Near the end of each year, we go through the process of renewing our work permits with the land managers of Fromme and Seymour in order to continue caring for the trails. But how does this process work?
Every trail has at least one builder (typically two) who is specifically permitted (and under the NSMBA generally), by the relevant land manager, to maintain and work on said trail.
In order to renew each permit every year, each builder does a thorough assessment of each trail in order to document the general condition of the trail (including assessing any wooden features etc.) and summarize the work that was done in the current year. This usually involves the builder(s) walking through the trail, taking notes and photos along the way.
Using this assessment, they then detail a work plan for the following year that includes all the work and projects that they want to accomplish (ex. general maintenance, replacing wooden features, trail reroutes etc.)
Once the assessment and work plan are done, we then submit these to the land manager who either approves the work plan or requests adjustments. Once the work plan is officially approved by the land manager, they issue us a permit for the year and then the dirt flows once again!