The Adopt-a-Mile Program

The Allegheny Valley Trails Association has over 40 miles of paved trails to maintain. The Allegheny River Trail has over 30 miles paved and the Sandy Creek Trail is paved for 12 miles. Keeping the trail in good shape and looking good is a big job. It takes many hours to do the mowing and hours can be added to that if the mower has to be stopped to remove rocks, limbs and logs out of the way.

You can adopt a mile of trail and keep it looking good, make it easier to mow and extend the life of the pavement.

Things to do on your adopted mile:

1. Pick up trash. Thorough pick-up in the spring, on or around the date of the Trail Spring Clean-up, then maintain it though the rest of the year.
2. Trim branches back from the trail far enough that you won't hit them when riding on the edge of the trail; clear overhead so you don't need to duck. Trimmed branches should be thrown at least 10 feet off the trail.
3. Clear the edge of the trail back 6-8 ft of stones, branches and anything that would damage a mower while trimming the edge. Trim branches up 2-3 feet from the ground and back 6-8 feet, where practical, for mower clearance.
4. Report problems and obstacles that require larger tools to AVTA. (Large logs at the edge of the trail, rock slides, holes, bumps in the trail, etc.)
5. Trim around mileage markers, signs, and benches.

The Adopt-a-Mile Program is a plan to make sure all sections of the trail are getting the proper attention. It should not deter anyone from picking up trash, or taking care of problems they see anywhere on the trails as they have in the past. No one should feel offended if someone takes care of a problem on their adopted mile.

If you want to adopt a mile, check to see what is available at Adopt-a-Mile and then contact Bill Weller at wweller@zoominternet.net to get your mile.