OPA Adopt-A-Trail Program
To An Equestrian Community Trails Are Like Jewels -- Trails are not just an amenity to the Orange Park Acres community; they are the structural backbone that helps to hold the community together. They are prized and appreciated by all, who use and live near them. Most remarkably, the majority of the trails within OPA are funded and maintained solely through the effort
s of volunteers. –An army of volunteers, as a fact. With this in mind, the OPA Adopt-a-Trail program was created, so that all can help in keeping our OPA trail system safe, healthy, and inviting for everyone. Adopt-A-Trail Reporting -- At its simplest, the program calls upon our natural awareness, as we enjoy the trails, to notice and report things of concern. This communication is key to getting things done. The community’s collective awareness will help in our primary goal of correcting trail hazards. It will, also, allow for quicker maintenance of erosion issues, vegetation control, and trash clean-up. It is hoped that some will take this idea a step further and become the eyes and ears of a specific trail or area; whereby, volunteers would regularly monitor and report on it when necessary. If small issues arise and volunteers felt capable of correcting the situation, they are welcome to take action on their own. Can You Help For An Hour Or Two? -- The next level of trail help needed is with small, hands-on projects. These may take an hour or two with the combined effort of a few volunteers. We hope to compile a list of people, who we can call on from time to time, who don’t mind getting their hands dirty. When these small projects come up, volunteers will be notified when, where, and what tools are needed. Can we add you to the Adopt-A-Trail crew list? Large Trail Projects Need Many Hands -- From time to time, trail maintenance projects are so large that a small army and hefty funding are needed. These types of projects will be planned and directed by the OPA Board and OPA Trails Committee. When the call goes out to the community, your help is seriously needed. We hope that you will turn out to work shoulder to shoulder with your neighbors for the benefit of the community. –All hands on deck! Have Dumpster—Can Share -- There is another way you can help, which takes no physical effort on your part. If you have a trash dumpster that sits near the street and it’s not usually full on collection day, why not let us put some trail clippings or trash in it, from time to time? We are compiling a list of dumpsters and their pickup days, so we can strategically get rid of a good deal without impacting anyone. We promise not to take advantage of your generosity. Please contact us, if you have room in your dumpster. A Hidden Treasure Of Neighborhood Resources “I know a guy, who knows a guy…” -- The list of materials and services, needed to keep our trail system maintained and safe, is long and oft times costly. Yet, we have an untapped wealth of professionally skilled neighbors, who would be happy to help out in some way if they knew a need existed. To connect these two, OPA Adopt-A-Trail is building a resource list of neighbors, who would be willing to donate services, expertise, or materials to benefit the community. The list includes: vinyl fencing, lumber, fill dirt, DG, road base, tractors & drivers, soil transport, hand tool retailer, trees, etc. OPA Adopt-A-Trail is a great way to meet your neighbors and contribute meaningfully to your community. If you have any questions, would like to volunteer, or donate in any way, send us a Private Message and we'll reply right back. For those who are already part of the OPA Adopt-A-Trail program… Thank You For All You Do!
