Texas Trails Network 15Th Statewide Conference Schedule

Texas Trails Network 15th Statewide Conference Schedule

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Noon to 6 p.m. Registration

2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. “Cameron Park Adventure Hike”

A site visit to the Cameron Park trails will showcase one of Waco’s finest outdoor attractions. Cameron Park was rated as one of the top mountain bike destinations in Bike Magazine in 2008 and contains over 20 miles of single track throughout the 400-acre park. Participants will take an hour-long hike through bamboo forests, wind through cedars and cross over handcrafted bridges, and even have a view of the Brazos River from the top of 100 ft bluffs. Please wear appropriate clothing and carry water.

Kim Jennings has been a park ranger in Cameron Park since 2004. Her love of trails has led to her “second” job as a professional mountain bike racer and XTERRA off road triathlon athlete. Cameron Park and its trails have become an integral part of her life for work, training, leisure, and play. She has also been involved with bringing new event prospects to the park including mountain bike clinics, adventure races, and XTERRA events.

4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. “Waco Trails: Then, Today, And Tomorrow”

need speaker info form and bios from Jeff Goodman

5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Round Table Discussion

need explanation of session from Steve Bonner

Mr. Bonner is a founder and served as the Executive Director of The Cibolo Conservancy, a land trust dedicated to the conservation and enhancement of the natural, cultural, and aesthetic resources of the Cibolo Creek Watershed in San Antonio, Texas and surrounding areas. The Cibolo Conservancy works with landowners, developers, real estate and tax professionals, and government to protect the ranching heritage and water resources of the region.

In 1996 Mr. Bonner founded The Balcones Group, a consulting firm specializing in regional planning, and conservation. The mission of the firm is to help stakeholders find the balance between the economic benefits, environmental impacts, and social responsibilities of a project. A member of the Founders Circle and former Vice-president for Standards and Practices of the Texas Land Trust Council, Mr. Bonner is a leading advocate for ethical land trust practices. He is the author of numerous professional papers and reports on defense privatization, regional planning and conservation, and various socio-economic studies.

6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Dinner

7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Keynote Speaker: “Nature Deficit Disorder”

Nancy Herron has over 30 years experience in conservation education, volunteer management, community leadership and non-profit administration. Currently she manages the state nature and fishing education programs for Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, as well as educational technology, web and program evaluation efforts. While volunteering as Senior Associate for the National Children and Nature Network. Nancy was a reporter and columnist, and a teacher for pre-school through college level and children with disabilities. A former VISTA volunteer, Nancy was instrumental in organizing and capacity building for multiple non-profit organizations such as a five-county hospice, a Literacy Volunteers of America affiliate and a respite care center for handicapped children. She has been a featured speaker at national conferences on educational technology, best practices in conservation education and volunteerism. Nancy serves on multiple state and national boards, including co-chair of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies’ Education, Outreach and Diversity Committee, the Association for Conservation Information and special committees for the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation and Project WILD. She is active at the local, state and national level for the Children and Nature network and is passionate about bettering our children's future. Nancy is the recipient of multiple awards for educational innovations and leadership. She loves to hike, kayak and explore the natural world. She has two grown sons and lives with her husband in Austin, Texas.

Thursday, January 22, 2009

7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Registration

8:00 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. Exhibitors Breakfast

9:00a.m. to 10:15 a.m. Concurrent Sessions

Economics Track: “Trails & Nature Tourism: Interesting Examples and Results”

Economic justification, payback on investment, or marketing to decision makers are concerns of anyone thinking about trails. This session will discuss examples of community and private land use of trails to improve the outdoor experience, and/or generate revenue. Participants will learn and be able to share economic data on Texas Nature Tourism, utilize the Texas Agrilife Extension Nature Tourism Resources and be able to share example/case studies from around Texas

Mr. Phillips is a member of the Recreation, Parks and Tourism Sciences Department at Texas A&M University. He holds a Masters Degree in Parks and Recreation Management from West Virginia University and a BS Degree in Engineering with a minor in Marketing from the University of Illinois.

