National Trails Symposium 2000: news and highlights

15th National Trails Symposium: Redding, California, Sept. 21-24

American Trails, the leading national organization that promotes the interests of all types of trail users, is your host for the National Trails Symposium. The Symposium is a premier opportunity for trail advocates, managers, planners, and users, as well as environmental, tourism, and business interests, to come together and experience an inspirational, educational, and fun-filled conference. "Trails and the American Spirit: 2000 and Beyond" is our theme. Redding, California, the Symposium host city, is the gateway to scenic northern California's wealth of trails, parks, and public lands. Some of the highlights of the 15th National Trails Symposium:

• Pathways to Health: how trails can help us meet national goals for health and fitness
• Leaders of the federal land management agencies will explore the concept of a national system of trails
• The Future of Trails will be a futurist's look at what lies ahead for trails and greenways
• Unveiling of the revitalized National Recreation Trails program, which will carry on the recognition of the Millennium Trails events
• An exhibit pavilion for dozens of displays of manufacturers, symposium sponsors, consultants, agencies, state trail programs, and national and local trail groups.
• Field trips and mobile workshops throughout the region highlighting state-of-the art trail projects
• Training sessions and educational programs on all aspects of trails and greenways

American Trails will present national awards at Symposium

The National Trails Awards Program is one way American Trails recognizes exemplary people who are working to create a national system of trails to meet the recreation, health, and travel needs of ALL Americans and who truly embody the Symposium theme "Trails and the American Spirit."

One of the highlights of the National Trails Symposium is the "On the Path of Excellence" awards banquet where the award nominees and the winners are announced. This year a new American Trails partner, GORP.com, will be one of the sponsors of the event, which will take place September 22.

The award categories are:

• Lifetime Service Award
• Partnership Award
• Trails Public Service Award
• Outstanding Media Award
• Trails and the Arts Award
• Planning/Design Award
• Corporate Award
• State-of-the-Art Technology Award
• Outstanding Trail Sharing Award
• Trail Advocacy Award (1 award per State, DC, and Puerto Rico)
• Trail Worker Award (1 award per State, DC, and Puerto Rico)

Redding, California, is a center for many kinds of trails

The 15th National Trails Symposium will be held in Redding, California, the gateway to California's far north, surrounded by the Trinity Alps and the California Cascades. Redding is an interesting location for trails enthusiasts for many reasons.

The Sacramento River is one major community asset, running through downtown. The City has been highly successful in creating an urban trails system focused on the river. Other sections of the Sacramento River look much like they did at the turn of the century (the last one!).Issues for the river corridor include ways to accommodate visitation and recreation while preserving the natural and cultural resources. The interface of land and water trails is another topic, involving developing semi-primitive recreation areas along with restoring riparian habitat.

Historic trails crossed through the region as well. the Oregon to California Trail, part of the Hudson Bay Trail, opened in1833. This route up the valley was also used by early animal herders going from California to the Columbia River.

The great long-distance trail of the west, the Pacific Crest Trail, passes through the Redding vicinity. This 2,650-mile National Scenic Trail is easily accessible from Castle Crags State Park.

The Trinity Alps Wilderness is another feature of the nearby national forest lands. Coverin over a half-million acres, it is an area of old growth fore, granite peaks, and over 100 lakes.

California will hold statewide conference in Redding as well

California State Parks will be holding its annual state trails conference inconjunction with the National Trails Symposium. This year's program will focus on the issues of changing population dynamics in the state, and the potential impact on implementing trails and greenways. Sessions will provide a framework for understanding diversity among the "trails community" as well as the larger population.

At the end of the day, conference planners hope to have a specific set of actions to support both the diversification of the California trails community and how trails activists can work with a wide variety of people and interests to implement the 2000 California State Trails Plan

For more information, contact Charlie Willard, California State Parks (916) 653-8803.

Dean Tice, head of NRPA is a featured Symposium speaker

Dean Tice, Executive Director of the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA), will speak at the Closing Plenary Luncheon on "Further Down The Path - the Future Of Trails." Mr. Tice, respected as one of the country's leaders in the recreation field, has a big vision of the future of trails and recreation to close the Symposium and guide our future paths.

As NRPA since 1986, Mr. Tice serves as Chairman of the Coalition for Recreational Trails and is a Special Advisor to the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. NRPA advocates the benefits of parks and recreation,with an emphasis on youth development, health, and environmental stewardship.

Training programs bring you the state of the art

We invite you to join us for a diversity of educational session at the National Trails Symposium, September 19-25. These will provide information on the latest and most innovative concepts for trails and greenways, and will cover the resources, people, ecosystems, communities, and recreational pursuits that affect and are affected by trails. All concurrent sessions will be 75 minutes long, and many will feature multiple experts from around the United States. Some highlights include:

Accessibility: A series of sessions have been programmed to bring you up to date on the Americans with Disability Act and the impact of the regulatory process on trail design, construction, and management. Sessions will range from reviewing the status of regulations, to exploring design guidelines, to highlighting case studies.

