Trails4All by Dodge College

Preservation Starts in Your Own Backyard

Stephanie Burris ♦ Natalie McCarty ♦ Lauren Pearce ♦ Hansel Ramirez ♦ Brigitte Smith

Table of Contents Introduction Fact Sheet Executive Summary Background Situational Analysis Core Problem Goals & Objectives Key Publics Campaign Theme & Messaging Strategies & Tactics Communication Confirmation Table Calendar Budget Evaluation Criteria & Tools

2 3 4 5 7 9 10 11 14 16 22 26 30 32

Section Two: Media Relations Tools Press Release Feature Story Facebook Fan Page Special Event Media Alert Pitch Letter Executive Bio Newsletter Web Site Poster Brochure

35 37 40 41 42 43 44 46 47 48

Section Three: Appendix Research Summary Preliminary Identification of Publics & Resources Bibliography

50 56 57

Printed on 100% recycled paper

Introduction It’s a beautiful September morning along the Santiago River in Santa Ana. A young family is picking up trash as part of the Trails4All’s 13th annual Inner-Coastal Watershed Cleanup Day. They carefully search high and low for the cigarette butts and beer bottles that litter the riverbed before plucking the waste off the ground and into their biodegradable trash bags. Our team was also taking part in the clean up this morning. When the family told us they’ve been taking part in the clean up for ten years we asked them if they volunteered for other Trails4All events. They told us they were unaware of who Trails4All was. It was at this point we realized that the main challenge facing Trails4All was a lack of awareness, even among its volunteers. Our research showed that only six percent of trail users in Orange County were familiar with the organization, even though most of them said they would volunteer to preserve trails. Trails4All’s support base is also aging. In order for Trails4All to continue into the future it needs to attract the next generation to its cause. A primary tool to help this cause will be the organization’s student program: Partnerships4Trails. Another challenge facing Trails4All is a lack of donations. Many of Trails4All’s supporters are landowners and developers, that were most affected by the real estate crash. Trails4All’s biggest supporter, The Irvine Company, was forced to pull all funding due to the economic crisis. These funds have not been replaced and are affecting Trails4All’s ability to accomplish its goals. We felt that the core to most of the challenges facing Trails4All is a general lack of awareness among key publics. Our campaign, “Preservation Starts in Your Own Backyard” hopes to help solve that problem by speaking directly to students, young adults, volunteers, donors and organizations who are looking for local environmental projects to support. We propose to increase awareness with new branding, Web site, an online store, collateral materials and signage at events it helps out with. We will also set up a media protocol to help share announcements of Trails4All’s events and news with the general public. In order to help raise awareness, donations and support for Trails4All and the Partnerships4Trails’ program we have planned a community event called Backyard Bash. The event will honor the students for their work while bringing the community together for the common goal of keeping our trails and open space clean and pristine.

Fact Sheet Contact: Jim Meyer (Cell) 310-344-9229 (Fax) 562-529-5153 13720 Florine Ave. Paramount, CA 90723-2133 Mission: Trails4All is dedicated to the creation, preservation and restoration of trails and open spaces in Southern California to keep them safe and accessible for all residents and visitors to enjoy. Organization: Trails4All was founded in 1992 by executive director Jim Meyer. It is made up of a coalition of around 30 trail user groups and is run by a board of directors and an advisory board of 24 members. Members of the advisory board are also members of fellow organizations that Trails4All partners with on different projects. Programs: Trails4All offers trail care workshops and group volunteer opportunities for corporations and schools. It also offers an after school program called Partnerships4Trails: a joint partnership between Trails4All and Earth Resource Foundation that allows students to plan, design and implement a trail creation or restoration project in their neighborhood. Services: Trails4All plans and facilitates trail clean up, renovation and creation projects for organizations in Southern California. These organizations include: trail user groups, corporations and schools. It also offers trail-planning services to agencies and land owners and trail care training. Trails4All has organized over 23,000 volunteers in more than 650 projects over the past 17 years. It has logged over 113,000 volunteer hours and trained more than 175 agency personnel and volunteers in trail care. Past Partners: The Orange County Harbors, Beaches and Parks Department, the California Coastal Commission, the San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles Rivers and Mountains Conservancy, and the Riverside-Corona Resource Conservation District. Past Projects: Recreation of the Santiago Oak Regional Park trails after the Windy Ridge fire of 2007, Cactus Hill Trail Rework and Opening, Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park trails, 13 years of “Inner-Coastal Watershed Cleanup Day” and the “All Canyons Cleanup.” Trails4All also organized a “National Trails Day” project at O'Neill Regional Park and the nearby Cleveland National Forest that drew more than 200 volunteers.

