June 1, 2019

Contact Bob Conover at: NJBBA7@outlook.com

for any questions pertaining to NTD

click picture to enlarge

 pictures by Maureen Bailey

National Trails Day Web site click    
In celebration we the NJBBA join hands with bikers, hikers, sierra club members and other groups to unite as one. We maintain a trail in IBSP and on that day we clean and clear that path for another year. Come join us at 9am that day at Interpretive Centerto set up.

The first Saturday every June  is designated National Trails Day (NTD) in the United States. On that day every year more than a million hikers, bikers, equestrians, and others take part in thousands of events nationwide in celebration of America's trails. These events include new trail dedications, workshops, educational exhibits, equestrian and mountain bike rides, rollerblading, trail maintenance, and hikes on America's favorite trails. National Trails Day is organized nationwide by the American Hiking Society, a national nonprofit trail advocacy group based in Washington, DC. All events, however, are planned and carried out at the local level by conservation and recreation organizations, trail clubs, and land managing agencies. Originally established in 1993, NTD has grown to approximately 3,000 events across the country. "It has really worked, and the collaboration has been quite extraordinary," noted Steve Elkinton, Program Leader for the National Trails System, when I recently asked him about NTD.

Goals of National Trails Day
The objectives of National Trails Day not only include promoting public awareness of and appreciation for America's trails, but also encouraging cooperative efforts among different trail users, including hikers, bicyclists, equestrians, walkers, runners and anyone else who enjoys being on the trail. As Elkinton noted, "the attitude towards National Trails Day has been so wonderful, that even motorized and non-motorized groups lay down their swords for the day and cooperate."

In celebrating the values and benefits of our nation's trails, a unifying idea and long-range goal of National Trails Day is the concept of "Trails for All Americans" -- that is, to establish a nationwide network of trails that would link together as part of the nation’s infrastructure of greenways, like the interstate highway system. "The idea of a coordinated system is a difficult objective to achieve" notes Elkinton. "Trails come in so many shapes, sizes, and cut across so many jurisdictional boundaries.