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Bridging the Divide | Mountain magazine | Mountain Media
The Continental Divide Trail Coalition (CDTC) is a national non-profit organization working to protect, preserve, and promote the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail and support volunteer Trail Stewardship to connect to our natural places, our history and legacy through our connections to the Trail. We are building a movement on behalf of the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail, and hope you’ll join us in helping to preserve, protect and promote this American Legacy!
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Thursday, May 30, 2013
We need you to help us Find Our Way on the Continental Divide Trail
photo courtesy of Jack Haskel
The Continental Divide Trail Coalition (CDTC) became an official 501(c)(3) non-profit organization less than a year ago in November 2012. We’re coming together to rally the outdoor community to generate seed funding to protect the current and future state of the CDT. Federal funds for land preservation are slowly being restricted due to sequestration and cuts to federal spending in general. The trail corridor and its preservation is falling through the cracks, and we are facing great capacity difficulties in maintaining what so many have worked so hard to build.
From 1995 to early 2012, the primary supporter of the Continental Divide Trail was the Continental Divide Trail Alliance (CDTA). The CDTA ceased operations in January of 2012, leaving a large gap in trail stewardship, advocacy and support. Passionate trail management professionals and volunteers have made it their mission to continue building and sustaining the CDT through this new organization, the Continental Divide Trail Coalition (CDTC).
Why Now?
With your help we are the only ones who can preserve and protect this incredible resource. We hope to rally a passionate body of supporters, connectors and outdoor enthusiasts to invest in the protection of our precious Continental Divide Trail. CDTC has launched a campaign to directly support much needed map making, data collection, volunteer trail building and national advocacy efforts. Please consider contributing, sharing or organizing a small event to help us reach our financial goal as this unique treasure belongs to you, to us and to all the generations to follow.
Here is the link to our campaign: Finding Our Way on the Continental Divide Trail
We Thank you, but most of all the Trail Thank's YOU!
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Each and Every One of Us has a story that Connects Us to the Trail.
Last
night, we heard from one of CDTC's Founding Board Member's Teresa Martinez.
She moved us with the following emotional and meaningful words and we
wanted to share them with all of you. Thank you for joining us in our
movement, but let's keep dancing because we still have a long way to go.
Good
Evening!
My
name is Teresa Martinez and it is my extreme pleasure to welcome all of you
tonight to the Official Launch of the Continental Divide Trail Coalition, and
the kick off of our Crowdfunding Campaign: Finding Our Way on the Continental
Divide
Before
I get too far along, I want to take this moment to thank and recognize some
very important people here tonight with out whom, all of this would not be
possible.
Our
sponsors of tonight’s event: AC Golden Brewery, Great Harvest of
Lakewood and Jim Hansman who is here tonight, Whole Foods of Governers Ranch, Cruz In,
Deutsch Wines, Safeway, King Super, and the American Mountaineering Center Staff who have
been just outstanding!
I
also want to thank everyone who helped with stories, images, support, technical
skills who helped get us here and ready for our countdown: Paul “Mags”
Magnanti, Lawton “Disco” Grinter, Felicia “POD” Hermasillo, Jon Pierson, Jerry
Brown, Kandler and Jessica Smith, Stephanie Friday-Allen, and David Dolton.
We
have many partners here as well: The Trail Show, Appalachian Trail Conservancy,
Green Packin’, American Hiking Society, Leave No Trace, Bear Creek Survey,
Wildlfire Pottery, Ula Equipment, Flagler Films, Erin Gallo, Tim Hogeboom, and
two very special partners, the Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado and Colorado
Trail Foundation who have been instrumental in keeping the volunteer effort
alive along the Continental Divide over the past year.
And
Finally: An amazingly huge Thank you goes to our amazing planning team, Jenny
Saylor, Eric Herbst, Grace Herbison, Chris Smith, Jerry and Helga Bell, Josh
and Lisa Shusko, Dana Foulks, Leanna Joyner, Jenny Gomez, and John Hildreth,
Bryan Martin, Don Owen, Kerry Shakarjian, and our event planner- Sue Gallo, and
campaign Manager-Jonathon Stalls.
As
you can see there are a lot of people who have helped get us here. And I
think this shows you that this is a “we” not a “me” venture, its an “us” not an
“I” movement.