Executive Summary About Trails4All: Trails4All is dedicated to the creation, preservation and restoration of trails and open spaces in Southern California to keep them safe and accessible for all residents and visitors to enjoy. It was founded in 1992 and is a coalition of 30 trail user groups. Trails4All has helped organized over 23,000 volunteers in more than 650 projects and has trained 175 agency personnel and volunteers in trail care. Its afterschool program, Partnerships4trails teaches students ecology, trail creation, leadership and management while exercises their bodies and minds. Primary Publics: Donors and potential donors, volunteers, young adults and organizations/individuals that benefit from Trails4All’s services. Strategies:

Tactics:

Engage donors and potential donors more Persuade non-donors to support Trails4All Increase involvement of current volunteers Increase awareness among 12-30 year olds Increase involvement of 12-30 year olds Increase awareness of existence and services of Trails4All

New Web site with calendar of events, stories of past events and photos Trail project tours for current and potential donors E-Newsletter for volunteers and donors Community event to raise awareness Involvement of media Make donating easier with Paypal More branding at events “Bring a Friend” trail day Use of social media Increase Trails4All’s presence at outdoor retailers

Campaign Goals: To increase Trails4All’s brand awareness and donations within the Orange County/Inland Empire community, especially among students and young adults. Objectives: • • • • • •

To achieve a 10 percent net increase in the amount of year-to-date donations; sustain growth thereafter. To increase involvement of students/young adults by 30 percent by the end of year 2011, as compared to total in 2010. To increase awareness by ensuring that at least 15 percent of trail users recognize the Trails4All name by the end of 2010. To reach out to at least 3 cities and/or organizations that Trails4All has not worked with by December 2010. To host a community event with at least 100 participants by June 2010. To establish a positive presence for Trails4All on social media networks such as Facebook and Twitter.

Budget: The total cost for the event, media tools as well as redoing the Web site and graphic designs will cost $9,350

Background History of Trails in America Trails existed in America long before humans were around to use them. Animals instinctively followed the same routes until they gradually wore away the plants and soil created the world’s first trails. Native Americans later used these trails for trade, hunting, and as aids during war. Some trails were also created by the Native Americans, mostly in the high mountains, although most of the trails they used were animal paths. When Europeans came to America, they used the trails for travel as well. They often widened them from narrow single-file trails to ones wide enough to carry wagons and carts. These trails were used by many explorers, traders and travelers. Many would become the first roads, and in some cases would be transformed into the Nation’s first highways, such as Route 66. Other famous trails include the Pacific Crest Trail, which stretches from Canada to Baja California and the Oregon Trail that carried many pioneers to the west in the 1800s. The first major conservation and trail group in the United States was The Sierra Club. Founded in 1892 by John Muir, The Sierra Club set out to preserve natural spaces and increase awareness of their existence. In the 1920s, The Sierra Club started to improve trails so that more people could explore these wild places. A 215-mile trail through the Sierra Nevada is named in honor of John Muir for his contributions to the preservation of the area, most notably in Yosemite National Park. In 1968, the National Trails System Act was enacted to “promote the preservation of, public access to, travel within, and enjoyment and appreciation of the open-air, outdoor areas and historic resources of the Nation." It also assigned the Bureau of Land Management, United States Forest Service and the National Park Service with the task of the creation and maintenance of trails. These bodies work in partnership with local government, land trusts and nonprofits such as Trails4All to maintain the nation’s trails. Today there are more than 50,000 miles of trails in the United States. Recently, budget cuts have been a problem for trails in America. As a result of the current budget crisis, more than $70 million was cut from State Parks in 2009. It is planned that an additional $14 million will likely be cut in 2010. These cuts will close some parks, reduce the operating hours of others and reduce the State Parks’ ability to maintain their resources. If these trails are not maintained and cease to be used, many of them will disappear as native vegetation reclaims the land.

The Creation of Trails4All In 1992, disagreements among trail users in Orange County were creating a hostile environment on the trails. The County was losing funding to maintain its trails property and trail user groups such as bikers, hikers and equestrians were fighting over right-of-ways. Because of the parks’ budget shortfalls, volunteers from trail user groups took on the role of trail maintenance and creation. Lack of organization and hostility between user groups reduced the effectiveness of these attempts. Trails4All was started with the mission of better organizing these events and bringing the groups together through the shared goal of making the trails cleaner, safer and more enjoyable for everyone. The founder of Trails4All, Jim Meyer was a member of SHARE, a mountain biking club that took part in trail creation and maintenance. He felt that the creation of a central nonprofit would increase the efficiency of the trail cleanup days as well as ease tensions between user groups. So in 1992, Meyer created Trails4All, and in 1995 the organization became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

Trails4All today Today, Trails4All includes about 30 trail use groups. It helps to clear away hundreds of thousands of pounds of trash from Orange County’s trails and waterways each year. The organization also helped to build and repair many miles of trails within the county. The organization has been recognized many times for its stewardship of the land and efforts to maintain the county’s natural resources. It received the Centennial Heritage Museum's "Environmental Award" in 2002, the Disneyland Environmental Com-munity Service Award in 1999, 2001, 2002 and 2003, the "Ruby Slippers” award for environmental stewardship in 2004, the Santa Ana River Watershed Alliance (SARWA) Nonprofit "River Hero" Award in 2007, and the American Trails National Community Service Award in 2008.