Trail Construction: Our emphasis on learning the art and science of trail construction, begun in the pre-conference workshops, continues with indoor classroom sessions.

Skill-Building: Multiple sessions emphasize the nuts and bolts of trails. If you are new to trails or need a refresher, consider these go-back-to-school sessions. For instance, learn about how to pull off great events, become a stronger local advocate, get more funding, build community support, order a bridge, get training, and much more.

Planning and Developing Trails: Join us for a series of panel discussions where you can ask all your questions about planning and implementing trails. These sessions will also cover the latest innovations in developing trails.

Technology: Besides traditional trail skills, we will be covering new technologies that are shaping the future: the internet, web-based databases, Geographic Information Systems, and GeographicPositioning Systems.

The world of trails to be covered at the Symosium

We wish that all of our readers could attend the National Trails Symposium! But we are providing some details of the many educational sessions to give you an idea of the breadth of the trails world we cover. It is the committment of American Trails to include all trail activities and all trail types, from your neighborhood to the fartherest wilderness.

Following ares ome of the intriguing topics to be presented during the course of the 2000 Symposium:

• Trails as an Economic Development Strategy
• Trail Connectivity in Urban Areas
• Information Systems for Trails: Assessments, Software and the Internet
• Trails and Crime: Fact or Fiction?
• Building & Maintaining Trails with Youth Conservation Corps
• Trails Advocacy: Crafting and Delivering the Message
• OHV in Y2K: Management of Off-Highway Recreation in the New Millennium
• Proposal to Standardize Trail and Travel Management Signs
• Building Public Support for Trails
• Preserving Historic Trails: Case Studies and Best Practices
• Water Trails: Their History & Future
• The Wilderness Dilemma - Is There a Recreation Alternative?
• Large Scale Trail Development and Partnerships
• The Nature of Earthen Trails
• Collaborative Partnerships for Trail Restoration
• How to Work with People Different than You
• Reducing User Conflicts on Trails: Research and Management Experience

Meet the 2000 National Trails Symposium Team!

Symposium Co-Chairs

• Terry Hanson, City of Redding
• Charlie Willard, California State Parks & American Trails Board
• Pam Gluck, American Trails Executive Director

Audio Visual Coordination

• Chair: Bill Kuntz, BLM-Redding Field Office

Awards Program

• Chair: Kay Lloyd, American Trails Chair
• American Trails Board

Catering & Hotel Arrangements

• Chair: Sherry Ferguson, Redding Conv. and Visitors Bureau

Communications

• Chair: Kathy Jenkins, City of Redding
• Dana Bell, NOHVCC
• Bob Warren, Redding Conv. and Visitors Bureau
• Karen Whitaker, Shasta Cascade Wonderland Assn.

Exhibition Coordination

• Chair: Kathy Jenkins, City of Redding
• Pam Gluck, American Trails

"Gold Rush Round-up" Party Coordination

• Co-Chair: Shauna Jones, Turtle Bay Museums
• Co-Chair: Bonnie Sharp, Redding Conv. and Visitors Bureau
• Mary Ellen Grigsby, US Forest Service
• Vicky Gibson-Eggen, Redding Rodeo Association
• Ken Graves, US Forest Service

Logistics Coordination

• Chair: Terry Hanson, City of Redding
• Kathy Jenkins, City of Redding

Outings Coordination

• Co-Chair: Howard Matzat, BLM
• Co-Chair: Sylvia Milligan, Recreation Outdoor Coalition

Program

• Co-Chair: Joanne DeMoss, National Park Service -- Rivers & Trails Program
• Co-Chair: Holly Van Houten, National Park Service -- Rivers & Trails Program
• Co-Chair: Charlie Willard, California State Parks & American Trails Board

Sponsorships and Finances

• Pam Gluck, American Trails
• Terry Hanson, City of Redding
• American Trails Board

Trail Toys Equipment Expo

• Chair: Jeni Bradley, Recreation Solutions & CA State Parks - OHMVR Div.
• Marilyn Olson-Peterson, California State Parks, OHV Division
• Steve Uhles, Recreation Solutions, c/o BLM

Transportation

• Chair: Bonnie Sharp, Redding Conv. and Visitors Bureau

Volunteer Coordination

• Chair: Phyllis Swanson, Whiskeytown Unit-NPS
• Cheri Anderson, City of Redding
• Katharine Garrison, Shasta Land Trust
• Kathleen Gilman, Shasta Land Trust
• Rick Vela, California Conservation Corp

Website Development

• Stuart Macdonald

American Trails Office Staff

• Pamela Peel, Registration and Office Manager
• Mary Quigley, Registration Assistant
• Ann Crossland, Registration Assistant
• Elizabeth Thornebury, Research Assistant

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