CERTIFIED UTAP COORDINATORS
The following individuals have completed all the requirements and have been certified by American Trails, Inc. as Universal Trail Assessment Coordinators:

  • Jill Barra - Herkimer County Public Health, Herkimer County Health Net
  • Karl Beard - National Parks Service, Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program
  • Sharon Bryant-Heyboer – NYS Department of Transportation
  • Stephen Chagnon, Southeast Adirondack Independent Living Center
  • Laura Connor - New York State Department of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation
  • Howard Cornwall - Directions in Independent Living Inc.
  • Martin Howden – New York State Department of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation
  • Mike Krish - New York State Department of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation
  • Wes Lampman - Adirondack Mountain Club
  • Laura Lemire – New York State Department of Transportation
  • Tom Meyering - Town of Poughkeepsie Recreation Dept. & Wappingers Greenway Trail Committee
  • Frank Pennisi - Southern Tier Independence Center, Inc.
  • Kevin Prickett – Parks & Trails New York
  • Andrew Rawdon - Compeer/Monroe County Regional Canalway Trail Group/Crescent Trail Association
  • Mary Riley-Jacame – University of Albany Prevention Research Center
  • Lynda Rummel – Finger Lakes Trail Conference, Friends of the Outlet, Yates County ARC
  • Irene Szabo - Finger Lakes Trail Conference, North Country National Scenic Trail
  • Matt Van Slyke – Herkimer-Oneida Counties Transportation Study

About the Program:

Beneficial Designs, Inc. developed the Universal Trail Assessment Process (UTAP) in the mid 1990s with funding from the National Center for Medical Rehabilitation at the National Institutes of Health. The goal was to create a system to assess trails for visitors of all abilities. UTAP is widely accepted as an objective and thorough methodology. UTAP is a land management tool rather than simply an accessibility tool. In this expanded role, the program provides a consistent way of looking at trails and gives land managers a common language by which they can communicate with the public and each other. The process reinforces the concepts of good trail design and has proven to be objective, accurate and reliable. UTAP clearly describes conditions on a trail by assessing criteria such as land surface, trail width, grade, cross slope, obstacles, and accessibility of parking, restrooms, picnic areas and signage. The Federal Highway Administration, the NYS Department of Health, and the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation all endorse UTAP.

There are currently fewer than a dozen UTAP certified coordinators in New York State, all of whom work for the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation and assess only state-managed lands. Thousands of acres of local and regional parks and hundreds of miles of recreational trails are not being assessed by any other comprehensive effort.

Our Goal:

It is the goal of Parks & Trails New York to increase the accessibility of New York's outdoor trails for people with physical limitations that affect the quality of their recreational experience. We are providing this training in order to build a group of persons who know how to assess trail accessibility and will do so for at least 3 miles of trail (selected by our organization) within a year of completing the training. The resulting information will be added to the Trail Finder Maps, located on this website.

Our Trainers:

Patricia Longmuir - Founder of PEL Consulting, Ms. Longmuir works with public, not for profit and private agencies to enhance the physical activity and recreation opportunities available to people of all abilities. She is a Master Trainer for the Universal Trail Assessment Process who specializes in access to outdoor, natural environments and has completed numerous trail assessments and UTAP training workshops. Ms. Longmuir holds a Master's Degree in Exercise Science from the University of Toronto and is a Professional Fitness and Lifestyle Consultant.

Carole Fraser - As Universal Access Program Coordinator for New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), Ms. Fraser has worked since 2001 to improve accessibility to NYSDEC programs. Prior to her current assignment, she worked in DEC's office of Legislative Affairs and as the Assistant Editor of the Conservationist, NYSDEC's award winning magazine.

Training

The workshop consists of both classroom instruction and outdoor trail sessions. Generally, easier trails, with some variation of conditions, will be used for training first. More challenging trails and a greater variety of trail conditions will be introduced later on. At the end of the second day, a certification exam will be given. Participants who score 70% or higher can become certified by UTAP and American Trails, a national nonprofit trails organization.

After successful completion of the UTAP workshop, and in return for this free training, each participant works with Parks & Trails New York staff to select at least 3 miles of trails, in their home region, to assess during the next year. The trails have be chosen from among those displayed in the Trail Finder Maps on this site. Parks & Trails New York helps each participant organize others to assist with these trail assessments. The accessibility information will then be added to the Trail Finder maps.

Note: We are not hosting UTAP trainings at time.

Costs:

The UTAP training are provided free of charge. In return, each selected participant will be required to evaluate a minimum of 3 miles of trail within twelve months. As part of this training, the following will be provided:

  • Two days of UTAP instruction with free use of facilities and parking
  • On-site lunch, snacks and drinks both days
  • Dinner on Friday & breakfast on Saturday
  • Training kit
  • Free use of UTAP tool kits during training sessions
  • Accommodations

Other costs NOT COVERED by Parks & Trails New York include:

  • All travel expenses to and from the training
  • Dinner

Note: Parks &Trails New York may be able to offer scholarship reimbursement money to cover travel expenses for those with financial need.

  

 
           
 

29 Elk Street * Albany, NY 12207 * (ph) 518-434-1583 * (fax) 518-427-0067 * ptny@ptny.org