Even though it seems like it just began, the 2012 FWS Trails Inventory, or “FishTrACS” as it has become more commonly known, has come to a close. Members went their seperate ways on September 10th, and Michael Molloy, our stalwart Coordinator, finshes up on October 16th.
But the good news is that this year was a great success. Attached to this page is a pdf version of the official Final Report, which has all the details, but a few bullets for now:
-The 2012 Inventory accomplished all of its primary goals, on time and on budget. Over 2011 and 2012, we walked and mapped every trail in the entire Fish and Wildlife system, in all 50 states and Puerto Rico. We had no serious incidents in two years of programming, and the 10 members last year and 6 members this year walked away with a once-in-a-lifetime adventure and a huge resume-booster!
– All told, our members surveyed 114 USFWS sites in 2012, inventorying 480 trails and logging 5500+ trail features and deficiencies.
– In 2012, the 6 members over 3 months combined traveled 48,000 miles by air, 25,000 miles by ground, and set foot in almost every state- from the very tip of Maine to the outskirts of San Diego, from the Florida Keys to Alaksa’s Kenai Pennesula. All of this with the most serious injury being a non-embedded tick.
We look forward to repeating all this in a few years when the trails need inventorying again. A huge thanks to all the folks that made this possible: Nathan Caldwell of the FWS, Andy Byra and Rick Huso of Federal Highways, Scott Weaver, Joey Ruehrwein, and Jarrod Ball of SCA, and certainly our own Michael Molloy for steering the ship so ably this year, and all the members for working so hard to make the program a success on the ground.
Sincerely,
Alex Olsen,
Program Manager
