Continental Divide Trail Alliance

CDT Volunteer Appreciation Events, November 2011

2011-10-27T03:42:00.000-07:00

For more information, please click here!

October 8th, 2011 - CDTA Partner Project

2011-08-24T11:56:00.000-07:00

Join the Continental Divide Trail Alliance and the New Mexico Mountain Club for a trail maintenance day just southwest of Cuba, NM. This section was built 5-10 years ago and needs some light maintenance to keep it in shape.

We will do light trimming, remove any dead and downed pinions blocking the trail, remove loose stones from the tread and rebuild cairns. This is a great one day opportunity for those new to trail work and seasoned veterans alike.

Click here to register.

Continental Divide Trail Alliance partner project with the New Mexico Mountain Club

Easy to moderate, one day trip, Cabezon Peak Area, NM (BLM)

Elevation: 7,000’-8,000’ / Availability: 15-20

Crew Chef Training Opportunity near Leadville, CO on July 2, 2011

2011-06-15T12:52:00.000-07:00

Do you prefer flipping pancakes to digging in the dirt?

Well – we have the perfect volunteer task for you! As a CDTA Crew Chef you’ll be the favorite and most-liked person on the crew! It’s easy – you provide the menu, do the shopping and cooking. CDTA provides the cooking equipment (if needed), food budget, and hungry trail crew.

Read on!

Pike/San Isabel National Forest (USFS), Colorado
Elevation: 10,100’
Availability: only 4 – 6 spots left!

If you are interested in becoming a CDTA Chef, join us for our 2011 Crew Chef Training during the Winfield II project just outside Leadville, CO. This training will be led by two of our most seasoned Chefs. Car camping available. To register for this training, click here.

For more information contact stephanie(at)cdtrail.org

Help win $15,000 for the CDT in 3 easy steps!

2011-06-05T20:37:00.000-07:00

Announcing the Colorado Native
Community Reinvestment Project

Voting is open from June 6 - June 20.
Remember... You can vote once per day!

Read on for how to cast your vote for the CDTA!

Step 1: Buy a 6 pack of Colorado Native beer:

Step 2: Locate the SnapTag on the back of the bottle:

Step 3: Take a picture of the snaptag with your phone and send it to the # on the snaptag:

CO Native will reply with the ballot which reads:

"Time to vote! Which one of these Colorado charities should receive up to $15K from the Colorado Native Community Reinvestment Fund?"

a) Cheyenne Mountain Chapter of Trout Unlimited
b) Colorado Trail Foundation
c) Continental Divide Trail Alliance
d) Ignite Adaptive Sports

You can vote once per day from June 6 - June 20.

SnapTags are incorporated into the Colorado Native logo located on bottles, six-pack carriers, coasters and glassware.

For contest rules and regulations click here!

2011 Project Schedule Available - Register Now!

2011-03-19T07:20:00.000-07:00

The Continental Divide Trail brings us together as a people and a country. It's an experience that binds us to the history and promise of the land we cherish. It gives focus to shared experiences, values, promises and achievements.

Click to download the 2011 Volunteer Guide (12MB).

2011 CDTA Volunteer Projects

New Mexico Projects
Colorado Projects
Wyoming Projects
Montana & Idaho Projects

2011 Trainings

To register online, you must first read and agree to the Health requirements and Risk & Release and Indemnity Agreement located on pages 2-4 of *the Volunteer Registration form (PDF document). *Your initials will be required on the online registration form and serve as binding legal agreement for the Health and Risk & Release forms.

Each project has its own individual registration form. However, if you are registering for multiple projects, your personal information will be saved after you complete the first online application and will populate each additional project form to expedite the process.*

If you encounter any problems registering online, please email volunteer@cdtrail.org

Thank you! We look forward to seeing you on the Trail this season!

