Description
BACKGROUND: The principal purpose of this agreement is to cooperatively develop and support a long-term strategy to create comprehensive recreational trail systems for public use and enjoyment. The strategy will emphasize organizing and utilizing the combined efforts of volunteers, trail organization members, and affected public agencies to incrementally develop the system. This agreement stimulates the realization of public purposes and benefits by providing the public with volunteer trail project opportunities at the local level, the latest educational and training resources, increases the knowledge, skills and abilities of trail volunteers, trail organization members, trail advocates and agency staff via a website, trail events, longer term volunteer opportunities on public lands and through targeted educational projects. The agreement also facilitates the creation of locally managed, cost-effective, locally-based, trail systems in a variety of communities across the West in response to rising public demand for such recreation opportunities and the limited availability of agency resources to meet that demand. OBJECTIVES: Support and help promote and educate the public on conservation issues, build public and private partnerships, support volunteer stewardship, and provide resources to help plan, fund, and develop hiking trails for use by the public. PUBLIC BENEFIT: Providing the public with trails based recreation and volunteer project opportunities and the latest educational and training resources, increases the knowledge, skills, and abilities of trail volunteers, trail organization members, trail advocates, Federal agency staff, and the public via websites, National Trails Day events, Volunteer Vacations on public lands, and through targeted educational projects.