And
this is why each and everyone of you is important, because each and everyone of
you is here because you care about the Trail, and because you have been
impacted by your adventures on the CDT, because through those adventures you
have discovered a passion that made you decide to come here and share this
moment with us.
This
is the same passion that has fueled our team since January of 2012, when the
Continental Divide Trail Alliance ceased operations and we knew we had to take
action so that the important work and accomplishments achieved by the Trail
Community up to that point...that the countless hours and efforts of dedicated
staff, volunteers, supporters, ……lovers of the CDT, would not be forgotten or
lost and this most noblest of work would continue.
And
each and every one of us has story that has brought us here.
Each and every one of us has a moment in which we saw our future
and our future included a commitment to the CDT. A commitment to the
Barbarian Utopia that Benton Mackeye the grandfather of all National Scenic
Trails spoke of in 1914, almost 100 years ago,
He
spoke of a place where we could strip ourselves of all of this stuff..
technology, lights, smart phones, noise,...and get to the heart of the matter
and rediscover or reconnect to the most fundamental of things that make us
whole human beings, travelling in nature at 3 mph, with just the bare
essentials on our backs, and learning to and having to rely and trust in
humanity to provide our community of support, and our basic needs.
Because
when we experience this, we are all transformed and we are all reawakened to
what is really important in life- experiencing the world around us, in a place
that is like no other place on our planet and where we can connect to people
who we otherwise might never experience. A place where we discover
kindred spirits out of strangers who become our family, and our sanity, in a
world often inexplicably crazy and unpredictable.
We
are transformed by the simplicity of good food, clean water, fresh air and
amazing company all in the backdrop of amazing landscapes ....while walking in
the footsteps of a history that in the very moment we place our feet on that
same hollowed ground, it becomes a part of our history, becomes a piece
of us, and we become a piece of eachother.
When
I was 18 years old, I was introduced to the Appalachian Trail. It was my
first weekend attending Virginia Tech and I went to an Outing Club meeting
where I learned that the group was one of only two college groups that had
official responsibility for maintenance of the A.T. I had no idea what
the A.T. was, but I thought it was cool to be one of only two college groups
that maintained it. That weekend there was scheduled maintenance trip along the
Trail from Bland County to Va 621, or Laurel Creek. So we gathered our
tools, paint for blazing, and we drove 1.5 hours to the trailhead where we
would begin work. We got there and then we began walking. As we were
painting blazes, I asked theTrail Supervisor: "So what do the white
blazes mean again?". And he said, "well if you head south you will end
up in Georgia and if you head north , you'll end up in Maine, all you have to do
is follow the white blazes, its the Appalachian Trail. Volunteers are
responsible for it, and now you are as a member of this club and you are
officially an A.T. Maintainer!"
And
in that moment, in that instant my whole world changed. My whole world became
bigger and bolder than I ever imagined, because in that moment I went from a 18
year old college freshman, to someone who was a part of an amazing legacy that
started in 1921, a history that led me to embark upon my own unconventional
career, my own long distance journey, and one in which has beautifully,
magically, led me here in this moment with you today.
Because
in that moment I fell in love. I fell in love and began a relationship
with not only the A.T., but the entire national trails system. In 1991, I went from a
volunteer, to a member of Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s professional staff at
the age of 21 , I hadn’t even graduated from Virginia Tech yet, but
there I was, one of the first assistant regional reps along the A.T., and
only 1 of 5 field professionals. While at ATC, I was lucky enough to have
mentors who ranged from volunteers who had testified in Congress in 1968 on behalf of the National Trails System Act, to
professional's like Don Owen who is in this room tonight, and the newest member
of CDTC's board, who wrote the book on how to protect the A.T., and ultimately
became the standard for all of our national trail protection efforts.
And
miraculously, they were people willing to teach me everything they knew. And along
the way, they instilled in me many fundamentals. The three most important of
which were:
The
importance of the volunteer- That our role was to always put the volunteer
first, and that our job was to work ourselves out of one, because we had
trained our volunteers so well, they no longer needed us.
The
Second and equally important was that its about the Trail- what was in the best
interest of the Trail, and nothing else. We had to always put the Trail first.
And
Third, that volunteering along our national trails, is one of the truest forms of citizenship we could demonstrate- by engaging in the stewardship of our
public lands, we engaged in the stewardship of the very foundations of what
makes our country so unique and special- it is true democracy in action.