In his current position he supports program development for the extension agents in all 254 counties. He is a member of the Texas State Tourism Agency Council, the Texas Travel Industry Association Nature Tourism Council and the National Extension Tourism Design Team.

He has conducted Ecotourism development work in Texas, Ecuador, Peru, Mexico, West Virginia, and South Carolina. Prior to his work in ecotourism Mr. Phillips worked as a consulting environmental engineer doing site assessments, construction oversight and managing large scale ("Superfund") environmental remediation projects.

Wellness/Health Track: “Safe Routes To School (SRTS) Planning Initiatives- How can Students Help?”

Texas Christian University’s Public Health Nursing program trains students to develop Safe Routes to School plans. Its SRTS Initiative for the Tri-School Area within the Mansfield ISD in south Arlington will serve as a case study. Learn what to look for from the engineer who worked with the school district and students to identify solutions for safe routes to an elementary, intermediate, and middle school in close proximity. Come learn how TCU’s SRTS Initiative can assist your community or get ideas on how to use school champions and volunteers to help develop your SRTS plan

Sharon Canclini RN, MS, FCN has 29 years of clinical and academic experience as an RN and community activist. She is currently a clinical instructor of Public Health Nursing at Texas Christian University. For the past three years she has combined her passion for teaching young nursing students with the promotion of public health and safety. The SRTS initiative for the Tri-School area is one example of her creative solution for one of today’s most vexing health care issues.

Larry Cervenka, a Professional Engineer, with Civil Associates and former TxDOT employee, knows TxDOT, school administration, city requirements as well as parents’ concerns for SRTS. He has gained this experience with over 38 years in transportation engineering. Larry has managed school safety programs for three cities and has made school safety recommendations as a consulting engineering for several cities and school districts.

Larry has helped train school crossing guards and worked with schools and PTA’s to manage school traffic on site. Larry’s experience has shown that school safety can be greatly enhanced by cooperation between the schools (school, ISD, and PTA) and governmental agencies (City, TxDOT).

Design/Operations Track: A) “The impact of youth conservation crews on Trails”

B) “Alien Invaders: Managing Invasive Trees & Plants along Trails”

A) Listeners will enjoy an introduction to the Student Conservation Association and the projects that youth have completed throughout the US. An overview of the impact of youth on trails and vice versa will follow, including photos and statistics. Resources for additional information (web-sites) and Q&A will round out this informative session.

Lisa Tatum, Student Conservation Association Program Coordinator, has coordinated all the logistical aspects of the Dallas Commuter Crew program for 2008. Lisa has a service background, having participated in the AmeriCorps *National Civilian Community Corps for four years where she helped build/maintain trails from San Diego, CA to Fairbanks, AK. Lisa then moved to Dallas, Texas where she served for five and a half years with the American Red Cross. Her work there consisted of disaster relief training and AmeriCorps program coordination. One of her greatest achievements was coordinating the disaster training of thousands of spontaneous volunteers during Hurricane Katrina and Rita. More recently, she worked with a small education-based non-profit in a lower income community in Dallas and as a Volunteer and Project Management trainer for the Hands-On Network.

B) Working to manage invasives doesn’t have to be expensive nor futile; you can get ahead and stay ahead of these issues with a plan. This session will discuss working with volunteers and paid professionals in removing tens of thousands of invasive plants and trees along trails in the Austin area It will cover identification, treatment, removal and restoration techniques. Learn what’s been done in Austin and how you can utilize lessons learned in your own areas.

Charlie McCabe, Executive Director of Austin Parks Foundation, has designed and built trails throughout the Austin, TX area. The Foundation works with over 35 community groups to improve parks and trails through fundraising, volunteer work and grants, lending tools and providing technical expertise and leading volunteer workdays. Each spring, the foundation hosts “It’s My Park! Day”, a city wide volunteer workday that in 2008 saw 1550 volunteers work on 43 different park improvement projects. Charlie has been Executive Director since June 2005. Prior to that he spent too many years in the tech industry and only building and improving trails on the weekends. In 2000, Charlie learned about the challenges of invasive trees and plants like ligustrum and chinaberry and has never looked at any greenbelt or trail the same since then.

