National Trail day goes virtual

EBS STAFF

BIG SKY – On June 6, trail hounds around the country will recognize National Trails Day. The celebratory day launched in 1953 as a way to show appreciation for our many American trails, garnering support from groups across the nation. This year, however, National Trails Day festivities will follow suit of many others by adapting to a virtual format.

Locally, the Big Sky Community Organization usually takes this day to gather Big Sky trail lovers and provide some community maintenance to BSCO trails. This year, the organization has put out a call to action for individuals to head out on their own to pick up trash, clear loose branches and rocks and report any larger obstructions like fallen trees. BSCO is also encouraging trail users to share a photo on social media with the hashtags #bscotrails and #nationaltrailsday, expressing what how much the trails mean to them.

The Gallatin Valley Land Trust, based in Bozeman, is also pivoting from their National Trails Day tradition of organizing community projects. GVLT will host a Zoom meeting on Friday, June 5 at 6:30 p.m. to share individual project ideas that volunteers can complete on their own. The land trust has also provided a series of instructional videos for maintenance projects as well as a volunteer BINGO board.

National Trails Day also marks the kick-off for GVLT’s Summer Trails Challenge. Thanks to generous contributions from a number of local businesses, for every community trail mile logged, $1 will be donated to GVLT. The organization’s goal is for community members to log 50,000 miles in three weeks for a total of $50,000 raised.