Meet RCC’s Director of Duke Energy TRAILS Program
Jul 26, 2017Tim Johnson has joined the faculty and staff of Rockingham Community College as Director of TRAILS, a new outdoor skills training program of study. Thanks to a $700,000 gift from Duke Energy, TRAILS will prepare students for careers in outdoor recreation.
Since May 2016, Johnson was employed by Burke County Department of Community Development in Morganton, NC as Operations Manager where he led implementation efforts and provided technical oversight for the Fonta Flora State Trail – Lake James Section. During that time, Johnson was self-employed as a trail and greenway consultant providing professional consulting services and technical assistance to a variety of government and non-profit agencies, landowners, and trail-user groups assisting with the acquisition, construction, and management of multipurpose trails and greenways. From November 2008 until April 2016, Johnson was a Regional Trails Specialist with the NC State Trails Program of the NC Division of Parks and Recreation in Nebo, NC. Johnson has been employed as a park ranger, backcountry ranger, and campground interpreter. During his college years, he was a volunteer for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Johnson holds a Master of Arts in Geography from Appalachian State University and a Bachelor of Science in Parks and Recreation Management from Western Carolina University. Prior to entering Western Carolina University, Johnson earned an Associate in Applied Science in Forest Management from Haywood Community College.
RCC will begin offering courses in the Duke Energy TRAILS program this fall. Sustainable Trail Design and Layout is a six-hour workshop held on August 12 and 19. The workshop is limited to 20 participants. Participants will begin with desktop trail planning using USGS topographic maps. Fieldwork during this workshop includes layout, corridor flagging, and pin flagging of the trail alignment. Intro to Kayaking and Canoeing begins September 12.
“I am very excited about being part of the Duke Energy TRAILS program at Rockingham Community College. It is a unique opportunity that will provide citizens in the Dan River region, North Carolina, Virginia, and the southeastern United States valuable and important training in the outdoor recreation and sustainable trail planning, construction, maintenance, and management fields,” said Johnson. “This program will develop outdoor leaders with the technical skills needed to be successful, and it will also help further expand the recreational opportunities enjoyed by local residents and visitors to the Dan River Basin. I am eager to share my experiences and knowledge with others to make a difference in the region and across the state.”
Duke Energy TRAILS at Rockingham Community College is the first community college recreational program of its kind in the region. It is designed to teach valuable hands-on skills while remaining grounded in learning through community service and service-inspired leadership. TRAILS is an acronym for “Trail Recreation and Adventure Institute for Leadership and Service.”
For more information on TRAILS, call 336-342-4261. Check us out online at www.rockinghamcc.edu. Start Local and Go Far at Rockingham Community College.