Continental Divide Trail Volunteer Project

Flat Stanley and Billy on the CDT in 2010: Ultra Lightweight Trail Blazers

2011-01-05T13:03:00.000-08:00

In 2010, CDTA launched phase 1 of the Flat Stanley on the CDNST Program, a specialized model that highlights the geography, history and uniqueness of the Trail and its nearby communities. We piloted the program with a photo contest to encourage youth and families to get outdoors on and near the Trail with Flat Stanley and his friend Flat Billy (mtn. goat). The program successfully engaged both youth and adults alike; we received pictures and stories from all ages in towns and cities near the CDNST and, even a couple of slideshows from a Ranger in Glacier National Park highlighting Flat Stanley and Billy’s adventures up and down the Trail! With all of these photos and stories, participants have helped with the ongoing creation (it will be 3,100 miles-so we need a lot of pictures!) of a CDNST “virtual hike” and have also introduced others to the beauty of CDNST and our “gateway” communities along the Trail. In a sampling of some pictures below, you can see youth, families, CDNST thru hikers, staff from our public lands and CDTA all took part in the fun of a CDNST adventure with Flat Stanley, which means they logged hundreds of miles on the CDNST, and over 15 towns near the Trail! Here are some examples of the adventures they had last year: First they started off in New Mexico and visited places like Hatchita and Pie Town.

Flat and Billy down in the Southern Terminus of New Mexico

They even took a break and provided coloring pages of themselves to kids at a bluegrass festival in Colorado.

Some youth showing off thier colored Flat Stanleys at the Bluegrass Festival

They also cheered volunteers on at a few of the 30+ trail projects in 2010.

A family of hikers at the NPLD project up in Grand Lake, CO

Moondance Adventures on Marshall Pass in Central Colorado

The following winners of the Photo Contest listed in the two categories below won a kid’s backpack from Osprey.

Best Photo in a CDNST Community: Wendy Wegner, communities in Montana and New Mexico.

Best Photo on the CDNST: Ryan and Russ Shean, in the Medicine Bow National Forest, Wyoming.

Ryan and Russ standing with their Stanley's in Wyoming. Billy is not in the picture because he took off and hid in a rock outcropping after smelling a mountain lion nearby. He averted near disaster with the mountain lion. See Ranger Wendy’s slideshow with music of the CDNST in Glacier National Park and the areas surrounding it, the beautiful and majestic National Park she is lucky to call home.

Ranger Wendy also created a slideshow of her visit along the CDNST in Yellowstone and New Mexico!

Flat Stanley and Flat Billy had so much fun in 2010; they are hitting the Trail again in 2011 to visit new places! Be sure to check our website in February for the next phase of Flat Stanley on the CDT; they will be stationed in backpacks along with fun activities at libraries in CDT “gateway communities”. In the meantime, you can still download the CDT Flats and get out there with them on the CDT or a nearby community. We have a couple more Osprey backpacks saved for our next contest... Visit www.cdtrail.org/getinvolved for more information and downloads of Flat and Billy the Mountain Goat.

Colorado Map Book Now Available!

2010-05-14T09:40:00.000-07:00

The first official CDTA trail resource published in seven years is the best navigational tool available for the 734 miles of Trail in Colorado.

Purchase now at Lulu.com!

Join our crew working to complete the Continental Divide Trail!

2010-05-14T08:49:00.000-07:00

Your help is needed on the following
2010 CDTA Volunteer Projects:

Project #9 Clear Creek 1 – June 19 to 20
Project #10 Winfield 1 – June 23 to 27
Project #13 Clear Creek 2 – July 2 to 4
Project #15 Winfield 2 – July 7 to 11
Project #16 Winfield 3 – July 14 to 18
Project #33 Clear Creek 3 – Sept. 11 to 12
Project #37 Clear Creek 4 – Sept. 18 to 19

Enjoy the scenery of the Collegiate Peaks in the high country of Colorado and give back to the Trail! On these projects, you will construct new trail as part of a major 50 mile relocation!

