CDTC’S 2ND DECADE OF STEWARDSHIP

In 2022, CDTC celebrated its 10th anniversary working in service of the communities and enthusiasts of the CDT. As we reflect back on our first decade of stewardship, we are excited about the work ahead to complete, protect, and promote the CDT in our 2nd Decade of Stewardship. 2023 2033

15 full-time CDTC staff are located along the entirety of the trail, with interns, fellows, and seasonal positions supporting ongoing projects.

The CDT is 95% complete. CDTC participates in standing working groups across the trail on the major gap areas. CDT Completion

CDTC holds a memorandum of understanding with USFS, BLM, and NPS recognizing CDTC as the lead private partner in the completion, protection, and promotion of the CDT.

Cooperative Management

CDTC strengthens our presence along the trail, continuing to regionalize operations and to connect with the work important to Continental Divide communities.

The CDT is 100% complete. CDTC works with partners and communities to continue to optimize the trail route for the CDT Experience, and create more opportunities for connection and access.

CDTC continues to strengthen relationships with traditional partners, and bolsters community-led stewardship centering Indigenous nations, Divide communities, and groups that have been historically excluded from the benefits of the outdoors in the management of the CDT.

CDTC has 18 field projects in 2022 across all 5 states.

Trail Stewardship

USFS, BLM, CDTC, youth corps, and other stewardship organizations partner to “Blaze the CDT,” marking the trail in its entirety for the first time in 2018.

Trail Promotion

Lander & South Pass City, WY becomes the 20th designated CDT Gateway Community.

Community & Outreach

500 - 700 hikers attempt to thru-hike the CDT annually, with the growing popularity of public lands brings thousands of new recreationists and international travelers to the CDT.

Popularity of the CDT

CDTC facilitates a robust community-based stewardship program that encourages local projects to enhance the CDT led by volunteers, recreationists, partners, Gateway Communities, youth, and other CDT enthusiasts.

CDTC works to ensure trail signage, trailhead kiosks, trail markers, and other access information educates and encourages the CDT Experience as one that is accessible and enjoyable for all.

Communities along the Continental Divide feel connected to each other in their stewardship of the CDT, and are able to share challenges and opportunities to embolden the resiliency of the Divide communities and landscapes.

The use of the CDT continues to grow and diversify, welcoming an evergrowing number of first time CDT travelers, new user groups, and even locals to explore the National Scenic Trail in their own backyard.

Hike the Hill 2022

CDTC participated in the 25th annual Hike the Hill in coordination with partners like American Hiking Society and other members of the Partnership for the National Trail System. CDTC met with more than 20 decision makers from each of the five CDT states to celebrate major accomplishments like CDTC’s Return on Investment in 2022 and the recent designation of the Camp Hale - Continental Divide National Monument. We also met with agency leadership in the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, and the National Park Service to discuss trail completion, equity in the outdoors, pathways to conservation careers, and climate resilience on the CDT.

Continental Divide Trail Completion Act

The CDT Completion Act was included in the House National Defense Authorization Act and a bipartisan CDT Completion Act was also introduced in the Senate by Senator Heinrich (NM) and Senator Daines (MT). CDTC helped gather over 60 endorsements for the bill. We look forward to movement on this bipartisan bill in 2023!

Agency Planning 2022

In 2022, CDTC participated in the Helena-Lewis and Clark, Cibola, Santa Fe, Carson, and Gunnison Grand Mesa Uncompahgre National Forest Plans. Our responses were informed by exciting new reports like the Connecting Across the Continent Report and CDTC’s 2022 Small Business Survey, which help to inspire the future of our work.

Camp Hale - Continental Divide National Monument Designation

In October 2022, President Biden designated Camp Hale–Continental Divide National Monument in Colorado, marking the first National Monument designation by the administration, on the lands of the Ute people. The designation came after leaders from Colorado, including Senator Bennet, Senator Hickenlooper, Governor Polis, and Representative Neguse, sent a letter to President Biden urging for protections of this area in August, following a visit from Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to Camp Hale. This designation includes some of the most treasured landscapes in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains – including over 20 miles of the CDT!

Camp Hale and the Continental Divide landscape are one of four landscapes identified for protections in the Colorado Outdoor Recreation Economy Act, a piece of legislation that is the result of over a decade of collaboration with Colorado stakeholders. Included in the National Monument designation are the Camp Hale National Historic Site and the surrounding natural landscape, including the Tenmile Range and over 20 miles of the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail. This section of the 3,100-mile trail that spans from Mexico to Canada acts as a primary habitat and connective corridor for wildlife, as well as a continuous footpath for recreationists and others hoping to explore the scenic ridgeline trail between Leadville and Breckenridge.