Situational Analysis Trails4All offers trail restoration, cleaning and construction services in Southern California as well as an afterschool program called Partnerships4Trails. Since its founding in 2000, Partnerships4Trails has been implemented in two schools and one community organization. It is a group effort between Trails4All and the Earth Resource Foundation to teach students how to manage trail construction and restoration while learning about the environment, developing leadership skills and understanding project planning. Key publics for the organization include anyone who enjoys nature and trails, the schools and students involved in Partnerships4Trails, volunteers, donors and the government agencies or land trusts that own the land it works on. Trails4All has organized more than 23,000 volunteers to work on more than 650 projects in Orange County, logging a total of 114,000 volunteer hours. It has also trained over 175 staff and volunteers in the fundamentals of basic trail work1. Trails4All is based out of Paramount, Calif. and is sponsored by the cities of Lake Forest, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Hills, Mission Viejo, Irvine, Aliso Viejo, Westminster, as well as Riverside, Orange, and San Bernardino Counties. The organization clears away hundreds of thousands of pounds of trash from the county’s trails and waterways each year. Some of the organization’s past projects include the Cactus Hill Trail Rework and Opening, Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park, the Orange County-wide “Inner-Coastal & Watershed Cleanup Day” that has been ongoing for 13 years and the “All Canyons Cleanup.” Trails4All also organized a “National Trails Day” project at O'Neill Regional Park and the nearby Cleveland National Forest that drew more than 200 volunteers. Some of the groups Trails4All works with, or has worked with in the past, are REI of Southern California, Equestrian Trails, Inc., Saddleback Memorial Hospital, The Irvine Company, rangers and grounds crews from County and State Parks in Southern California, Orange County Integrated Waste Management, Girl Scouts of America, and many more. Its key publics are groups or people that are interested in trails and/or the environment who could potentially volunteer for Trails4All, as well as potential and past donors such as: Sempra energy, Pacific Life, Boeing, land developers, green companies and companies with a youth, education, or environmental focus. Partnerships4Trails has worked with Magnolia High School, Anaheim Rotary’s Interact, Junior ROTC, The Cambodian Family, Corona Middle School, and Cleveland National Forest. Trails4All is in transition from an organization that manages trail maintenance and creation to an organization that also teaches leadership and environmental stewardship to children. The organization also needs to reach out to younger volunteers to engage the next

Based on 2007 data

generation in the important work that it does. Trails4All must alter its mission to reflect these transformations. It must also use the contacts, funding and volunteer base it already has to nurture the changes. It can start to do this by building awareness among its key publics. The organization is also facing a decrease in funding. Its most significant donor, The Irvine Company, recently decided to stop sponsoring the organization in light of the poor economic climate and slumping home sales. Trail4All needs to find donors to replace the funds formerly offered by The Irvine Company and to increase its revenue. Trails4All should look to its volunteer base as well as the number of organizations that Jim Meyer partners with to fill funding gaps and to expand donations. Trails4All should also reach out to potential and past donors to increase sponsorship.

Core Problem If Trails4All does not increase awareness of its goals and services to generate donations, it will be unable to support its current and ongoing operations including Partnerships4Trails, its student leadership program.

Goal & Objectives Goal: To increase Trails4All’s brand awareness and donations within Orange County and the surrounding areas of Southern California, especially among students and young adults.

Objectives: •

•

• •

To achieve a 10 percent net increase in the amount of year-to-date donations; sustain growth thereafter. To increase involvement of young adults by 30 percent by the end of year 2011, as compared to total in 2010. To increase awareness by ensuring that at least 15 percent of trail users recognize the Trails4All name by the end of 2010. To reach out to at least 3 cities and/or organizations that Trails4All has not worked with by December 2010. To host a community event with at least 100 participants by June 2010. To establish a positive presence for Trails4All on social media networks such as Twitter and Facebook.

Key Publics List and Profiles Donors and Potential Donors Donors are vital to the existence of Trails4All. The funds given by donors support the organizationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s operations programs and can also help the organization grow and expand its reach in the future. Trails4Allâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s supporters are varied in their background but all share an affiliation and passion for outdoor spaces and trails. Primary donors include: land owners, land managers, outdoor related companies, and individuals who support environmental causes. All of these groups support Trails4All because of the beneficial work the organization does in the local outdoor areas. Self-Interest: Tax-deductible donations, improvements of lands they own or manage, improvement of trails the individual uses, betterment of wild spaces, environmental stewardship. Influentials: The park systems, environmental organizations, trail use organizations, other donaters, Jim Meyer.

Volunteers This public consists largely of people who use trails regularly. Volunteers who use trails see firsthand the problems that need to be fixed with the help of organizations like Trails4All. Volunteers are always needed, not only to help with trail restoration, building, etc. but also for bringing supplies to and from the trails, supervising the activities, and helping set up the event. Trails4All is dependent on volunteers to complete the work at its projects. Self-interests The love of open space and wanting to keep it clean and safe, community involvement, self-worth, and maintaining resources that are necessary to their interests as well as making them available to others. Influentials: Other local organizations whose initiatives may have sparked am interest to volunteer, trail user groups or clubs that use trails, companies that encourage or give incentives for employees to volunteer, friends and family, children who are involved in Partnerships4Trails, local or national government officials and nonprofit environmental organizations.

Trail Users This public consists of people that use trails in their local and neighboring communities for recreational activities. Most people use trails for hiking or biking, but others use them for activities such as horseback riding and bird watching. They are the reason that trails are built and the reason for organizations such as Trails4All. Aside from the plants and animals, they are the ones who are most affected by changes in the condition of trails. The rates at which they visit local trails vary, but our research suggests that many visit on a daily or weekly basis. Self-interests: Trail users visit trails for exercise; to get away from the city, to relieve stress, for adventure, for the scenery, to spot or study certain plants and animals, for the enjoyment of a hobby that involves being on trails such as horseback riding, mountain biking or hiking. Influentials: Friends and family; sites/books that review trails or organize trail use events such as group hikes, community, environmental groups, organizations and clubs whose function or events are in some way dependent on trails.

