{"id":11860,"date":"2020-03-26T11:48:51","date_gmt":"2020-03-26T16:48:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pnts.org\/new\/?p=11860"},"modified":"2020-05-28T11:30:00","modified_gmt":"2020-05-28T16:30:00","slug":"a-time-of-transition-and-momentum-for-trails-during-hike-the-hill-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pnts.org\/new\/a-time-of-transition-and-momentum-for-trails-during-hike-the-hill-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"A time of transition and momentum for trails during Hike the Hill 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Kathy DeCoster, PNTS Advocacy and Policy Director, and Samantha Haas, PNTS Communications Coordinator<\/strong><\/p>\n

More than 100 people representing 40 trail organizations and advocates from throughout the country traveled to Washington, D.C. this February to \u201cHike the Hill.\u201d Now in its 23rd year,\u00a0<\/span>Hike the Hill<\/span><\/a>\u00ae is a joint effort between the Partnership for the National Trails System (PNTS) and the\u00a0<\/span>American Hiking Society<\/span><\/a>\u00a0(AHS) aimed at making congressional and federal agency leaders more aware of funding and other needs that sustain the\u00a0<\/span>National Trails System<\/span><\/a>\u00a0(NTS).\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The event began on a bittersweet note with a reception honoring the retirement of Gary Werner, longtime PNTS Executive Director. The <\/span>reception<\/span><\/a> was a wonderful gathering of trail advocates, agency partners and others celebrating Gary\u2019s exceptional career over many years.<\/span><\/p>\n

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PNTS Board President Barney Mann, left, and TLC Chair RG Absher, right, present a quilt of all 30 national scenic and historic trails to Gary Werner, far right, during his retirement reception. Photo by Kathy DeCoster.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

“I really do think this is a celebration of us as a community. And the kind of kindness that you’re displaying toward me tonight is simply a recognition of the kind of kindness and dedication and generosity you all give every single day to what you’re doing. And I honor you and applaud you for doing that. We’re all part of this together and we’re going to continue together, it’s just that I’ll be in a different role. And we have very good people working to come along after me to make that progress.”\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

– Gary Werner<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The trails community also welcomed Karen Crossley, Interim Executive Director, and Kathy DeCoster, PNTS Advocacy and Policy Director. Learn more about PNTS leadership updates from the Transition Task Force <\/span>here<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

From February 9-13, 2020, we met with leaders of three federal land management agencies, congressional staff, and members of Congress to discuss the opportunities for and challenges facing our NTS and the need for increased funding and enhanced partnerships. Some of the main issues or pieces of legislation discussed include full and dedicated funding for the\u00a0<\/span>Land and Water Conservation Fund<\/span><\/a>, increasing and allocating funding for the national trails, and addressing the maintenance backlog across public lands, including the U.S. Forest Service deferred maintenance, through the\u00a0<\/span>Restore Our Parks and Public Lands Act<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Judy Bittner, Iditarod Historic Trail Alliance, addresses NPS Acting Director David Vela, not pictured, during a meeting. Photo by Samantha Haas.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

PNTS and AHS also held a Hike the Hill Party at the REI D.C. flagship store on Tuesday, February 11, for local trail leaders, organizational partners, congressional staff, and agency officials to celebrate public lands and trails, beginning with a land acknowledgement.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Sarah Cawley, Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation, and Kelly Wiener, Florida Trail Association, with a map of the National Trails System during the REI party. Photo by Samantha Haas.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cI\u2019m just thrilled with your enthusiasm, and it makes my heart sing how you all are growing the next generation — and it\u2019s not perfunctory, it\u2019s real. You all are a real example of shared stewardship and how we build capacity and we build sustainability and we really, really get serious about what\u2019s important for our future.\u201c<\/span><\/p>\n

– Chief Vicki Christiansen<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Gary Werner received a USFS door knocker from Chief Christiansen. Photo by Samantha Haas.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

In attendance at the Hike the Hill Party for the second year in a row was Vicki Christiansen, the new Chief of the U.S. Forest Service.\u00a0Christiansen thanked students from the<\/span> Environmental Charter High School in Los Angeles, CA (hosted by the Pacific Crest Trail Association),<\/span> for sharing their voices in the meeting the day before. \u201cObed said he lives in a place where there are far more buildings than trees, and he did express that his work on the trail was a little more hard work than he thought, but he said, \u2018I don\u2019t remember complaining, because I felt I was doing something that made a difference,\u2019 and you were. Way to go,\u201d Christiensen said. \u201cAnd Jade also noted the hard labor that she wasn\u2019t necessarily expecting, but the rewards that came with that. She talked about the \u2018mountain goats at day and the stars during the night\u2019 was something so incredible she could never imagine. She was sharing her personal experience about what it is to connect with our great outdoors, and to be part of something bigger than any one of ourselves.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Agency meetings<\/span><\/h4>\n