And these
are the very same idals that we are focused on for the CDT and that are the
foundations of the Continental Divide Trail Coalition.
And, the
CDT needs us, I know this because I answered its call in 2007, and that call
was so strong, that it was the only thing that could ever inspire me to leave
my beloved AT Community after 15 years of commitment to its management.
And it is calling us again, because it needs all of us now more than
ever. It needs us to care, to support, to engage.
It
has called each and every one of us in this moment, to come together on its
behalf to continue to nurture each other, as much as the Trail itself. To
build a community, a family, that will always be there to keep the Trail in the
heart, minds, and souls of all of us who care about this amazing resource.
Because
the lifeblood of the CDT, like every other national Trail or Trail like
the Colorado Trail, isn’t its landscape, but rather how we interact with the
landscape and turn that experience into stewardship...into action....into
passion....into commitment..... and into a force to be reckoned with and,
it
gives us the courage to fight on its behalf to ensure that our experiences with
the CDT, the very ones that brought us here today, in this moment, are there for
every generation who follows in our foot steps and that their experience isn’t
just as good as ours, ...but better.
I
would like to think that 80 years from now, a young 18 year old student steps
foot onto the CDT for the first time, and in that moment her world will expand
beyond her wildest dreams, ....in that moment her world will change
forever, and in that moment she is going to see her future...It will be a future, that is
tied to the past.....and a past that starts - right here , right now, on May 21,
2013, and of which inspires her to spend the next 25 years, or more, committed
to not only the CDT, but the entire National Trail System, and in that
moment......she is going to fall in love, and that love will give her the
courage to embark upon a journey that introduces her to life lessons, shared
with amazing people, while in landscapes that bring her tears, and
inspires her to fight so that it doesn’t fall on her watch either……
It's official!!!! We are here!
On May 21, 2013, CDTC Celebrated its Official Organizational Kick-Off and the Launch of our Indiegogo Campaign. It was an amazing night and it was a successful night. In just 2 hours we raised $1,700, and already in our first 24 hours, we have raised over $3,700. Only $32,300 more to go! Here is our campaign link: "Finding our way on the Continental Divide".
Here are some of the images from last nights event:
Here are some of the images from last nights event:
We want to thank everyone who showed up last night and over the past 24 hours to contribute to our campaign. And, while we have made significant progress toward our $35,000 goal, we still need you to help us by sharing and supporting our campaign. Remember we need each and everyone of you!
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Our Founding Principles
Happy New Year. Yes, its a little bit late, and we realize its been a while since we have posted on our blog and we do apologize. It hasn’t been because nothing has been
happening, but rather, because so much has been happening that it been hard to
put thoughts to the keyboard.
In fact, since our last post, we became an official 501 (c) (3) organization, we hosted a Visioning Session with 12 members of our advisory committee, we refined our mission, values, and vision statements, and we have produced a 2013 CDNST Calendar. In addition we began to formally engage with our agency partners and develop our CDT Community. Even more important is we are working on our strategy for our Advocacy efforts as part of the Partnership for the National Trail System Annual Hike the Hill event in February, and finalizing our 2013 work plan. And, we promise more posts to come on these wonderful
happenings around CDTC's growth and development. But this post is
specifically to recognize the contributions of a great partner and friend to the
entire National Trail System, Pamela Underhill.
In the most current Appalachian Trail Journey’s Magazine (January –February 2013), the "Overlook" section reflected on the retirement of Pamela Underhill, Superintendent of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail Park Office (ATPO). Pamela worked for the ATPO for 33 years (37 years total for the National Park Service). During her tenure, she oversaw the development of consistent trail wide management direction for the A.T., the acquisition of hundreds of land parcels that protected the A.T. Corridor, and helped establish an extremely successful Cooperative Management System that is not only the cornerstone for the success of the efforts to manage, protect and promote the A.T., but THE model for how a private-public partnership should operate on behalf of a National Scenic Trail. It also happens to be how the culture of the A.T. Community has operated for over 90 years.