Organizations that benefit from Trails4Allâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s services Included in this key public are directors of park agencies located in Orange County and the Inland Empire, private environmental organizations, landowners, developers, and trusts. Government entities that benefit from Trails4All include all individual cities and counties within southern California where there is land that needs maintaining and protecting. The County of Orange alone is host to 39,000 acres of parks and 230 miles of regional riding and hiking trails, all of which have an interest in the services of Trails4All. Fellow private environmental entities include the organizations that serve a similar purpose to that of Trails4All and would benefit from either collaboration or funding. Examples include the Irvine Ranch Conservancy and The Earth Resource Foundation. The land owners, developers, and trusts include entities such as The Irvine Company who have an interest in the residents and communities that support their businesses and financial interests.

Self-Interests: Land and trail care, maintenance, and protection, Cleaner and safer recreational/ leisure areas, happier residents, increased quality of life, increased prospective resident interest, improvement in the quality of programs and events, increased training or knowledge, improved relations with community. Influentials: City and county government leaders, officials and candidates, Parks & Recreation departments, park rangers, city/county residents who use the trails/parks, directors and founders of fellow private environmental organizations, active volunteers, shareholders.

Young Adults Lowering the average age of Trails4All volunteers is essential to the future of the organization due to its current aging volunteer base. Young adults who would be potential volunteers/supporters are people who already have an interest in trails, the environment or the outdoors. They likely already volunteer for other organizations with similar goals as Trails4All, but are likely unaware of the organizations. They may also use the trails but be unaware of the need for maintenance and the opportunity to volunteer. Self-Interest: The environment, outdoor activities, sense of self-worth through volunteering or supporting non profits, volunteer hours from school or work. Influentials: Peers, teachers, parents, school clubs/organizations, environmental organizations, celebrities, trends.

Campaign Theme & Messaging Trails4All: Preservation Starts in Your Own Backyard

Theme and Messages Volunteers: 1. Self-Interest: As volunteers, you enjoy the sense of community you experience at volunteering events, and you enjoy and appreciate well-maintained trails. 2. Present Issue: However, sometimes you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have the time or there arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t events close enough to you to be able to volunteer. You may also be unaware of opportunities to volunteer. 3. Present Nonprofit as Solution: Trails4All is a local organization in Orange County that is constantly offering volunteer opportunities in a wide array of trail cleanup, restoration, education and preservation projects to help protect our environment. 4. Make Appeal: This is the opportunity for you to get outside and be able to work with the community to keep these trails you enjoy clean and safe for your own use as well as others. 5. Volunteer to preserve your own backyard. Trail Users: 1. Self-Interest: As the primary user of the trails in your community, you benefit directly from their upkeep. You want trails that are well maintained and clean, as well as new trails to explore. 2. Present Issue: Trails are your place for enjoyment, but may not be your first choice for volunteer work. However, without help your trails cannot continue to uphold the beauty and integrity you have come expect. 3. Present Nonprofit as solution: For the past 17 years Trails4All has been working to create, maintain and preserve the trails you use. 4. Make Appeal: Trails4All cannot do it alone; it relies on your support to build and maintain local trails. Do your part by volunteering at the next community event, encouraging your friends and family to come with you, and/or by making a donation. 5. Preservation starts in your own backyard. 14

Donors or potential donors to Trails4All: 1. Self-interest: You enjoy the outdoors and want to do your part to ensure that the places you love get the care and attention they need. 2. Present Issue: Trails4All’s low profile leads to a lack of awareness of what Trails4All is and what the organization does. You may be more likely to donate to one of the many other environmental organizations that are more well known and that may have a larger scope than just trails in Southern California or be unaware of Trails4All’s needs. 3. Present Nonprofit as Solution: Trails4All focuses on local projects that can have a higher personal benefit to donors than other organizations’ projects that may be geographically removed from you. Trails4All also allows you to donate to specific projects, allowing you to improve areas that are of personal interest. 4.

Make Appeal: Orange County has environmental needs that need to be addressed.

5. Trails4All: Preservation states in your own backyard. Organizations that benefit from Trails4All’s services: 1. Self-Interest: You are the owner or operator of open space and want to provide clean and safe parks and trails to keep residents and visitors happy and wanting to return. 2. Present Issue: Due to tight budgets, you may not be able to maintain trails at the level you would like. A lack of new trails and poor maintenance of current trails can lead to declining use and dissatisfaction among trail users. 3. Present Nonprofit as Solution: As a nonprofit, Trails4All is a viable partner who can help accomplish the work you need done without spending tax payer’s money. Trails4All can also increase community involvement in the parks, therefore increasing resident’s interest in the preservation of these lands. 4. Make Appeal: Working with Trails4All is a mutually beneficial partnership that can lead to better management of trails as well as offer more enthusiastic people and creative ideas to help fuel existing trail programs and initiate new ones within your organization. 5. Trails4All: Preservation starts in your own backyard. Collaboration helps it grow.

