{"id":77160,"date":"2026-05-19T08:40:51","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T12:40:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/?p=77160"},"modified":"2026-05-27T08:26:36","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T12:26:36","slug":"the-chattanooga-trails-utc-program-trains-students-in-trail-building-and-conservation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/the-chattanooga-trails-utc-program-trains-students-in-trail-building-and-conservation\/","title":{"rendered":"The Chattanooga Trails: UTC program trains students in trail building and conservation"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"A

Patrick Kelly and his class are going over final instructions before working on the trail. Photo by Angela Foster.<\/p><\/div>\n

Equipped with crowbars, saws and loppers, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga students are clearing and rebuilding overgrown trails as part of a new Trail Building and Management course.<\/p>\n

Students in the Department of Health and Human Performance\u2019s Sport, Outdoor Recreation and Tourism Management (SORT) program are making a positive impact on the Chattanooga community by removing rotten steps, cleaning man-made waste and clearing forest trails.<\/p>\n

As part of the Trail Building and Management course, students have received classroom instruction and applied their knowledge to local trails.<\/p>\n

It is the first time the course has been offered and is taught by Adjunct Professor Patrick Kelly, who has over 25 years of experience in the field. He currently serves as the stewardship director of the Lula Lake Land Trust and previously worked with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service and AmeriCorps, teaching environmental stewardship and conservation.<\/p>\n

UC Foundation Professor Andrew Bailey, the SORT program coordinator, explained that this course is a necessity in Chattanooga.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe issue is we have hundreds and hundreds of miles of trail in Chattanooga, hiking, biking, access to climbing and access to boating,\u201d Bailey said. \u201cWe built it all out, some of it through official means and some of it by renegade people out there digging a trail. It\u2019s nice because we have all this access, but we have one person in the entire county who\u2019s in charge of maintaining all of these things.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re trying to transition as an industry. We need to really build up the skills of people moving through this course and schools and also in our community. They can\u2019t just be volunteers all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bailey wanted \u201cexperienced people\u201d to teach the course, so he reached out to Kelly.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe can prepare for any contingency in the field that I wouldn\u2019t be able to do,\u201d Bailey said. \u201cHe has them laying everything out in GIS the same way he would for the job. The specific skillset needed for this class, he has really honed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Patrick

The Trail Building and Management is a new course in the SORT catalog.<\/p><\/div>\n

Through AmeriCorps, Kelly taught a similar age range for six months at a time and described the UTC course as \u201cfilling a gap.\u201d He said the goal is not necessarily to make students professional trail builders, but to give them broader conservation knowledge.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s giving them a taste of every little aspect of managing land and managing trails,\u201d Kelly explained. \u201cIf they\u2019re ever taking any jobs in recreation with the city, the recreation department and parks are always intertwined.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve noticed that land managers are finding themselves responsible for a trail and they\u2019re like, \u2018I know how to ride on them. I know how to work with users and program for them. How do you maintain them? How do you go through really identifying the hazards of it?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

The class performed two trail reroutes. This required planning and preparation before taking action, including identifying trail hazards, maintenance needs and required tools.<\/p>\n

Kelly and his students partnered with the City of Chattanooga to help reopen the trail, provided GPS maps and highlighted the concerns.<\/p>\n

\"Olivia

Olivia Steele is clearing brush with tools, working on the beginning of a new trailhead.<\/p><\/div>\n

Chattanooga native Olivia Steele used loppers to cut branches to establish a new trailhead, relocating the start from steps that were no longer usable because of rot.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight now, we\u2019re making little steps so that we can start to clear out some more greenery,\u201d said Steele, a junior at UTC. \u201cWe\u2019re extending the trailhead so that it\u2019s a slower grade to go up the trail. We don\u2019t have to build steps, which is the big thing.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re using what\u2019s already here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Steele enjoyed being out of the classroom and in the field, which she called her \u201cpassion.\u201d A runner and a member of the UTC cross country and track and field teams, she loves the outdoors and hopes to work in the field one day.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been hiking since I was in middle school, maybe even elementary school,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019ve always wanted to learn how they build trails and the engineering behind it all. This would also be a useful tool to have moving forward in life, to know how to build a trail.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fellow student Drew Vetter used a crowbar to remove the rotten wooden steps at the start of the old trailhead, a major safety hazard and one of the reasons the trail was closed.<\/p>\n

