Students design trail signage, map boxes
By Kerri Rempp
Discover Northwest Nebraska
A project designed to inspire college students to create a business project will have a lasting impact on the Chadron State College trail system.
Four students were awarded grant funding to carry out their proposal of installing trail signage and map boxes at the trailheads south of the campus, and the project will be completed this spring.
Elizabeth Heger of Underwood, North Dakota, Lillina Foose of Burlington, Colorado, both freshmen, along with Logan Parde, a sophomore from Ceresco, and Siddhant Shelke from Pune, India, who graduated in December, were one of the three groups awarded $2,500 in grant funding through the program by the Rural Business Leadership Initiative.
RBLI is open to business majors through an application process, and this is the first year for the pitch program that required students to create and pitch a proposal. Eleven groups pitched projects they worked on from September to November of 2022, Foose said. Their group settled on the trail signage project after learning about a similar project in one of the member’s hometowns. The students felt it would have an impact on their fellow students and the community at large, Foose said.
An avid hiker and outdoor lover, Heger embraced the project as a way to build awareness of the trail system, especially among the college’s student population.
“There’s a large number of students that do not know (the trails) are there,” Heger said. She hopes the project will increase usage of the trail and positively impact the health and fitness of those who become regular users.
These examples were used to create trail signage and map boxes for the Chadron State College Trails by a group of RBLI students. Courtesy photos
Having the signs and maps will also increase safety for trail users, as they will be able to better prepare for their hike or bike ride, Foose said.
The plan includes installing wayfinding signs with the trail names and mileage at each of the three major trailheads, with a fourth at the path to the labyrinth. In addition, map boxes will be installed and contain printed copies of the trails map.
The group worked with several entities in the community to make the project possible. The Chadron High School shop classes will build the map boxes, local designer Jade Smith created the maps and flyers the students are using, and the Northwest Nebraska Trails Association helped the students determine what the signs should contain and look like. NNTA will also help keep the map boxes filled, and the Chadron State College maintenance department will maintain the signs and boxes.
The group also presented their proposal to the Chadron Rotary Club, an effort that led to them partnering with Rotary on the upcoming Sneaky Leprechaun 5K on March 17 (sign-ups at https://www.webscorer.com/register?pid=1&raceid=301950). Foose said the goal is to have the signs and boxes installed ahead of the race, though that is weather dependent. If that is impossible, the signage and boxes, which have an all-natural look to blend in with the environment, will be installed before the end of the spring semester.
Overall, Heger and Foose enjoyed the project and are excited to make an impact in the community they will call home for the next few years.
“I think it’s really beneficial to go through the process of planning, budgeting and the outreach to the community,” Foose said.
The goal of RBLI is to create leaders and help students see the possibilities in rural business, Heger said.
“This is a stepping stone.”
The Northwest Nebraska Trail Guide includes many of the trails open to hiking, biking and horseback riding throughout the region, including the Chadron State College trails. An electronic version can be downloaded at https://discovernwnebraska.com/area-map-and-trail-guide/ or a printed copy of the pocket guide can be picked up at the Chadron Chamber of Commerce.