees, trail devotees and volunteers and individuals seeking to establish careers in trail development and sustainability.
Under Poore’s leadership, the college will participate in its first ever SORBA Summit in partnership with hosting groups Northwest NC MTB Alliance (a chapter of SORBA) and the G5 Trail Collective. Southern Off-Road Biker’s Association (SORBA) is a major national organization with over 4,000 members in 40 chapters across the south. Camp Grier in Old Fort, a gateway to trails in the Pisgah National Forest, will serve as home base for the 200-300 summit participants, with training classes and breakout sessions hosted on the campus at McDowell Tech.
“As we continue to build support for our new Trail Development and Sustainability Program,” said Dr. Brian S. Merritt, MTCC President, “our success will no doubt hinge on forging partnerships and alliances with passionate and committed groups like McDowell Trails Association and its many members who were clearing trails and advocating for development of trails and build-out of greenways and green spaces long before our classes came into existence. Our Foundation and Board of Trustees are thankful for MTA’s support of our new program, but most of all, we are appreciative of their commitment to local workforce development and support of local students who may be planning careers in trail construction and sustainability or volunteering to help build and maintain local outdoor recreation spaces in Western North Carolina.”
Prospective students interested in the Trail Development and Sustainability Program may contact Jeremy Poore at 828-659-0468 or email him at [email protected] .