A SORT major and Eagle Scout, the junior is one of the few students with experience in trail building.<\/p>\n

\u201cI built a trail for my Eagle project, which was the main reason this caught my eye,\u201d Vetter said. \u201cIt\u2019s a pretty cool skill to have. You can go into the Conservation Corps with this. You go into professional trail building, which is a newer job field but is really fast-growing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bailey hopes to build the program\u2019s infrastructure and continue building community partners to help support the \u201cfast-growing\u201d industry.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you\u2019re talking about managing an area, building and maintaining trails, the recreationists that come, conservation, there\u2019s no good class to do that,\u201d Bailey said. \u201cWe\u2019re trying to train students so that they can have those skills to step right into those positions when they get out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Learn more<\/h4>\n

Department of Health and Human Performance<\/a><\/p>\n

Sport, Outdoor Recreation and Tourism Management<\/a><\/p>\n

Visit UTC<\/a><\/p>\n

How to apply<\/a><\/p>\n

Photo gallery by Angela Foster<\/h4>\n
\"Two <\/a>
Students work on a Stringers Ridge trail Thursday, April 2, 2026 in Patrick Kelly\u2019s Trail Building and Management class. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Two <\/a>
Students work on a Stringers Ridge trail Thursday, April 2, 2026 in Patrick Kelly\u2019s Trail Building and Management class. <\/div> <\/div>
\"Someone <\/a>
Students work on a Stringers Ridge trail Thursday, April 2, 2026 in Patrick Kelly\u2019s Trail Building and Management class. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Two <\/a>
Students work on a Stringers Ridge trail Thursday, April 2, 2026 in Patrick Kelly\u2019s Trail Building and Management class. <\/div> <\/div>
\"A <\/a>
Students work on a Stringers Ridge trail Thursday, April 2, 2026 in Patrick Kelly\u2019s Trail Building and Management class. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"A <\/a>
Students work on a Stringers Ridge trail Thursday, April 2, 2026 in Patrick Kelly\u2019s Trail Building and Management class. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Two <\/a>
Students work on a Stringers Ridge trail Thursday, April 2, 2026 in Patrick Kelly\u2019s Trail Building and Management class. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Two <\/a>
Students work on a Stringers Ridge trail Thursday, April 2, 2026 in Patrick Kelly\u2019s Trail Building and Management class. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Patrick <\/a>
Students work on a Stringers Ridge trail Thursday, April 2, 2026 in Patrick Kelly\u2019s Trail Building and Management class. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"A <\/a>
Students work on a Stringers Ridge trail Thursday, April 2, 2026 in Patrick Kelly\u2019s Trail Building and Management class. <\/div> <\/div>
\"Two <\/a>
Students work on a Stringers Ridge trail Thursday, April 2, 2026 in Patrick Kelly\u2019s Trail Building and Management class. <\/div> <\/div>
\"Students <\/a>
Students work on a Stringers Ridge trail Thursday, April 2, 2026 in Patrick Kelly\u2019s Trail Building and Management class. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Two <\/a>
Students work on a Stringers Ridge trail Thursday, April 2, 2026 in Patrick Kelly\u2019s Trail Building and Management class. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Olivia <\/a>
Students work on a Stringers Ridge trail Thursday, April 2, 2026 in Patrick Kelly\u2019s Trail Building and Management class. <\/div> <\/div>
\"A <\/a>
Students work on a Stringers Ridge trail Thursday, April 2, 2026 in Patrick Kelly\u2019s Trail Building and Management class. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"A <\/a>
Students work on a Stringers Ridge trail Thursday, April 2, 2026 in Patrick Kelly\u2019s Trail Building and Management class. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"A <\/a>
Students work on a Stringers Ridge trail Thursday, April 2, 2026 in Patrick Kelly\u2019s Trail Building and Management class. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Students in the Department of Health and Human Performance\u2019s Sport, Outdoor Recreation and Tourism Management (SORT) program are making a positive impact on the Chattanooga community by removing rotten steps, cleaning man-made waste and clearing forest trails.<\/p>\n

