Level of difficulty: (*) = easy (***) = moderate (*****) = strenuous

November 8^th – 15^th Ocala National Forest

Wilderness Trail Maintenance difficulty level: **** limit: 12 volunteers

 Click Here to Register

Paddle in to the heart of the Juniper Wilderness for a week of backcountry camping and trail work. We’ll float down the Juniper Springs Run with enough tools and supplies to spend 5 days out on the trail. It’s a Wilderness area, so no power tools allowed. The crosscut saws will be tuned up and the axes sharpened for this one. This project will be hosted by the Halifax-St Johns Chapter. Camping will be primitive and all of the equipment will be brought in your canoe. Training will include Wilderness Leave No Trace practices and Traditional Tools.

December 12^th – 14^th Gar Pond Recreation Area

New Boardwalk Construction difficulty level: *** limit: 30 volunteers

Click Here to Register

The F-Troop will be working near the banks of the Suwannee River building 400-feet of “puncheon” style boardwalk within the Gar Pond Recreation Area between White Springs and Little Shoals.  Located just south of White Springs, volunteers will be able to enjoy the local Christmas festivities Friday night before joining the F-troop crew for breakfast on the trail Saturday morning. 

January 22^nd – 25^th Tosohatchee

Wildlife Management Area

New Bridge Construction difficulty level: ** limit: 25 volunteers

A new 60-foot bridge needs to be built to replace a simple log-stringer over a deep slough within the Tosohatchee Wildlife Management Area. Huge telephone poles resting on wooden pilings will be used as the main supports for the structure and cable rigging equipment will be used to lift the poles and set them in place. The Tosohatchee Wildlife Management Area covers 30,701 acres along 19 miles of the St. Johns River in eastern Orange County. Meandering creeks, lush cabbage palm hammocks, slash pine flatwoods, cypress swamps, and freshwater marshes form an integral part of the 3600-square-mile St. Johns River watershed.

January 31^st – February 6^th Mills Creek Tract

New Boardwalk Construction difficulty level: *** limit: 30 volunteers

The F-Troop crew will be working in the Orlando area building 700-feet of “puncheon” style boardwalk. Wooden mud sills will be anchored to the ground and long planks will be fastened on top to create a raised tread through a sensitive wetland ecosystem. This will open up a brand new section of trail that will be a significant connector keeping hikers off of the road and in the woods. The State of Florida has recently acquired several new parcels of land near the St Johns River which will double the size of the Little Big Econ State Forest. A new trail corridor is already being routed to connect all of these new land acquisitions. The new trail route will eliminate 10+ miles of road-walks and eventually take hikers all the way to the Orlando Wetlands Park. The group site has been reserved at the Lake Mills County Park campground.

February 28^{th -}  March 6^th Econfina Creek

Wildlife Management Area

Suspension Bridge Construction difficulty level: **** limit: 20 volunteers

The second of two suspension bridges over Econfina Creek is slated for construction this season.  Ian Barlow will be back to lead us through this technically challenging project which will include training on rigging equipment and techniques. Some of the local chapter members along with a Student Conservation Association crew will be on-site early to pour the abutments and place anchors, allowing the F-Troop crew to save their energy for removing the old bridge and completing the new one!  We will be camping in a primitive, back-country setting near the bridge site.

March 13^th – 20^th Big Cypress National Preserve

Wilderness Trail Maintenance difficulty level: ***** limit: 12 volunteers

Prepare to get wet! One of the crown jewels of the Florida Trail, the trail through Big Cypress leads hikers deep into wild Florida. The crew will spend 6 days hiking and maintaining the trail in the middle of the Big Cypress swamp, some days hiking as many as 2 to 3 miles to get to the area in need of maintenance.  We will start off camping behind the Oasis Visitors Center and then move to a more primitive back-country camp for the remainder of the project.  Training will include Wilderness Leave No Trace practices and Traditional Tools.