A name is that by which something or someone is referred in
its simplest form and in grander schemes it defines who or what we are. The name of our organization is the
Continental Divide Trail Coalition. But what does this mean or how does this define us?
The first part of our name is Continental Divide Trail,
and the last part of our name is Coalition.
If the first part of our name reflects the unique identifier
that sets us apart from everyone else, then it is the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail that defines us. As simple as it may seem, its about
the Trail. This is our guiding
principle. The Continental Divide National
Scenic Trail (CDNST) is paramount above
all else, and what is best for the Trail, is best for the CDTC, and
everyone who is touched by the Trail.
The second part of our name is Coalition, and this
could be said to reflect what tribe we belong to. But what does this mean? If a coalition is an organized alliance of people or groups
who have come together for the purpose of accomplishing a goal that is common
to all parties involved, while still maintaining their own separate identity,
then we are an association of people and groups that have come together for the
benefit of the Continental Divide Trail.
But why the name Coalition?
Coalitions are described in two ways. They may be loose
associations in which members work for a short time to achieve a specific goal,
and then disband or, as in the case of the CDTC, they may be organizations in themselves, with governing
bodies, particular community responsibilities, funding structures, and
permanence. And coalitions exist to create and/or support efforts to reach
a particular set of goals.
In our case we are building a movement of people to come
together, to form a community, to benefit the CDNST. This means to help organize the “sweat
equity” required to build it and keep it maintained, to create the awareness
and concern to ensure that its corridor is protected in a way that allows us
all to have meaningful experiences on it, and to increase the awareness of the
Trail itself to ensure that everyone has the right information about how to use
it, how to access it, and that information is reliable! But we are also
building an inclusive community that reaches out to traditional and not so
traditional partners.
Coalitions often contain these elements:
1. The
desire to influence or develop public policy, usually around a specific issue
2. Changing
people's behavior
3. Building
a healthy community
CDTC agrees completely with these three elements and as we further build upon our vision we hope
you will help us strengthen these elements!
Coalitions
are formed to do the following:
1. To
address an urgent situation
2. To
empower elements of the community - or the community as a whole - to take
control of its future
3. To
actually obtain or provide services
4. To
bring about more effective and efficient delivery of programs and eliminate any
unnecessary duplication of effort
5. To
design, obtain funding for, and run the needed programs and services
surrounding their common goal
6. Gather
all the players concerned about the issue together to achieve a more cohesive
and comprehensive impact
7. To
fill in the gaps where resources are needed
8. To
increase communication among groups and break down stereotypes
9. To
revitalize the sagging energies of members of groups who are trying to do too
much alone.
10. To plan
and launch community-wide initiatives on a variety of issues.
We think the above list reflects our goals pretty
well, in fact here are our specific goals as outlined above:
1. CDTC's primary goal is to ensure the CDNST is connected, protected and
promoted today and for future generations.
2. CDTC is building the organization for the many
voices who care about the Trail to help shape and engage in its stewardship.
3. Through CDTC's efforts and responding to the needs of our members, we want to be the
clearinghouse of all information regarding the Trail, volunteer opportunities,
trail information, and trail protection efforts.
4. Through CDTC's efforts we hope to gather all
those concerned about the CDNST together so we maximize and leverage our
partnerships in ways that allow for greater reach and success for not only
stewardship efforts, but for getting people excited about and out using the
CDNST!
5. CDTC is working to raise the funds
necessary to support not only our efforts, but those of our partners, so we can
continue to build a strong, sustainable future as the lead national private
partner for the CDNST.
6. By following
the steps of sister Trail organizations like the Pacific Crest Trail
Association (PCTA) and Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC), CDTC is working to establish
and nurture a cooperative management system, where we will bring individuals
together in order to have the necessary resources to accomplish together what
we cannot alone.
7. Where
partners don’t exist, CDTC is working to facilitate their creation or
discovery, by reaching outside our traditional recreational communities, and
searching within communities such as municipalities and local governments, that
have never been tapped before.
8. CDTC is working to bring together groups
and individuals from many sectors of the community so we can create strong
alliances and that by working together toward common
goals we can help people break down barriers and preconceptions, and learn to
trust one another.
9. CDTC
is working to create, cultivate and solidify a community to bolster efforts around any trail need or issue so that together with
the addition of other hands to the task, we create a tremendous source of new
energy and hope, not just for the issue but for the Trail itself.
10. Finally, CDTC
is working to create the opportunity
for a unified community that
will advocate for the Trail more effectively than a number of disparate groups
and individuals working alone. And bring to bear political pressure from all
sectors of the community, and wield a large amount of political power focused
on the future of the Trail.
We all know that real change usually takes place over a
period of time through people gaining trust, sharing ideas, and getting beyond
their preconceptions to the real issues underlying community needs. CDTC, is
building and nurturing a structure of cooperation among diverse groups and
individuals and has a problem-solving focus, serves to ease the process of
change in our Trail community so not only is the Trail here today, but for
generations to come.
We know CDTC has to be here for as long as the Trail exists to provide the “space” for all the various communities and partners to connect. And, as a coalition, CDTC will build a culture of flexibility to create opportunities for community connection along the Trail that exist as long as they are needed or desired. The partnerships may be surrounding one or two specific events, issues, or goals, and they may be temporary or last as long as the CDNST’s lifetime, either way, CDTC will stand proud and sustainable so that these relationships both with CDTC and with in CDTC and its partners will always exist and prosper.
So that’s it, that's how we came to be called the Continental Divide Trail Coalition. As we grow to not only represent our name, but continue to evolve, we hope you’ll join us and help us represent the best we have to offer not just for the Coalition, but for the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail.
(many of these are excerpts and were adapted from the
Community Tool box-http://ctb.ku.edu, thank you community tool box for
providing such great guidance!)
