Emerging Trail Leader Scholarship Recipient

Annie Cohen

Washington, DC, United States

I first became enthralled with conservation while on a trail crew in Wind Cave National Park, SD. It was there on the rolling prairie that I first got an inkling of how it was all connected—the visitor, the protected land, the conservation policies set in place, the people who work to protect that resource in various ways. That experience is still what drives me to pursue all forms of job opportunities on public lands. I recently spent a powerful five months on a trail crew in New Hampshire where our crew built hundreds of trail structures with our own combined skills, knowledge, and training. This experience reinforced my knowledge that groups form, grow, and thrive in the outdoors as they work together to solve complicated situations such as the task of setting a large stepping stone in a deep creek using only rock bars and people power.

I want to attend this symposium so that I can continue to explore the various ways that people can connect to the outdoors and connect to each other. I’m also intrigued by the setting-‐-‐ I’m excited to see how the symposium approaches discussing the importance of the great outdoors in this Midwest city and how the city introduces its inhabitants to its various trail systems. I am hoping that by attending the symposium and interacting with professionals in the trails world I can get closer to finding the right avenue for me to make the most beneficial impact on youth and public lands.