 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| 222 S. Hamilton Street Suite 1 Madison, WI 53703 608-249-7870 Email Us |
12th Conference on National Scenic & Historic Trails
|
||||
 |
Photo: Smoking Place on the Lolo Trail, overlooks the Bitterroot Mountains, and provides a quiet place for reflection along the Lewis and Clark and Nez Perce National Historic Trails in eastern Idaho. Photo by Wendy Raney |
|
On June 27, 1806, Captain Meriwether Lewis wrote:
"... on an elivated point we halted by the request of the Indians a few minutes and smoked the pipe. ... from this place we had an extensive view of these stupendous mountains ... to one unacquainted with them it would have seemed impossible ever to have escaped." |
|
Hosted by: Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation
Assisted by: Nez Perce Trail Foundation, Continental Divide Trail Alliance
Join us in the shadow of the Bitterroot Mountains to launch the “Decade for the National Trails.” Workshops will elaborate ways we will accomplish the three goals we’ve set for the National Trails Decade:
- Expanding Outreach about the National Trails to all Americans;
- Protecting the natural and cultural resources and completing the on-the-ground trails; and
- Increasing the Capacity of public agencies and non-profit organizations to sustain the trails and their resources.
This conference will be a healthful confluence of current themes and issues. Outreach will include our communities, many of which are at a crossroads economically, socially, and energy-wise. Protection includes conservation of cherished values and preservation of fragile resources. Capacity has many aspects, especially constituency-building, vibrant volunteerism, and strong organizational competencies.
A matrix of field trips and 90-minute workshops will be held that relate to these broad ideas. In each track, the workshops move from informational to action-oriented. Some divide at this step for NSTs and NHTs, for their implementation issues are somewhat different. For variety, some will include speakers, some panels, some brainstorming, and some facilitated discussions.
NEW FEATURES FOR THIS CONFERENCE INCLUDE:
- Discussion session for non-profit organization staff members to share their challenges, concerns, obstacles and successes and learn from one another;
- Focus on involving younger people in our scenic and historic trails;
- A community service project to leave the place we visit a little better than we found it; and
- A mentorship program pairing experienced trail community members and youth event participants.
YOUTH COMPONENT
To encourage youth to become more involved in the National Trails System, this year multiple agencies are funding scholarships for young leaders (ages 18-25) to attend and participate in the 12th Conference. Youth participants will be an active part of the dialogue about outreach efforts and the future of the National Trails System.
The conference will also offer a Youth Mentorship Program matching youth participants (ages 18-25) with more experienced members of the National Trails community.
Similarly, If you know of a youth who has been involved with National Scenic or Historic Trails who you think would be a good candidate to attend this conference and participate in developing the Youth Initiative, please contact Teresa Martinez at teresa@cdtrail.org or 303-838-3760 for a 12th Conference Scholarship Application. Or download the application here.
About Missoula, Montana
Missoula is situated in an old glacial lakebed now cut by the Clark Fork River. on the Southwest edge of town. A tributary, the Bitterroot River, feeds into the Clark Fork, and the famed Big Blackfoot River meets the Clark Fork just east of town. When Lewis and Clark came through the Missoula Valley in 1805, Western Montana was home to the Salish, Pend d’Oreille, and Kootenai tribes.
Europeans settled in the 1860s, founding first a market, then a flour mill and sawmill, and the town was originally called Missoula Mills. (Missoula was an adaptation of the Salish name for the area, "Nemissoolatakoo.") Jeanette Rankin, the nation's first Congresswoman, was reared in Missoula in the late 1800s and elected to Congress before women could vote.
Missoula is home to the University of Montana and the Northern Region headquarters for the U.S. Forest Service. Where logging and other extractive industries once played a key role in development, retail and tourism are now a dominant part of the local economy.