Build trail with our professional crew leaders, have your meals prepared by our award-winning volunteer crew chefs, and enjoy the region's history, hiking, fishing and numerous other outdoor recreation opportunities.

Visit our website for more information and to register!

CDT Celebration in New Mexico’s Bootheel

2009-12-11T11:12:00.000-08:00

On November 14th, 2009, the Continental Divide Trail Alliance hosted an event near Hachita, NM to celebrate the 31st anniversary of the Trail's designation and the completion of the CDT's southernmost point. The event also celebrated the 10th anniversary of the National Landscapes Conservation Act. Many exciting activities took place throughout the day, including day hikes, hidden geocaches, several guest speakers, a ribbon cutting ceremony, a delicious BBQ lunch, and an interpretive CDT display.

The event attracted over 50 members of the Trail community including ranchers, agency partners, through hikers, section hikers, day hikers, long distance horseback riders, United States Border Patrol, volunteers, CDTA staff, and trail angels. Guest speakers included New Mexico State Representative Nate Cote, BLM Las Cruces Recreation Manager Tom Phillips, New Mexico State Parks Trail Coordinator David Certain, Senator Tom Udall's Staff Member Xochitl Torres and International Rotarian and long distance hiker Mat Matson. In addition, Executive Director of the CDTA Steve Dudley read a letter of support from Senator Bingaman who unfortunately could not be in attendance. State Representative Nate Cote also presented the CDTA with a New Mexico state flag that had been flown over the State Capitol this past Columbus Day. The flag is now proudly on display in the new CDTA Golden office.

Thank you to everyone who attended the celebration!

Please click the link below to see photos from the event:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cdta/with/4156681120/

Become a Member of CDTA!

2009-11-06T08:41:00.000-08:00

Help us protect and complete one of our most beautiful and rugged national treasures: The Continental Divide National Scenic Trail.

To put it plain and simple -- we need your help! In the last twenty years not enough has been done to complete and protect the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail (CDNST). Our treasured landscape. Your backyard. With only 72% of the trail complete, there is much to do still and without your help it simply won't happen. This is why you should become a new member or renew your membership with CDTA today:

No Small Project: It's 3,100 Miles Long!
The CDTA is the leading non-profit partner in the completion, management and protection of the 3,100 miles that make up the CDNST - stretching from Canada to Mexico. CDTA's work includes promotion and protection, public education, as well as the recruitment, training and coordination of volunteers to scout, locate, construct, repair and maintain the CDNST. We need your support to reach our goals.

Highest & Wildest
Snaking across five states along the backbone of our nation, the CDNST provides opportunities found no where else in the country to highlight the highest, wildest, and most remote National Scenic Trail along with the communities and people near it. The CDNST connects rugged, open spaces like the Gila Wilderness in New Mexico, the San Juans in Colorado, the Wind River Range in Wyoming, the Big Hole in Idaho and the Bob Marshall Wilderness in Montana. Show your love for these special places and become a member today.

History & Legacy
The CDNST is also a cultural and natural resource treasure chest; offering wildlife viewing, miles of dramatic and diverse landscapes, a window into our past and an open door for adventure and exploring. It is home to working ranches, small towns, and generations of Americans whose lives are forever etched with the land they work. It is where Lewis & Clark first crossed the Great Divide, where legendary mountain men like Jim Bridger and Kit Carson roamed, and where Native Americans lived harmoniously off the landscape years ago. Your membership helps preserve the history and legacy of the CDNST; the same history that inspires our rugged, western spirit today.

When you give, you get something in return. Special Benefits for All Members Include: A free gift for new members (while supplies last); Three issues of the Continental Divide Trail News filled with CDT news and information; A Continental Divide Trail Alliance membership card; Free participation on CDTA Volunteer Projects; Discounts on CDTA merchandise, such as t-shirts, books and hats; Advanced mailing of volunteer opportunities; An invitation to and discounts on CDTA activities. And - most importantly - you have the knowledge that your membership helps to protect, complete and maintain the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail for future generations. Thank you for your generous support!

