Inside Furman is published quarterly by the Furman University Department of Marketing and Public Relations. For story ideas, e-mail John Roberts, editor.
Trails could be expanded under new master plan
Chainsaws, swing blades and shovels in hand, a dedicated and sweaty group of university employees and summer school students joined with a local Boy Scout group during the summer of 1995 to help carve out nearly four miles of campus trails.
The winding wooded pathways – traversing streams and creeks – offer a convenient respite from busy campus life. Immersed in foliage and wildlife they are an inviting place for quiet reflection and renewal.
But despite a recent promotional campaign and new signage, few trod off the beaten path to explore the trails.
According to a study completed last fall by the department of planning and institutional research, only six percent of faculty, staff and students surveyed said they accessed the trails more than 10 times a month. And more than a third said they never used the trails. About the same number reported not knowing the university trail system existed. Three hundred and sixty people – 229 students, 76 staff and 57 faculty – completed the survey.
While giving the trail system generally good marks, a trail master plan completed last spring by Trail Dynamics of Cedar Mountain, N.C. recommended several ways for the university to boost traffic and improve condition of the trails.
Due to soil erosion and recent flooding, portions of the trails should be rerouted and paths be surfaced with wood chips and crushed stone to improve footing. The study also recommended that chain-linked fencing near the trails be removed to avoid a “prison like feel”.
The 20-page document also called for boardwalks to be constructed in floodplain areas; for existing bridges to be strengthened and new ones added. It also suggested that campus clubs and outside sponsors share the “sweat equity” needed to keep the trails in good condition.
The plan was submitted to a newly created Campus Trails Task Force early last fall. The 15-member group, comprised of employees, students and community members, is charged with brainstorming options to improve – and perhaps add to – the university's trail network.
Health and Exercise Science Professor Julian Reed says the university has applied for a $100,000 state grant ($20,000 of which would be matched by Furman) that, if approved, would help fund some of the suggested improvements. Reed says he will be notified in March if the grant proposal has been accepted.
If funded, comprehensive trail improvements would be done in phases. A section of trail behind the Bell Tower has been tentatively targeted as a pilot area.
Reed says he would like student clubs, area businesses and members of the community to take ownership in the trails and provide the labor needed to keep the paths clear of debris.
“Our grounds crew has plenty on their plate,” says Reed, who has cleared campus trails on the weekends. “There are very few colleges that have organized trail systems. We should take great pride in the one we have and work to both improve it and get the word out.”
A student-conducted study completed in October estimated that during a typical fall week more than 2,000 people use paved walkway behind the lake. Only 176 went trailing.
“We need to find a way to divert some of that traffic,” says Reed.