Strategies & Tactics Public: Young adults Strategy: Increase awareness of Trails4All among publics age 12-30. Tactics:  Re-brand: A rebranding of Trails4All as a more current organization will help increase its appeal and build awareness among young audiences. This will include a recommendation to change the logo.  Use social media: Create a Facebook page for Trails4All to serve as a communication channel between the organization and its online audiences. May also include a blog written by Jim Meyer.  Create new Web site design: The Trails4All Web site will be the main source of information for people interested in their cause. Revitalizing the visual appeal of this site will help the organization appeal to younger generations.  Swag: Giving away items such as t-shirts and buttons at events will help spread the Trails4All name to people who may not have heard of it. Trails4All can set up a Café Press account and have people buy merchandise off the site or have donors buy shirts with our logo off the site to give out at events.  Ask local partners to help promote community events: Ask businesses and organizations that have more influence on younger audiences such as Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts to promote events and in exchange invite them to come promote their organizations at the event.  Reach out to more schools with the Partnerships4Trails program to help increase awareness in elementary, middle school, and high school students. Strategy: Increase involvement in publics age 12-30. Tactics:  School sponsored trail day: Trails4All can invite an entire school or grade level to an event where students learn about trail preservation and land stewardship.  Extra credit: Ask teachers to incentivize their students to volunteer for trail cleanup days by giving them extra credit in class.  Volunteer through Disneyland: Get approval from Disneyland to be part of the “Give a Day, Get a Disney Day” program. Offering the incentive of a free ticket to a theme park will encourage younger people to volunteer for Trails4All.

 Calendar on Web site: Having a calendar that spotlights events hosted or attended by Trails4All will give people information on how they can help maintain their local trails, especially to the younger publics who mostly rely on the internet for their information.  Facebook alert: For many organizations Facebook is the most effective way to reach young audiences. It is important for Trails4All to promote its events through Facebook and keep its followers updated on opportunities to volunteer.

Public: Donors and Potential Donors Strategy: Increase awareness of Trails4All among potential donors Tactics:  Increase media coverage of Trails4All events to spread awareness among potential donors. Invite reporters to attend trail events and send photos of events to local media.  Have narrative stories on some previous projects on Trails4All’s communication tools to show potential donors the good Trails4All does.  Increase signage and have brochures at Trails4All events to increase awareness of Trails4All among current volunteers who may become donors.  Include Trails4All information and event schedules at outdoor retailers and online at sites such as the Orange County Register and REI.  Hold a community nature day that will educate Orange County residents who may be unaware that Trails4All exists as a potential donation recipient. Strategy: Persuade non-donors to support Trails4All over other organizations. Tactics:  Promote Trails4All’s different donation options. Making information available about these options in literature and on the Web site can help convince people to chose Trails4All over another organization.  Make donating easier. In order to attract more donors, provide a PayPal link on the Web site with easy to follow instructions in a donor section of the Web site on how to mail in checks to Trails4All. The donor section of the Web site should also display a list of past donors that thanks them for their generous gifts.  Show potential donors where the money goes. Information on the Web site and in printed materials about successful projects will show people what they are giving to.  Inform potential donors about donation options at a community event by having an organization representative available to answer questions and distribute donor materials.

 Increase awareness of Trails4All through media. Feature stories on the organization and its success will help persuade people to donate.  Increase Trails4All’s branding at current events. Many of the current Trails4All’s volunteers do not know they are supporting Trails4All. Increased awareness of Trails4All at events will encourage current volunteers to donate.

Strategy: Engage donors and potential donors in the growth of the organization Tactics:  Write narrative stories on some of the projects Trails4All has completed with photos for the Web site, brochures and other communications to show donors where their money goes.  Hold a trail tour day where donors and potential donors can tour a recently completed project, or a future project that Trails4All hopes to complete.  Send frequent email newsletters about the organization to keep donors updated on news, events and Partnerships4Trails.  Secure a feature stories in local papers about the work Trails4All does and its future plans to help underprivileged children.

Public: Organizations and Individuals that benefit from Trails4All’s services Strategy: Increase awareness among groups and individuals that benefit from Trails4All. This includes: land owners, land managers, cities, counties and trail users. Tactics:  Pitch “California’s Gold”, a show on PBS that explores areas and organizations in California, on an episode that follows a Trails4All trail work day. Place video clips from the episode on the Trails4All Web site.  Work with park officials to gain access to the bulletin boards at trailheads to promote future trail events and to increase awareness of Trails4All. If possible, display brochures or business cards for interested trail users to take home.  Work with outdoor recreational retailers and stores that have an environmental focus and ask them to place Trails4All brochures or business cards at or near their registers.  Develop a Web site that takes advantage of SEO (Search Engine Optimization). When people search online for trails in the Orange County area, having Trails4All.org as one of the top hits will increase awareness among trail users.  Issue a direct mail piece to the parks department of cities and to fellow environ-mental organizations explaining the impact that Trails4All has had in the areas it already services 18

and encouraging collaboration on trail-related projects. To save money, this could be as simple as a form letter accompanied by a copy of the Trails4All brochure. Strategy: Increase involvement and collaboration among groups and individuals that benefit from Trails4All Tactics:  Work with city and county park departments and fellow environmental organ-izations to collaborate on community trail projects. In exchange for funding, publicity, and creative leadership, all the locations must offer is recognition that Trails4All is the major facilitator of the event. This recognition can be achieved via the display of the Trails4All banner, inclusion of the logo on shirts, and distribution of organization literature.  Approach companies within the community about planning a trail related activity facilitated by Trails4All. The activity could be a team building experience where employees either work to help clean up a trail or just go on a group hike led by a Trails4All volunteer.  Post information about Trails4All and upcoming trail events at trailheads.  Give people who have never worked with Trails4All a reason to volunteer by partnering with retailers who are willing to donate gift certificates and/or items from their store to give away in raffles. Advertise the raffles in all printed and online communication about the event. Approach the donors themselves and ask them to hang posters as well.  Work with local pet stores and animal shelters and ask them to distribute and/or display an informational flier that lists pet-friendly trails in the Orange County area and offer information on how to get involved in making sure those trails stay clean and safe for pets.