Continue Reading <\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2058,"featured_media":77186,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_slider":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_featurette":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[64,70,123864,56,3,12659,7712,12806,8325,661],"tags":[48443,5012,123827,123826,127119,127061,123828,127120,124776,127118,123829,127117],"class_list":{"0":"post-77160","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-academics","8":"category-advancement-and-alumni","9":"category-college-of-health-education-and-professional-studies","10":"category-community","11":"category-events-entertainment","12":"category-faculty-and-staff","13":"category-health-and-human-performance","14":"category-news","15":"category-service","16":"category-students","17":"tag-andrew-bailey","18":"tag-city-of-chattanooga","19":"tag-creating-the-mocs-experience","20":"tag-cultivating-a-culture-of-innovation","21":"tag-drew-vetter","22":"tag-goal-5-1-community-engagement-strategic-plan-2030","23":"tag-leveraging-our-special-place-as-chattanoogas-university","24":"tag-lula-lake-land-trust","25":"tag-mocs-learn-mocs-do-mocs-lead","26":"tag-olivia-steele","27":"tag-operating-with-excellence","28":"tag-patrick-kelly","29":"entry"},"yoast_head":"\nThe Chattanooga Trails: UTC program trains students in trail building and conservation | UTC News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Students in the Department of Health and Human Performance\u2019s Sport, Outdoor Recreation and Tourism Management (SORT) program are making a positive impact on the Chattanooga community by removing rotten steps, cleaning man-made waste and clearing forest trails.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/the-chattanooga-trails-utc-program-trains-students-in-trail-building-and-conservation\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Chattanooga Trails: UTC program trains students in trail building and conservation | UTC News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Students in the Department of Health and Human Performance\u2019s Sport, Outdoor Recreation and Tourism Management (SORT) program are making a positive impact on the Chattanooga community by removing rotten steps, cleaning man-made waste and clearing forest trails.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/the-chattanooga-trails-utc-program-trains-students-in-trail-building-and-conservation\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"UTC News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/UTChattanooga\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-19T12:40:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-05-27T12:26:36+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/05\/TRAILFEATURE.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"650\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"437\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Carter Graham\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@UTChattanooga\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@UTChattanooga\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Carter Graham\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/the-chattanooga-trails-utc-program-trains-students-in-trail-building-and-conservation\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/the-chattanooga-trails-utc-program-trains-students-in-trail-building-and-conservation\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Carter Graham\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/1b0f2dbb1c380cadad48feb10729eebb\"},\"headline\":\"The Chattanooga Trails: UTC program trains students in trail building and conservation\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-19T12:40:51+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-27T12:26:36+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/the-chattanooga-trails-utc-program-trains-students-in-trail-building-and-conservation\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":979,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/the-chattanooga-trails-utc-program-trains-students-in-trail-building-and-conservation\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/app\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/9\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/TRAILFEATURE.jpg?fit=650%2C437&ssl=1\",\"keywords\":[\"Andrew Bailey\",\"City of Chattanooga\",\"Creating the Mocs Experience\",\"Cultivating a Culture of Innovation\",\"Drew Vetter\",\"Goal 5.1 - Community Engagement - Strategic Plan 2030\",\"Leveraging Our Special Place as Chattanooga\u2019s University\",\"Lula Lake Land Trust\",\"Mocs Learn Mocs Do Mocs Lead\",\"Olivia Steele\",\"Operating with Excellence\",\"Patrick Kelly\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Academics\",\"Advancement and Alumni\",\"College of Health, Education and Professional Studies\",\"Community\",\"Events and Entertainment\",\"Faculty and Staff\",\"Health and Human Performance\",\"News\",\"Service\",\"Students\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/the-chattanooga-trails-utc-program-trains-students-in-trail-building-and-conservation\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/the-chattanooga-trails-utc-program-trains-students-in-trail-building-and-conservation\\\/\",\"name\":\"The