The previous day, USFS Chief Vicki Christiansen had met with many trail representatives to announce the agency\u2019s <\/span>10 Year Trail Shared Stewardship Challenge<\/span><\/a> and hear from trail advocates about work they are already doing that can help advance collaboration and advance trail needs. At the start of the meeting, Chief Christiansen marked Gary Werner\u2019s retirement by presenting him with a commemorative Chief\u2019s office door knocker.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Near the conclusion of the event, Barney Mann, PNTS Board President, shared a special <\/span>recorded message for the Chief<\/span><\/a> from a woman named Sharon Francis, who witnessed the National Trails System Act being signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson on Oct. 2, 1968. Chief Christiansen wrote about this moment on her <\/span>blog<\/span><\/a>. Sharon Francis also shared this recorded message for the PNTS Board<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

USFS Chief Vicki Christiansen during a Trail Partner Meeting. Photo by Kathy DeCoster<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The Hike the Hill advocates also had an important meeting with National Park Service Acting Director David Vela, who talked with the group about the future of the agency and how the National Trails System can play a role, and invited input from attendees on work they are doing along national trails throughout the country.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

NPS Acting Director David Vela, seated, listens to RG Absher, Overmountain Victory Trail Association, during a partner meeting. Photo by Samantha Haas<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Outside the Cannon House Office Building are Karen Crossley, PNTS Interim Executive Director; Gary Werner, PNTS Retired Executive Director; Don Owen, PNTS Consultant. Photo submitted by Don Owen.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

During our meetings with agency leaders and on Capitol Hill, we discussed the importance of increasing Federal funding for the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, and U.S. Forest Service trails programs with specific line items in their budgets, which would help leverage our ability to care for, connect, and protect our NTS.<\/span><\/p>\n

In 2019 alone, for every Federal dollar provided the return on investment equaled 1.5:1\u2014thanks to volunteer stewardship of the trails. In total, over 22,000 volunteers\u00a0<\/span>contributed<\/span><\/a>\u00a0nearly one million hours of service within the NTS, which equates to a value of over $25 million. Additionally, private contributions from the national trails organizations for the NTS totaled over $14 million.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As incredible as these contributions are, they are not enough to fully develop and sustain our trails.<\/span><\/p>\n

Full funding of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) and greater funding for the agencies\u2019 trail programs by Congress will help to provide means to close missing links, protect high-priority recreational and historic areas, and fund additional maintenance and necessary resources to already existing trails.\u00a0<\/span>Click here<\/span><\/a>\u00a0for LWCF and Congressional Updates.<\/span><\/p>\n

Support the trails<\/span><\/h4>\n

Now, more than ever, it\u2019s important for Congress to hear our voice. You too can\u00a0<\/span>contact Congress<\/span><\/a>\u00a0and let them know what issues matter most to you. Collectively, our voices will help to ensure the use and protection of these trails for many generations to come.<\/span><\/p>\n

There is much work yet to be done to make the national trails fully usable and beneficial to all Americans, and you can help us complete and sustain the National Trails System! Your\u00a0<\/span>contribution<\/span><\/a>\u00a0helps us to protect land and resources along the national scenic and historic trail routes, educate children and young people about the trails, and support the work of citizen stewards who build and maintain these trails.<\/span><\/p>\n

Thank you<\/span><\/h4>\n
\"\"<\/p>\n

American Hiking Society staff and the 2020 class of NextGen Trail Leaders. From left: Tyler Ray (director of policy and advocacy), David Taft, Kate Van Waes (executive director), Atieno Ouma, Lauren Wong, Lila Leatherman, Janelle Paciencia. Photo by Samantha Haas.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

We\u2019d like to thank our Federal agency p<\/span>artners at the Federal Highway Administration, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and U.S. Forest Service who\u00a0<\/span>administer and manage<\/span><\/a>\u00a0our national trails for their continued support of the NTS as well as the many members of Congress who support our nation\u2019s trails; and the following organizations for joining us at this year\u2019s very successful Hike the Hill event:<\/span><\/p>\n