Public: Volunteers Strategy: Increase involvement of current volunteers. Tactics:  Create an e-newsletter sent to current volunteers that keeps them up to date with different volunteering opportunities as well as pictures and results as gratification for past events.  Create a calendar of events that is kept up to date with all upcoming volunteering opportunities. This calendar can be placed in the newsletter, on the Web site, posted at other volunteering events, etc.  Make the volunteers aware they are volunteering for Trails4All when events are being hosted at other venues. Hang posters with the logo at events that display a recognizable logo. Also, create shirts with the logo to give to volunteers at events. If the volunteers 19

know which organization they are working for, they will look for that same organization for future events and this will create a brand loyalty for Trails4All.  Plan a “bring a friend to an event” day. Volunteers are recommended to bring a friend to a certain event and there will be buddy activities, games and prizes. This will not only bring in more volunteers, but the activities and games will make it more enjoyable and make it more likely for them to want to come to more events in the future.  Make volunteers feel more involved by having a comment box present at events and a digital comment box on the Web site to give volunteers the opportunity comment on they liked and disliked about certain events, suggestions for events in the future, suggestions for different trails or areas that might need a cleanup day or restoration project.

All publics Strategy: Increase brand awareness among all publics Tactics:  Refresh the logo to give it a more updated and approachable look.  Redesign the Web site: a fresh new look and organizational flow on the Web site will give the Trails4All more credibility and reliability.  Create a monthly Trails4All e-newsletter that informs interested publics about the latest news and information relating to the organization, including current and future events and projects. Make sure there is a sign-up feature for the newsletter featured on the Web site.  Train people to be “volunteer leaders” who are in charge of leading Trails4All sponsored events, recruiting volunteers, and motivating current ones. This will help expand the reach of the organization by enabling more people to spread the word.  Design posters for the organization that give it a fresh, new look while still maintaining the organization’s credibility and authority. Make sure these posters reflect the reach and mission of Trails4All.  Train a spokesperson to represent Trails4All. That person should be experienced in public speaking and be extremely media savvy.  Pitch “California’s Gold”, a show on PBS that explores areas and organizations in California, on an episode that follows a Trails4All trail work day. Place video clips from the episode on the Trails4All Web site.

Strategy: Change the perception that Trails4All is strictly a clean-up organization. Tactics:

 Host a community event that promotes Trails4All’s other projects including Partnerships4Trails, the trail training sessions, and trail construction projects.  Adopt a new slogan that is more inclusive to what the organization does.  Write news releases to alert the media of Trails4All’s non-cleanup activities.  Include different topic sections in the e-newsletter for cleanups, events, Partnerships4Trails and more to create awareness that these separate activities exist.  Boilerplate: Write a new “About us” piece to give the public a better understanding of the organization and how it is pursuing its mission.

Communication Confirmation Table Key Public Donors and Potential Donors

Self-Interests

Primary Messages

• Tax-deductible donations • Improvement of lands they own or manage • Improvement of trails the individual uses • Betterment of wild spaces • Environmental stewardship

"Trails4All: Preservation Starts in Your Own Backyard”

Influentials • The park system • Environmental organizations • Trail use organizations • Other organizations/ people that donate • Jim Meyer

Objectives

Strategies

To achieve a • Engage donors and 10 percent potential donors in increase in the the growth of the amount of organization. year-to-date • Persuade nondonations; donors to support sustain growth Trails4All over thereafter. other non profits.

Tactics • Use narrative stories and photos online and in print to show donors where their money goes • Trail project tours • Email newsletter • Invite donors to community event ("Backyard Bash") • Get reporters to write feature articles about Trails4All • Promote variety of donation options • Make donating easier with PayPal • Increase branding at events

Communication Confirmation Table Key Public Volunteers

Self-Interests • Love of open space and wanting to keep it clean and safe • Community involvement • Self-worth, and keeping what one loves to do available for others.

Primary Messages

Influentials

"Trails4All: • Organizations Preservation starts in that encourage your own backyard." people to volunteer • Companies that encourage or give incentives for employees to volunteer • Friends and family that volunteer • Children who are involved in Partnership4Trails • Local or national government officials • Nonprofit environmental organizations

Objectives

Strategies

To increase • Increase young adult involvement of volunteers current volunteers. 30 percent by • Increase awareness the end of year in publics age 122011, as 30. compared to • Increase total in 2010 involvement in publics age 12-30. • Increase recognition of Trails4All among current and future volunteers.

