Road Construction and Maintenance Workshop for Landowners

The "Low-Volume Private-Access Road Construction and Maintenance" workshop will be held Tuesday, September 20, 2016 at the Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory in Otto, NC. Forestland owners, farmland owners, homeowners, and homeowner association representatives are invited to register.

Mainspring Conservation Trust is sponsoring the event in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service and Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory. Funding support for the workshop is from the North Carolina Nonpoint Source 319 Grant Program.

Poorly constructed and maintained private access roads are a significant source of sediment to our streams in the Southern Appalachian mountains. Proper road construction and maintenance is beneficial for the landowner and the environment, reducing long-term maintenance costs and keeping soil on site and out of our waterways.

Topics covered will include planning, layout, and construction of new roads, and maintenance and reconstruction of existing roads. The workshop will be led by Dr. Lloyd Swift, retired researcher from Coweeta, two professional engineers, Ed Haight and Philip Moore, and an experienced local contractor, Lewis Penland. The all-day workshop will include morning classroom and afternoon field sessions. Landowners will leave the workshop with a working knowledge of proven methods for road construction and maintenance, enabling them to converse effectively with road and grading contractors.

Representatives from agencies such as Macon Soil & Water Conservation District, NC Forest Service, and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service will be on hand to provide information on resources and programs available to landowners.

Registration is limited to 30 landowners. Rain date is September 27. Cost is $30 per person and includes lunch. If you have questions please call Mainspring at 828-524-2711 or email sburdette@mainspringconserves.org.