F-Troop builds suspension bridge at Econfina Creek WMA
Come join the Florida Trail Association’s F-Troop trail crew February 21 on this unique volunteer vacation project, where a team of skilled volunteers will construct a 60-foot suspension bridge while maximizing the learning experience and minimizing their impact on the environment.
The trail maintenance season on the 1,400-mile long Florida Trail continues with replacement of Fender Bridge over Econfina Creek, located north of Panama City (not to be confused with the Econfina River east of Tallahassee). Ian Barlow, National Forest Service bridge specialist, will supervise this technically challenging project, including basic training on rigging equipment and techniques. The project begins February 21 and runs through February 24. Participants will camp on Northwest Florida Water Management District property near the bridge site, just south of Trap Pond. We will supply work gloves, tools, hard hats, safety gear, food, and first-aid supplies. While no two days on an F-Troop are exactly the same, there are three main objectives that we strive for every day: be safe, have fun and get dirty!
For the past forty years, the planning, building, and maintenance of the Florida Trail has been entirely volunteer-driven, led by a network of volunteers working locally to reach a common goal. F-Troop is a way to bring great minds and strong backs together, to learn from each other’s successes and failures, and to do so in a way that everyone takes back a little something more to add to their local chapter. “It’s all about getting outside, having fun and giving back to the trail that I enjoy hiking on; plus, it’s good exercise,“ said Jennifer Robertson, FSU graduate student and Florida Trail volunteer. In addition, volunteers receive hands-on training in topics such as boardwalk design and construction, rigging techniques, use of traditional tools, invasive species removal and Leave No Trace ethics.
To register or obtain additional information on this project, visit www.f-troop.org, or call 1-877-HIKE-FLA. If you are interested in learning more about the Florida Trail, visit www.floridatrail.org. F-Troop is an ongoing Florida Trail Association program that offers skills training and camaraderie in the outdoors while enabling volunteers to keep hiking trails open on your public resource—the Florida Trail, Florida’s own National Scenic Trail.
FTA Staff @ February 13, 2008