Tactics • Email newsletter • Calendar of events • Branding (banners and use of logo) at events • "Bring a Friend" event • Comment box at events and online for feedback • Rebranding: logo change • Use of social media including Facebook and Twitter • New website design • Swag to give away at events • School sponsored trail days • Promote extra credit volunteer programs in schools • Become part of the Disney "Give a Day, Get a Disney Day" volunteer program • Create Trails4All volunteer leader positions

Communication Confirmation Table Key Public Trail users

Self-Interests

Primary Messages

• Exercise • Get away from the city • Stress relief • Adventure • Enjoy the scenery • Spot or study certain plants and animals • Enjoyment of a hobby that involves being on trails such as horseback riding, mountain biking, or hiking

"Trails4All: Preservation Starts in Your Own Backyard."

Influentials

Objectives

• Friends and • To increase family involvement • Sites/books that of young review trails adults by 30 • Environmental percent by groups 2011. • Community • Organizations and • To increase clubs whose awareness of function or events Trails4All are in someway among trail dependent on users. trails.

Strategies

Tactics

• Increase awareness of the existence and services of Trails4All. • Increase involvement and collaboration with Trails4All. • Change the perception that Trails4All only does clean-ups.

• Post announcements of upcoming events at trailheads • Offer prizes in exchange for becoming a volunteer • Distribute literature about pet friendly trails at pet retailers • Have Huell Howser of “California’s Gold” do a show on Trails4All • Hang Trails4All posters at trailheads • Place Trails4All literature at recreational /environmental themed retailers • SEO marketing for the website

Communication Confirmation Table Key Public

Self-Interests

Primary Messages

Influentials

Objectives

Strategies

Tactics

Organizations the Benefit from Trails4All's Services

• Land and trail care • Cleaner and safer recreational/ leisure areas • Happier residents • Increased quality of life • Improvement in the quality of programs and events • Training and knowledge • Boost awareness • Fuels creativity and resourcefulness • Improves community relations

"Trails4All: Preservation Starts in Your Own Backyard. Collaboration Helps it Grow."

• City and county government leaders, officials, and candidates • Parks & Recreation departments • Park rangers • Residents • Directors and founders of fellow private environmental organizations • Shareholders

To reach out to at least three cities and/or organizations that Trails4All has not worked with before by June 2010.

• Increase awareness of the existence and services of Trails4All. • Increase involvement and collaboration with Trails4All.

• Collaborate on community trail projects in exchange for recognition • Host company trail days for employees • Solicit donations for raffles in exchange for company exposure • Ask pet retailers to distribute pet themed literature in exchange for recognition • Direct mail piece focused on explaining the impact Trails4All has had on the organizations/areas it has already worked with

Calendar January 2010 Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Saturday

Create CafePress account for swag.

Friday

Begin distribution of online newsletter.

Begin Web site wireframe

Thursday

1 4 Activate Facebook and Twitter accounts

Wednesday

Book event location

Start writing Web site

31 Send event alerts to magazines

February2010 Sunday

Monday

Tuesday 1

Wednesday 2

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Newsletter

7 Book entertainment for event

8 Continue booking entertainment

Wrap up all rentals

Food Service

Book food service and rentals for event

Hire photographer

21 Send web copy to designer

Start writing brochure

29 Begin poster design

March 2010 Sunday

Monday

Tuesday 1

Launch new Web site and brand

Wednesday 3 Post calendar of events online.

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Newsletter centered on new site and calendar

Finish production on posters for schools & areas of interest.

Check in on entertainment booked for event.

24 Complete informational brochure

25 Send brochure to printer

Begin writing letter for direct mail

April 2010 Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

1 *continue booking event entertainment

If not already completed*

5 Send posters to local schools

Make a media contact list.

15 Send out direct mail piece.

22 Contact media for potential feature â&#x20AC;Ś

Launch Disney Days program.

Start writing invitation for event

April Newsletter with Save The Date for Backyard Bash

Finalize direct mailing piece

23 stories centered on event

24 Donor appreciation trail day

Add event to online media calendars

May 2010 Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday 1

Confirm reservations and rentals for event

May newsletter about event

12 Send invitation to printer

Mail out invitations.

19 Release glove invitations to media

Release more media for event; newspaper articles, etc.

Call VIPs to confirm attendance

26 Follow up with media

June 2010 Sunday

Monday

Tuesday 1

Wednesday 2

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

June newsletter focusing on event

Follow up with all media

Reminder eblast about event

Follow up with any media that has not yet responded

21 Send photos to media outlets

19 BACKYARD BASH

Thank you post with eblast.

July 2010 Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

July newsletter with event follow up.

