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Audra Labert
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Continental Divide Trail Coalition Launches Stakeholder Survey
CDTC seeks feedback from stakeholders and communities along the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail
GOLDEN, CO (JULY 6, 2023) — The Continental Divide Trail Coalition (CDTC) is conducting a widespread survey of communities and stakeholders connected to the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail (CDT). The CDTC Community Feedback Survey period is open through the end of July 2023, and individuals, tribal representatives, organizations, and businesses in the CDT landscape are encouraged to participate.
Contributions from the survey will help guide the next phase of community-centric conservation efforts and the organization’s mission to complete, promote, and protect the CDT. Input from the last strategic visioning process helped to identify action items like trail completion, organizational regionalization, and equity in the CDT experience as top priorities, of which CDTC has made significant progress in its first decade.
“As CDTC enters our second decade of stewardship of the Continental Divide Trail, the voices and ideas of community members, partners, recreationists, and other members of our trail community are more important than ever to help guide the future of our work,” said L Fisher (they/them), Acting Executive Director for CDTC. “We hope that through this survey, we are able to continue to build our understanding of the priorities, challenges, and opportunities along the trail so that future generations continue to enjoy all the benefits of a protected CDT and an accessible Continental Divide landscape.”
Stewardship of the 3,100-mile-long CDT is a collaborative effort with federal agencies working alongside tribes, trail organizations like CDTC, Gateway Communities, volunteers, and others to steward the trail. CDTC actively works with partners and volunteers across the five states that encompass the CDT: Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, and New Mexico.
“As a grassroots organization, listening to the voices of the communities where we live and work is fundamental, ” added L Fisher, “The CDT acts as a trail to explore, a boost to rural economies, a classroom for youth, and an office for land managers, farmers, and others on working lands. Hearing input from everyone, from teachers to ranchers, from youth to business owners, from equestrians to bikers, and everyone in between will help to ensure that the future of the Continental Divide Trail continues to support the way of life in the Rocky Mountain West.”
CDTC plans to release the results from the Community Feedback Survey publicly in the fall of 2023. A link to the survey and more information is available at continentaldividetrail.org/2023-survey.
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About the Continental Divide Trail
The CDT is one of the world’s premiere long-distance trails, stretching 3,100 miles from Mexico to Canada along the Continental Divide. Designated by Congress in 1978, the CDT is the highest, most challenging and most remote of the 11 National Scenic Trails. It provides recreational opportunities ranging from hiking to horseback riding to hunting for thousands of visitors each year. While 95% of the CDT is located on public land, approximately 150 miles are still in need of protection.
About the Continental Divide Trail Coalition
The CDTC was founded in 2012 by volunteers and recreationists hoping to provide a unified voice for the Trail. Working hand-in-hand with the U.S. Forest Service and other federal land management agencies, the CDTC is a non-profit partner supporting stewardship of the CDT. The mission of the CDTC is to complete, promote and protect the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail, a world-class national resource. For more information, please visit continentaldividetrail.org.