YES! I want to help build the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail and become a member of the Continental Divide Trail Alliance.

Click here to go to the CDTA New Member webpage. Sign up today!

TrailFest 2009 hosted by CDTA!

2009-08-13T10:35:00.000-07:00

On Saturday August 8th, hundreds of people celebrated the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail, got out on the Divide with free guided trips, and explored CDTA Base Camp in Buena Vista, Colorado.

Honored Attendees of this year's event included Joel Holtrip, Deputy Chief of the U.S. Forest Service; and Jim Bedwell, U.S. Forest Service Director of Wilderness, Recreation and Heritage Resources.

More than 60 kids won free backpacks for completing a CDTA scavenger hunt...the packs were generously donated by High Sierra through Rocky Mountain Trail.

The interest was so great for the scavenger hunt that the local BV outfitter shop, The Trailhead, also pitched in with free backpacks so every Scavenger Hunt participant could be awarded. The Trailhead also donated coffee and travel mugs to CDTA for the breakfast at Base Camp.

Walking the Great Divide on Rocky Mountain PBS

2009-07-13T14:38:00.000-07:00

Mark Flagler's incredible documentary about the CDT is airing Sunday, July 19th at 6pm. Part 2 airs Sunday, July 20th at 6pm. The program will air on PBS stations nationwide, check your local listings for information.

More information

CDTA Seeks New Mexico Field Program Coordinator

2009-07-02T09:48:00.000-07:00

Based in Northern New Mexico, this position will have the responsibility of assisting with the organization's programs to assure excellent maintenance, management and protection of the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail (CDNST). They will serve to implement the cooperative projects of the agencies and volunteers, and partner organizations responsible for the CDNST experience as established through the National Trail System Act and the history and traditions of the Trail. The NM Field Program Coordinator utilizes both office and field time to accomplish tasks with extensive travel for long periods of time throughout the state, especially from April to September.

Learn more here:

http://www.cdtrail.org/page.php?pname=cdta/jobs/permanent

Mapping the King of Trails

2009-06-03T12:02:00.000-07:00

A landmark three year extensive mapping and information-gathering project by CDTA and the U.S. Forest Service is underway!

The Problem:
A lack of accurate CDT information with hundreds of miles of Trail changes since the last guidebook series was published.

The Solution:
Capture an accurate “center-line” for the Trail that will be used for detailed Geographic Information Systems (GIS) applications and the creation of public information materials.

CDTA has hired Jerry Brown, a veteran GIS expert who has previously mapped the 500 mile-long Colorado Trail, to lead this effort. CDTA Youth Corps members will assist by collecting a wide variety of access data, including trail services.

The data collected will then be made available to the general public, with up-to-date Trail information, GPS coordinates and CDT maps.

Track Jerry Brown and the Youth Corps team members as they hike through the Gila National Forest in New Mexico!

http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0zvaIf60uRC9EUARb0EBr1hrS5GcFdMLt
(updated every 10 minutes)

Read CDTA's press release on the project.

CDTA Announces Trails Conference Scholarship Program

2009-05-26T10:04:00.000-07:00

By inspiring young people through the vast network of the more than 40,000 miles of National Trails, the Continental Divide Trail Alliance, the Partnership for the National Trails System and the Interagency Council on Trails will elevate the voice of youth and create a new generation of conservation leaders and public lands stewards.

The youth initiative scholarship program is designed to bring up to 40 young people ages 18-25 to the 12th Conference on National and Historic Trails being held July 12-15, 2009 in Missoula, Montana.

This youth initiative program is being generously funded by federal land manager partners including the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service and Federal Highway Administration,

The 12th Conference will launch the Decade for the National Trails, a plan to raise awareness and increase completion and protection of the National Trail System before its 50th anniversary in 2018. The conference will feature presentations, workshops, and field trips to bring numerous stakeholders together and expand the Trail community.

