Increase Your Impact During #TrailsGiving Week
November 12, 2018
New York-New Jersey Trail Conference
Title
Increase Your Impact During #TrailsGiving Week
Body
Your gift to the Trail Conference is doubled during #TrailsGiving Week, Nov. 20-27.
We invite you to get outside and give thanks for the constant love and care that keeps our extraordinary network of trails open, free, and safe. Our #TrailsGiving is inspired by the global day dedicated to giving, #GivingTuesday, which will be celebrated this year on Nov. 27. #GivingTuesday has inspired people around the world to bring about real change in our communities through greater donations and volunteerism. We want to engage as many outdoor enthusiasts as we can, so our 2018 #TrailsGiving will last for a full eight days, from Nov. 20 through 27—our Giving Week.
Please consider supporting your trail builders, maintainers, and protectors with a tax-deductible gift to the Trail Conference this November.
During this time, your gift will be matched 1:1 (up to $50,000), thanks to donations made by the Trail Conference Board of Directors. That means when you give $50 to support our work on trails and in parks during our #TrailsGiving Week challenge, your gift will be matched with $50.
In addition to the match for our Annual Fund, we challenge our friends to support their local trails and parks by making a matching contribution directly to support the region or program you care most about:
Join the global movement and give back to your Trail Family!
Voices of the Trail Conference: Their Stories
Catskills Regional Trails Program
People For Trails: Andre Nizzari
Volunteer Trail Steward, Trail Maintainer, Appalachian Trail Corridor Monitor
"I love the Catskills. They're so beautiful, and I figured it I was a trail maintainer, I'd have a good reason to visit and hike. I maintain the three trails at Platte Clove Preserve, and I'm really proud of that place. It's so clean, has so much history, and allows me to access and explore the Devil's Path."
Read more about all Andre does for trails.
Trail Conference Conservation Corps
Connecting With Nature - and Each Other: Nicole Vargas
2018 Conservation Corps Member
"The unifying power of trails is extraordinary. This season I had the privilege of witnessing it firsthand. A family whose patriarch spoke no English came by the worksite. In walking past, he asked questions aloud in Spanish. I turned to him, and I began answering the gentlemen’s questions in Spanish. The effect of having this connection was instantaneous and obvious. Not just the man, but his whole family began speaking in Spanish, asking me questions about who I was and what I was doing. It was the same conversation that I’d had with many other passersby before, but this one difference, this one connection, had a huge impact."
Read more about Nicole's season with the Conservation Corps crew.
Conservation Detection Dog – Invasive Species Program
Fighting Invasives: Dia
Conservation Detection Dog
Dogs’ exceptional sense of smell is commonly used for search and rescue, as well as weapons and narcotics detection. These tracking and detection skills are now being used to protect our wild spaces. “Dia is so excited to find invasive species so she can get her reward, a game of fetch or playing tug. We’re proud to be able to make a difference in the fight against invasives,” says Dia’s handler, Joshua Beese.
Learn how Dia is changing the way we fight invasives.
East of the Hudson Regional Trails Program
Day in the Life: Connie Stern
Trail Supervisor, Trail Crew Member, Trail Maintainer, Swamper, Appalachian Trail Corridor Monitor
If there's a trail in need in Connie's region, she is quick to respond—and has a blast while doing it. “Working outside in the water and mud, you feel like a kid again. I’m more active, happier, and healthier than ever,” she says.
Hear more about Connie's journey at the Trail Conference
Land Conservation and Advocacy
People for Trails: Andy Garrison
Long Path North Chair, Conservation Committee Chair, Board Member
“It takes a lot to manage a trail that is 430 miles long. In a state park, the trails are protected, and you work with the park officials. But the Long Path crosses the land of many different government agencies, corporations, and private landowners, and each of these has their own set of rules and management practices. So in addition to trail maintenance, we are constantly working to move sections of the trail that are on roads into the woods,” reflects Andy Garrison.
New Jersey Regional Trails Program
Day in the Life: Don Tripp
Trail Chair, Headquarters Volunteer
Volunteering with the Trail Conference since 2009, Don loves interacting with people who have a passion for the outdoors, helping them find great trails and ensuring the trails in his region remain open and safe. His position as the West Jersey Trail Chair and as a front desk volunteer allows him to give back and engage with those have the same enthusiasm for getting outside and making a difference.
Learn more about Don's role with the Trail Conference
Trail Conference Stewards
A Sweet Take on Stewardship: Thomas Nicholas
Bear Mountain Head Steward
Remember when you were first inspired to protect or help the environment? Thomas dreamed up a sweet way to engage visitors to care for their public lands. “I’ve always found the best way to encourage people to do anything is with candy,” he says. “So, for every person who brings trash down the trail or takes a picture of themselves throwing it out, I give them a piece.”
Read more about Thomas's fun initiative to get hikers excited about cleaning up their trails.
West of the Hudson Regional Trails Program
Day in the Life: Cliff Berchtold
Trail Maintainer, ISF Surveyor, Workshop Instructor
“As a citizen scientist, you get a better idea for the health of a forest,” says Cliff, who has a Trail Conference volunteer for more than 20 years.
Your Trails. Your Land. Your #TrailsGiving Support. Give Today!
Bonus: As a thank you for supporting your Trail Family, the first 200 trail lovers to donate during #TrailsGiving week will get a “Protect The Land You Love” sticker.
