10 May Tread Lightly! Impact Report: Ocala National Forest OHV Trail Safety and Crossing Post Installation

Florida Project #3
Project: Ocala National Forest OHV Trail Safety and Crossing Post Installation
Location: Ocala National Forest, Florida

Description: This project was funded by Can-Am Off-Road. Can-Am has committed to funding four trail stewardship projects in the state of Florida in partnership with Tread Lightly! to help maintain and improve access to public lands and off-road trails. 

On April 29, 2023, five teams of OHV support crews gathered to work on the 25-mile Longleaf Trail of the Ocala National Forest. Together volunteers cleaned, replaced, and installed trail marking posts that provide riders with trail information, directional markings, and indication of vehicle types permitted on the trail. The Longleaf Trail intersects with four other trails in the Ocala National Forest with differing types of vehicle access from motorcycles to full-size 4×4 vehicles, so accurate and visible trail marking is important for rider safety and trail protection. Over the years, trail posts have been damaged, faded, or stolen, which can cause potential accidents.

The teams were comprised of US Forest Service land managers, Tread Lightly! and Can-Am staff, and seven volunteers, six of whom were first-time trail maintenance volunteers.

Thank you to the partners that supported this project:

• Can-Am Off-Road
• US Forest Service

“Visitor and employee safety is of the utmost importance at the Ocala National Forest, so having Tread Lightly! and Can-Am helping us improve our trail signage was not only an incredible service but it was also a lot of fun. The event was a complete success thanks to all their support and planning. I heard nothing but good things from the group of volunteers that participated, which are interested in joining future events. I hope this is just my first of many collaborations with Tread Lightly!” –  Lorena Cortés Torres, Recreation Management Specialist, Ocala National Forest                                                                                                                             

“Despite living in Phoenix, I was honored to be able to attend this project with the amazing team from the USFS, our Tread Lightly! Program Manager and the great volunteers who gave up their Saturday to ‘do their part’. ‘Thank you’ just doesn’t seem enough for all support that Can-Am has been providing to so many trail restoration projects all over the country. We couldn’t have done it with this support from Can-Am.”-Matt Caldwell, Tread Lightly! Executive Director