A major focus will be the involvement of youth in our National Historic and Scenic Trails. The scholarship recipients and other young people in attendance will inform the discussion by describing their experience with Trails and inform ways to increase youth leadership roles. They will be invited to assist in the development and launch of a Youth National Trails Council to expand ways in which the trails reach out to young adults nationwide. The Conference will also offer a Youth Mentorship Program matching youth participants (ages 18-25) with more experienced members of the National Trails community.

Youth initiative scholarship applications are available for download on our homepage.

Spring Newsletter from CDTA

2009-05-18T13:18:00.000-07:00

Check out the online version of our Spring newsletter hot off the presses!

Visit our website to download a copy.

Signing of Public Lands Omnibus Bill Positive for the Trail

2009-04-14T09:32:00.000-07:00

On March 30, President Obama signed into law the 164-bill Public Lands Omnibus Management Act and enacted several important victories for the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail:

• Willing Seller Authority for the CDNST and eight other national trails
• National Landscape Conservation System
• Wilderness Designation in Rocky Mountain National Park
• Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail

Click here to read CDTA's full press release on the legislation.

CDTA in the Washington Post!

2009-04-14T09:25:00.000-07:00

CDTA was recently featured the "Coming and Going" section of The Washington Post.

Click here and read the Travel Ticker section near the end of the article!

The CDT and VolunTourism in Colorado

2009-04-14T09:18:00.000-07:00

CDTA's Director of Field Operations Teresa Martinez recently participated in a webcast for voluntourism.org.

Click here to listen!

CDT in USA Today!

2008-11-24T09:25:00.000-08:00

The Continental Divide Trail was included on the list of "10 great places to put the 'giving' in Thanksgiving" in the Destinations section of USA Today.

Read the online version of the story here.

Berthoud Pass Trailhead Opens

2008-11-18T12:15:00.000-08:00

New Berthoud Pass warming hut facility

In a joint effort to provide access and information for the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail, a warming hut, planned interpretative signage and restroom facilities opened in late October at the top of Berthoud Pass, Colorado on U.S. Highway 40 between Empire and Winter Park.

Read the press release here.

The view from the pass.

CDT on Colorado Public Radio

2008-11-04T09:28:00.000-08:00

CDT on Colorado Public Radio!

The CDT was featured as the lead story on KCFR in Colorado. Listen to CDTA's Teresa Martinez describe the challenges of constructing a 3,100 mile-long National Scenic Trail.

Listen to the broadcast.

Read more on KCFR's website.

CDTA Volunteer Project Photos

2008-09-18T14:02:00.000-07:00

Check out what CDTA volunteers have been up to this summer in our new online photo album.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cdta/

If you have photos of your trail work with CDTA, please send them to volunteer@cdtrail.org.

CDTA Volunteer Project Featured in the Boston Globe!

2008-07-22T09:46:00.000-07:00

A Boston Globe reporter and a photographer spent five days out on the CDT at our Gunsight Pass project in the Bridger-Teton NF. The article appeared in the Sunday, July 20, 2008 Travel section. Along with numerous photos, their photographer also shot some great videos. (see below)

Thanks to CDTA Project Leader Eric Herbst and USFS's Scott Segerstrom for making the project such a great experience, as evidenced in the story and videos.

Also thanks to CDTA's Volunteer Programs Manager Stephanie Friday and our Land Manager of the Year, Brad Bence of the Pinedale Ranger District, for planning and coordinating the project.

Article:

http://www.boston.com/travel/getaways/us/articles/2008/07/20/united_by_the_divide/

Videos are below or use this link:

http://multimedia.boston.com/pub/tn/18/travel.htm?bclid=1672160821

TrailFest 2008 - July 19th - Buena Vista, Colorado

2008-06-26T11:03:00.000-07:00

Join CDTA on July 19th as we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the CDT!
Visit www.cdtrail.org/trailfest for more information and to register.

Click to enlarge