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In 2019, the Trail Conference received an unusual request: Might someone be able to lend trail building expertise in the rugged, mountainous jungle of Jamaica?
In the Blue Mountains National Park and its buffer zone communities, upland trails were created by the Maroon people to escape slavery under Spanish and British colonial rule. In 2015, the area was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in recognition of its important cultural and ecological attributes. Despite the natural beauty and historic significance of these trails, many disappeared after years of overgrowth.
The Jamaica Trail Project (JamaicaTrailProject.org) is a collaboration between Jamaican and American organizations to refurbish these trails and develop a new historic hiking trail connecting them. Its purpose is to highlight, promote and support volunteerism and service in Jamaica while expanding and deepening an appreciation of Jamaica’s history and natural resources. Long-term goals include collaboration between international volunteers and Jamaicans, to provide opportunities for sustainable development of local communities. When an American supporter of the Project came across a trail improvement project by our Conservation Corps Trail Crew, they thought we would be the perfect people to help share trail building best practices with Jamaican partners.
The Trail Conference’s Trail Program Manager, Peter Dolan, invested a combination of personal volunteer and professional development time to connect leaders of the Jamaica Trail project with information and resources to preserve these historic trails. This culminated in joining a visit to Jamaica where local experts produced an accurate GPS track of the trail, coordinates for specific points of interest (viewpoints, significant project sites, potential reroutes, notable natural features, etc.), recurring trail issues in need of construction/repair, and photographs to help promote the Project. Trail Conference observations, recommendations, and other resources to complement local efforts were relayed in a 91-slide PowerPoint presentation.
Throughout these efforts the role of the Trail Conference has not been leadership or decision-making. Our goal has been to serve as a conduit to the specialized world of technical trail design, construction, and maintenance. This involves sharing existing resources and best practices, as well as recommendations for obscure (but useful!) tools not readily available in Jamaica.
In 2023, leaders of the Jamaica Trail Project – including the Trail Conference - were chosen to present at the International Trails Summit as a model of international collaboration in trail planning. This was an incredible opportunity for the Trail Conference to be recognized as a trail authority not just in the local New York-New Jersey area, but on the international stage as well.
While not geographically close to the Jamaica Trail Project, there is potential for future collaboration that supports the mission of the Trail Conference. As the Project develops the infrastructure for international-eco-tourism, the Trail Conference is well-suited to train potential volunteers here in the United States before they travel to Jamaica. In particular, the Project hopes to attract members of the Jamaican Diaspora in the New York metro area. Programs like Trail University stand ready to welcome anyone who wants to learn about trails, regardless of where they put those new skills to use.
The successful collaboration on this project, and recognition at the International Trails Summit, have helped grow the reputation of the Trail Conference as a leader in the ever-growing field of trail design and construction. While our focus will always remain firmly on our trails here in New York and New Jersey, we look forward to seeing where our volunteers and staff carry their Trail Conference experience next.