EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S LETTER Greetings CDTC Friends! As always, I hope this edition of Passages finds you healthy and thriving, and enjoying a wonderful Fall and calm Winter. This time of year is always a time for feeling incredibly grateful and humbled by the ongoing support of the work we do to cooperatively steward the CDT. This past few months have been a whirlwind, and it’s a good thing I had a nice long rest in the early summer! Since early August, I have been all across the CDT: All the way up to one of the Northern Terminus of the CDT at Chief Mountain, down south to the Southern Terminus of the CDT, and everywhere in between! It has been wonderful to get out, listen, and learn about the opportunities, challenges, and innovations happening all along the trail and how CDTC can support all the amazing work happening “on the ground”. It was great to meet with small businesses in East Glacier and learn more about the challenges hikers face getting into and out of Glacier National Park. In September, it was wonderful to spend a few days in Leadville to experience the 3rd Annual Trail Daze Celebration and spend a little bit of time with Fritz Howard and his team at Melanzana. While in Leadville, CDTC’s entire staff and Board (virtually and in person) participated in our Strategic Visioning retreat. We began to lay the groundwork for how we will continue to “lean into the magic” around our work! Most fun of all, in mid-September– along with Corey Torivio, CDTC NM Regional Representative– we led a volunteer project with the Carson National Forest, some legacy and newer volunteers at Martinez Canyon. It was great to get my hands in the dirt for a few days! The past few months have also included time traveling across the country helping share the great work CDTC is doing and highlighting the success of our shared stewardship. We want to ensure Federal Agencies, supporters, and decision-makers know that their support and investment in our work is making a real difference. This includes being asked to present at a meeting hosted by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to present their Blueprint for 21st Century Outdoor Recreation and highlight our incredible relationship with the BLM. I presented at the CSU Salazar Center for North American Conservation Symposium in Denver with a good friend and partner organization colleague, and the Executive Director of Nuestra Tierra Conservation Project, Angel Pena. We shared our collective work with the America Beautiful for All Coalition and efforts to support the Biden Administration’s goal of protecting 30% of our lands by 2030. (We’re even looking beyond that horizon to what we could accomplish by 2050!) PAGE 6
Most recently, the America the Beautiful for All Coalition visited the White House to share our progress and lessons learned and support the Biden Administration with their ambitious 30 x 30 goal. And finally, in late October, I attended the New Mexico Outdoor Economics Conference where a few CDTC team members served on panels to share our experience and lessons learned in our work. These experiences reminded me of how nothing big ever is accomplished by one entity working alone. Anything that really matters– whether it’s building a community, a coalition, or protecting 30% of our lands– is only going to happen if we all work together putting the community first. CDTC’s work has always been about the “we” and I am proud that our work is being held up as a model for how to not just talk about doing the work, but actually doing the work. At the core of all of our work are humans who are passionate about the places they call home– many of those places host the CDT. These people and places help us think differently and continue to reimagine how to steward this amazing thing called the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail. I want to thank everyone who hosted any of our CDTC team this year, in your community, in your offices, your businesses, and in some cases, your home. It has meant so much to be in relationship with you as we continue to cooperatively steward the CDT and the surrounding communities and landscapes. Thank you for helping make this work fun and innovative. Thank you for giving your time, talent, and knowledge to building this community and this movement in support of the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail. We couldn’t do it without you! I wish all of you a wonderful holiday season and, as always, I look forward to seeing you on the trail in the near future!
Teresa Ana Martinez, (she/hers/ella) Executive Director, Continental Divide Trail Coalition