10:15 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Break

10:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. Concurrent Sessions

Economics Track: “El Camino Real de los Tejas: Putting Trail Tread on the Ground”

The recently designated El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historical Trail presents many possibilities to marry the publicity and popularity of cultural tourism with the recreation, health, and transportation benefits of physical trails. This presentation will suggest some of those possibilities, review potential economic and political benefits of leveraging multiple uses, and advocate for the development of trail tread from Laredo to Natchitoches, Louisiana.

Steve Bonner is a Community Planner with the National Park Service Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance (RTCA) program. In this capacity he works with local government, nonprofit organizations, and individual citizens throughout Texas and Oklahoma in the development of land and water trails, parks, and conservation projects. His most recent trails project is in support of the organizational development of the Friends of the El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historical Trails. In addition to this role Mr. Bonner is the Officer in Charge for the national relationship between RTCA the Land Trust Alliance.

In 1996 Mr. Bonner founded The Balcones Group, a consulting firm specializing in regional planning, and conservation. The mission of the firm is to help stakeholders find the balance between the economic benefits, environmental impacts, and social responsibilities of a project. He is the author of numerous professional papers and reports on defense privatization, regional planning and conservation, and various socio-economic studies.

Health/Wellness Track: TBD

Design/Operations Track: A) “Nice Trails for Tough Sites”

B) “Designing your trailhead restroom building for form and function”

A) Several project examples depicting creative solutions and construction methods where challenging site conditions required innovative design resulting in incredible user experience outcomes will be presented (i.e. White Rock Lake Trail, Lady Bird Lake Trail & Boardwalk, Hot Springs Creek Greenway, Lake Fayetteville, Papago Green Line and more). The impact of trails in neighborhoods as a public use component as well as technical issues such as dealing with hydrology of sites, difficult terrain, and permits will be addressed.

Philip Neeley, ASLA is a Senior Landscape Architect in the Urban Design & Planning Group of Jacobs Consultancy in Dallas, Texas. He has 25 years of experience in a wide range of park and recreational planning & trail design. Philip began his career in 1983 after receiving his Bachelors of Science degree in Architecture from the University of Texas at Arlington. In addition, he received his Masters of Landscape Architecture degree in 1986 from the same university. Philip is active in numerous professional and community organizations including the American Society of Landscape Architects, National Recreation & Park Association, and the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy.

Dave T. Retzsch, ASLA, serves as Managing Principal for the JACOBS Consultancy, Urban Design & Planning (UDP) business unit which focuses on Urban Design, Planning, and Landscape Architecture services to the Municipal, Transportation, Land Development, Buildings and Industrial sectors. Mr. Retzsch is a registered Landscape Architect with twenty-nine years of experience in multi-disciplinary design firms. Throughout his career, David has worked on a wide range of projects and is particularly experienced with transportation enhancements. Other related works include transit, streetscape and trail designs.

B) When a hiker sets off on a trail, oftentimes the only structure he’ll see is the restroom at the trailhead. This presentation will examine strategies to make that structure more than a pit stop. When designed properly, these buildings can add immeasurably to the aesthetic beauty of their park surroundings, while also offering a safe and comfortable facility. This presentation will take a case-study approach to exploring the issues of aesthetics, safety, energy efficiency and growth. Each discussion area will be illustrated through photographs and examples of actual park buildings that were designed to satisfy specific considerations.

Ryan Smith has had more than 10 years of direct experience in the construction field, including positions as construction crew leader, sales manager, marketing director and corporate sales. He currently serves as the National Sales Manager for Romtec Inc., which produces pre-engineered public restrooms, restroom/shower facilities, park shelters/pavilions, restroom/concession and multi-use buildings. He has overseen the design and construction of more than a dozen restroom structures specifically for trailheads.

Noon to 1:45 p.m. Lunch and keynote Speaker Enrique Penalosa

Enrique Penalosa is an accomplished leader, and an influential thinker on urban challenges related to sustainability, mobility, equity, public space and well-being.