Chattanooga Trails: UTC program trains students in trail building and conservation | UTC News\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/the-chattanooga-trails-utc-program-trains-students-in-trail-building-and-conservation\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/the-chattanooga-trails-utc-program-trains-students-in-trail-building-and-conservation\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/app\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/9\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/TRAILFEATURE.jpg?fit=650%2C437&ssl=1\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-19T12:40:51+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-27T12:26:36+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/1b0f2dbb1c380cadad48feb10729eebb\"},\"description\":\"Students in the Department of Health and Human Performance\u2019s Sport, Outdoor Recreation and Tourism Management (SORT) program are making a positive impact on the Chattanooga community by removing rotten steps, cleaning man-made waste and clearing forest trails.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/the-chattanooga-trails-utc-program-trains-students-in-trail-building-and-conservation\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/the-chattanooga-trails-utc-program-trains-students-in-trail-building-and-conservation\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/the-chattanooga-trails-utc-program-trains-students-in-trail-building-and-conservation\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/app\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/9\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/TRAILFEATURE.jpg?fit=650%2C437&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/app\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/9\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/TRAILFEATURE.jpg?fit=650%2C437&ssl=1\",\"width\":650,\"height\":437,\"caption\":\"Patrick Kelly and his class are going over final instructions before working on the trail. Photo by Angela Foster.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/the-chattanooga-trails-utc-program-trains-students-in-trail-building-and-conservation\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The Chattanooga Trails: UTC program trains students in trail building and conservation\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/\",\"name\":\"UTC News\",\"description\":\"Official news releases of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/1b0f2dbb1c380cadad48feb10729eebb\",\"name\":\"Carter Graham\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/a3d61df1fee2e9ca6aa937a72b1155dd60503f86eb0efe8ecb7f8e0f1f718ce8?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/a3d61df1fee2e9ca6aa937a72b1155dd60503f86eb0efe8ecb7f8e0f1f718ce8?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/a3d61df1fee2e9ca6aa937a72b1155dd60503f86eb0efe8ecb7f8e0f1f718ce8?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Carter Graham\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/author\\\/dfl237\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Chattanooga Trails: UTC program trains students in trail building and conservation | UTC News","description":"Students in the Department of Health and Human Performance\u2019s Sport, Outdoor Recreation and Tourism Management (SORT) program are making a positive impact on the Chattanooga community by removing rotten steps, cleaning man-made waste and clearing forest trails.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/the-chattanooga-trails-utc-program-trains-students-in-trail-building-and-conservation\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Chattanooga Trails: UTC program trains students in trail building and conservation | UTC News","og_description":"Students in the Department of Health and Human Performance\u2019s Sport, Outdoor Recreation and Tourism Management (SORT) program are making a positive impact on the Chattanooga community by removing rotten steps, cleaning man-made waste and clearing forest trails.","og_url":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/the-chattanooga-trails-utc-program-trains-students-in-trail-building-and-conservation\/","og_site_name":"UTC News","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/UTChattanooga","article_published_time":"2026-05-19T12:40:51+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-05-27T12:26:36+00:00","og_image":[{"width":650,"height":437,"url":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/05\/TRAILFEATURE.