In the most current Appalachian Trail Journey’s Magazine (January –February 2013), the "Overlook" section reflected on the retirement of Pamela Underhill, Superintendent of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail Park Office (ATPO). Pamela worked for the ATPO for 33 years (37 years total for the National Park Service). During her tenure, she oversaw the development of consistent trail wide management direction for the A.T., the acquisition of hundreds of land parcels that protected the A.T. Corridor, and helped establish an extremely successful Cooperative Management System that is not only the cornerstone for the success of the efforts to manage, protect and promote the A.T., but THE model for how a private-public partnership should operate on behalf of a National Scenic Trail. It also happens to be how the culture of the A.T. Community has operated for over 90 years.
While reading this article, it was a reminder of Pamela’s amazing
leadership and fundamental philosophy. And, we found ourselves recognizing the same principles as the foundations on which we formed and have been growing CDTC to
cultivate the same culture and community for the CDNST that exists around the
A.T.
These are the principles under which Pamela Underhill led
with and inspires us to employ on behalf of all units of the National
Trail System and on behalf of all the people who love them.
(Excerpt from AT Journeys Magazine, January- February2013)
Ensure Mutual Respect: Practice the Golden Rule. You must be a good partner in order to have good partners.
Instill a
Sense of Ownership: people should feel that they are a part of something
great- something that makes the world a better place- something they expect to
pass on to their children and grandchildren.
Communicate:
Communication has to be ongoing and constant.
Nurture:
Partnerships require investments of time, effort and nurturing.
Recognize
Limitations: Take the good with the bad. There are times when volunteers
and partners might do work that is [at a different pace], of [different]
standard, or a slightly different direction than agency professionals. But there are times when they do more, do it
better, or head in a better direction that the agency would on its own.
Use Each other’s Strengths: We’ve had repeated success in dealing with both external and internal threat issues by presenting a unified front using different tactics but with the shared and targeted goal: [The Trail.]
Use Each other’s Strengths: We’ve had repeated success in dealing with both external and internal threat issues by presenting a unified front using different tactics but with the shared and targeted goal: [The Trail.]
Grow
Personal Relationships: Partnerships are about relationships, and
relationships are about people.
Remember
the Resource: Get together with your partners out on the Trail. A common
focus will result in decisions and actions with the best interest of the
resource in mind.
Leverage: Leveraging combined federal, private, and other public resources can accomplish an exponential number of projects and programs that otherwise would be prohibitively expensive or bureaucratically complex.
Leverage: Leveraging combined federal, private, and other public resources can accomplish an exponential number of projects and programs that otherwise would be prohibitively expensive or bureaucratically complex.
Believe in Consensus Building: You have to believe you can make it work and that it’s worth the extra time and effort it takes to achieve consensus.
Satisfaction and Fun: People need to derive a sense of satisfaction from their participation in the partnership. And, people can take on a lot if they get to have fun at least part of the time.
As reported in the AT Journeys, in her retirement
announcement, and at her retirement dinner, of which CDTC attended, Pamela said “I feel plain lucky that I got to be part of
this extraordinary era of protection for the Trail. The A.T. seems to have this
uncanny ability to attract just the right people when it needs them. I like to
think that I was one of the group of ”right” people who came along when land
conservation was the name of the game- the A.T. needed its ‘body’ secured- and
we got to do that. I’m grateful also to
have found a place in the Appalachian Trail community…the most wonderful people
dwell in Appalachian Trail land”
Truer words could not have written. What is even more amazing is that Pamela’s
influence spans not only on the A.T. and ATC, but here on the CDT too, where
we are now embarking upon a journey to protect the ‘body’ of the CDT. In the same way the A.T. calls us
to action, the CDT is also calling all of us to be the “right” people at the
time it needs us most, so that we may successfully complete land
conservation efforts to protect the CDT corridor. The result and test of our work will be the continued
interest and participation in volunteer stewardship to build and maintain this Trail for generations to come and recognition that not only do the most
wonderful people dwell in Appalachian Trail land, they dwell in Continental
Divide Trail land too!
To Pamela, we can only say Thank You for all you have done on behalf of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail and for sharing your wisdom and
passion for the A.T. and inspiring generations to follow the path you unselfishly
and righteously helped design, build and yourself walk. But, there is something we can DO to show you how much you have impacted us with your work. And, to that end, we promise to work with the same passion, dedication, and unwavering commitment to continue your great legacy
of leadership and bringing wonderful people together to do more great things on
behalf of not only the CDT, but our entire National Trails System. Thanks again Pamela- we couldn't be here without you!
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