Article written by Zhenya Nalywayko for PEC, posted 16 January 2026

TRAILS Crew, photo by PEC

Over the past several years, PEC has been working to tackle the issues surrounding the long-term care of Pennsylvania’s extensive network of multi-use trail infrastructure to fully understand the challenges organizations face, including but not limited to the need for dedicated funding for trail maintenance.

One key element born of this effort has been developing and piloting T.R.A.I.L.S. — Training Regional Advocates, Investing in Long-term Sustainability. This new certification program seeks to increase the organizational capacity of trail operators for on-the-ground trail maintenance.

In 2025, we moved this certification from an idea on a whiteboard to a pilot training program. So far, two of our partners have completed the program: Friends of the Riverfront in Pittsburgh and the Westmoreland Heritage Trail chapter of the Regional Trail Corporation in Westmoreland County. By July 31st of 2026, the Cambria County Conservation & Recreation Authority, and member organizations of the Trans-Alleghenies Trail Operator Group, will have completed the certification program as well.

T.R.A.I.L.S. consists of several virtual meetings and two in-person workdays, including:

  • A virtual Kick-Off meeting
  • An online Self-Assessment survey to be completed by each participant organization prior to meeting in-person
  • An all-day Classroom Session to review the results of the self-assessment, discuss tips, and techniques related to organizational sustainability and proactive trail maintenance
  • A Field Training session to introduce each organization to PEC’s Trail Maintenance Toolkit
  • A virtual Wrap-Up call to discuss a specific project that each organization will tackle – with help from PEC – coming out of the program
  • A Happy Hour celebration where each organization receives their official Certificate of Completion and completes the training

As part of the training, each participant receives a copy of PEC’s Trail Maintenance Assessment Guide and Field Guide, which are available to view on PEC’s website and to purchase here, as well as a one-year ESRI membership to facilitate use of the Trail Maintenance Toolkit. The cost for these products would normally total hundreds of dollars, but everything is completely free for partner organizations participating in the Pilot Program. Geographic eligibility may expand once new funding is secured.

While the certification is free for those within the region, the knowledge gained through experience is priceless. The program dives deep into how to bolster organizational capacity for trail maintainers and the importance of regular trail assessments to allow for careful planning of and budgeting for proactive trail maintenance. The skills and knowledge gained through T.R.A.I.L.S. will help ensure you and your organization are capable of addressing and mitigating issues on your trail before they become catastrophic and/or prohibitively expensive.

We are still envisioning what the future holds for T.R.A.I.L.S. since the program is still in its pilot phase, but it’s safe to say you can expect to hear more in the coming months. In the meantime, we are continually updating and improving T.R.A.I.L.S. based on feedback we receive from participating organizations. We also hope to make the Trail Maintenance Toolkit broadly available in the near future.

If you’re interested in learning more about PEC’s trail sustainability work, or any of the trainings or products mentioned in this blog, click here. You can also reach out to PEC Program Manager and Project Lead, Zhenya Nalywayko any time.

Listen to the Podcast

Pennsylvania Legacies – Zhenya Nalywayko and Brett Hollern discuss the Trail Maintenance Assessment Guide and Trail Maintenance Toolkit on the PEC podcast.

It’s easy to generate excitement around building new miles of trail. More difficult, but arguably more important, is maintaining existing trails. To help under-resourced trail managers get a handle on the complex challenge of maintenance, PEC’s Trails team developed an extensive guidebook and companion app for collecting and analyzing data, allocating resources and planning for long-term sustainability. Brett Hollern and Zhenya Nalywayko, who helped create the still-unreleased toolkit, explain why it’s already drawing national attention.

Listen Now on Soundcloud

Watch the Video

Welcome to T.R.A.I.L.S. T.R.A.I.L.S. is the Pennsylvania Environmental Council’s new training program for trail owners, operators, and maintainers working to make trail systems sustainable for the long haul.