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Carter Graham","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@UTChattanooga","twitter_site":"@UTChattanooga","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Carter Graham","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/the-chattanooga-trails-utc-program-trains-students-in-trail-building-and-conservation\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/the-chattanooga-trails-utc-program-trains-students-in-trail-building-and-conservation\/"},"author":{"name":"Carter Graham","@id":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/1b0f2dbb1c380cadad48feb10729eebb"},"headline":"The Chattanooga Trails: UTC program trains students in trail building and conservation","datePublished":"2026-05-19T12:40:51+00:00","dateModified":"2026-05-27T12:26:36+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/the-chattanooga-trails-utc-program-trains-students-in-trail-building-and-conservation\/"},"wordCount":979,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/the-chattanooga-trails-utc-program-trains-students-in-trail-building-and-conservation\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/05\/TRAILFEATURE.jpg?fit=650%2C437&ssl=1","keywords":["Andrew Bailey","City of Chattanooga","Creating the Mocs Experience","Cultivating a Culture of Innovation","Drew Vetter","Goal 5.1 - Community Engagement - Strategic Plan 2030","Leveraging Our Special Place as Chattanooga\u2019s University","Lula Lake Land Trust","Mocs Learn Mocs Do Mocs Lead","Olivia Steele","Operating with Excellence","Patrick Kelly"],"articleSection":["Academics","Advancement and Alumni","College of Health, Education and Professional Studies","Community","Events and Entertainment","Faculty and Staff","Health and Human Performance","News","Service","Students"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/the-chattanooga-trails-utc-program-trains-students-in-trail-building-and-conservation\/","url":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/the-chattanooga-trails-utc-program-trains-students-in-trail-building-and-conservation\/","name":"The Chattanooga Trails: UTC program trains students in trail building and conservation | UTC News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/the-chattanooga-trails-utc-program-trains-students-in-trail-building-and-conservation\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/the-chattanooga-trails-utc-program-trains-students-in-trail-building-and-conservation\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/05\/TRAILFEATURE.jpg?fit=650%2C437&ssl=1","datePublished":"2026-05-19T12:40:51+00:00","dateModified":"2026-05-27T12:26:36+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/1b0f2dbb1c380cadad48feb10729eebb"},"description":"Students in the Department of Health and Human Performance\u2019s Sport, Outdoor Recreation and Tourism Management (SORT) program are making a positive impact on the Chattanooga community by removing rotten steps, cleaning man-made waste and clearing forest trails.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/the-chattanooga-trails-utc-program-trains-students-in-trail-building-and-conservation\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/the-chattanooga-trails-utc-program-trains-students-in-trail-building-and-conservation\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/the-chattanooga-trails-utc-program-trains-students-in-trail-building-and-conservation\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/05\/TRAILFEATURE.jpg?fit=650%2C437&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/05\/TRAILFEATURE.jpg?fit=650%2C437&ssl=1","width":650,"height":437,"caption":"Patrick Kelly and his class are going over final instructions before working on the trail. Photo by Angela Foster."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/the-chattanooga-trails-utc-program-trains-students-in-trail-building-and-conservation\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The Chattanooga Trails: UTC program trains students in trail building and conservation"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/","name":"UTC News","description":"Official news releases of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/1b0f2dbb1c380cadad48feb10729eebb","name":"Carter Graham","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a3d61df1fee2e9ca6aa937a72b1155dd60503f86eb0efe8ecb7f8e0f1f718ce8?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a3d61df1fee2e9ca6aa937a72b1155dd60503f86eb0efe8ecb7f8e0f1f718ce8?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a3d61df1fee2e9ca6aa937a72b1155dd60503f86eb0efe8ecb7f8e0f1f718ce8?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Carter Graham"},"url":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/author\/dfl237\/"}]}},"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/05\/TRAILFEATURE.jpg?resize=600%2C400&ssl=1","featured_image_src_square":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/05\/TRAILFEATURE.jpg?resize=600%2C437&ssl=1","author_info":{"display_name":"Carter Graham","author_link":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/author\/dfl237\/"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/05\/TRAILFEATURE.jpg?fit=650%2C437&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77160","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2058"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=77160"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77160\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":77200,"href":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77160\/revisions\/77200"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/77186"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=77160"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=77160"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=77160"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}