Budget January 1st – December 31st Communication Tools Online Newsletter (Monthly Editions) Writer’s fee Distribution Brochure (One page, Three colors) Writer’s fee Photographer’s fee and expenses Graphic designer’s fee Printing Postage (limited shipping) Web site Writer’s fee Photographer’s fee and expenses Graphic designer’s fee News release Meia list purchase fee Feature Story Writer’s fee

Amount/Units

Cost (In-House)

Per year

$1,000 (In-House) (In-House) $500

1,000

$500

100

$100 (In-House) $1,000 (In-House) $300 (In-House)

Total Estimate (Communication Tools)

$3,400

Special Event Venue One-day fee Invitations Graphic designer fee Printing Envelope and postage Save the Date Promo Gloves Postage Sound system Half-day

$1,000 1,000 $500 $500 $400 50 $250

$200 $800

Communications Tools Videographer

Amount/Unit

Half-day

Cost $500

Photographer Half-day

$500

Food Vendors

SWAG Stickers, pencils

$800 500 $500

Total Estimate (Special Event)

$5,950

Overall Estimate for 2010

$9,350

Evaluation Criteria & Tools Objective: To achieve a 10 percent net increase in the amount of year-to-date donations; sustain growth thereafter. Evaluation Tool: Compare financial records for 2009 with 2010 and 2011 statements. Objective: To increase young adult volunteers 30 percent by the end of year 2011, as compared to total in 2010. Evaluation Tool: Have volunteers at all events sign in with their name and age in order to create a baseline for comparison; continue sign-ins at future events. Growth will be evaluated on a yearly basis starting December 2010.

Objective: To host a community event with at least 100 participants by July 2010. Evaluation Tool: First evaluation tool would be if the event were held. If it is, we will evaluate attendance by counting participants. Objective: To establish a positive presence for Trails4All on social media networks such as Twitter and Facebook. Evaluation Tool: Keep monthly records of net increase/loss of followers, starting in January, the first month that social media profiles will be published. Interact regularly with followers/fans and track interactions with Trails4All accounts.

Objective: To increase awareness by ensuring that at least 15 percent of trail users recognize the Trails4All name by the end of 2010. Evaluation Tool: Expand baseline survey already conducted of trail users to include trails in the Inland Empire and extend survey to more trails in Orange County by January 2010. Conduct a follow up survey on January 2011 on the same trails to track changes in awareness. Objective: To reach out to at least three cities and/or organizations that Trails4All has not worked with by December 2010. Evaluation Tool: Compare database of all corporations that Jim has worked with, as of December 2009, to the database numbers on December 2010.

Section Two: Media Relations Tools

Press Release Contact: Jim Meyer, Executive Director Phone: (310) 344-9229 Email: JMeyerT4A@aol.com www.Trails4All.org FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

LOCAL NONPROFIT TO HOLD COMMUNITY NATURE DAY BACKYARD BASH ON JUNE 19 Environmental student projects will be showcased in the event at Irvine Regional Park

PARAMOUNT, Calif. (June 10, 2009) – On Saturday June 19, the nonprofit organization Trails4All will host its inaugural Backyard Bash at Irvine Regional Park. The community nature event will be the culmination of a six-month after school program called Partnerships4Trails where at-risk youth plan, design and implement a trail improvement or creation project in their neighborhood. The free event is open to all and offers a variety of activities and prizes for the whole family. The event will include a petting zoo, arts and crafts, guided nature walks and booths with information on local trails and outdoor activities. Backyard Bash will also feature a silent auction with items from retailers such as Oakley, REI and CamelBak including a GT Force Mountain Bike valued at $2,000. Partnerships4Trails students will play in a “Battle of the Bands” with the winning student band winning $200 from Guitar Center. Students will also be recognized in an award ceremony for their achievements. What: Trails4All Backyard Bash Where: Irvine Regional Park 1 Irvine Park Road, Orange, CA When: 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. RSVP: www.Trails4All.org About Trails4All: Trails4All is a 503(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to the creation, preservation and restoration of trails and open space in Southern California. The organization hosts trail work events for trail users, corporations and school groups. Since being founded in 1992 Trails4All has organized over 23,000 volunteers to work on more than 650 projects in Orange County, logging a total of 36

114,000 volunteer hours. Its projects include: recreation of trails in Santiago Oaks Regional Park after the 2007 Windy Ridge fire and 13 years of Inner-coastal Watershed Cleanups that have removed thousands of tons of trash from local rivers and streams. It has also trained over 175 agency staff and volunteers in the fundamentals of basic trail work. About Partnerships4Trails: Partnerships4Trails is a youth oriented after school program that teaches leadership and team-building skills through trails stewardship and environmental education. It gives students from all over Southern California the opportunity exercise their mind and body while creating a more beautiful Earth. The organization was formed as strategic partnerships between the nonprofit organizations Trails4All and Earth Resources Foundation. The program is currently in its 10th year and is implemented at Magnolia High School in Anaheim, Letha Raney Intermediate School in Corona and with The Cambodian Family of Santa Ana, a nonprofit that helps at risk youth in a dangerous gang area.

Feature Story Community Celebrates the Outdoors at Trails4All’s Backyard Bash June 21, 2010 – Natalie McCarty, for the Life section of the OC Register IRVINE, Calif. – A band of fifteen-year-old boys hammer away on their instruments in front of a crowd of 200 people at Irvine Regional Park. They look like your average high schoolers with dark hair jelled over their eyes and flannel shirts. What the audience can’t see is what these children have gone through, or how the work of two nonprofits helped give them a future and lead to a cease fire between gangs. The teens in the band have all grown up in the Minnie Street area of Santa Ana, Calif., home to 15 active gangs and 500 gang members. The neighborhood has the highest number of unemployed residents and juveniles on probation in the entire city. A joint effort between the nonprofits Partnerships4Trails and The Cambodian Family have helped some of the youth in this community learn that they have other choices in life: a lesson learned through the creation of a trail. The students from The Cambodian Family helped to reconstruct a trail along Santiago Creek in their home: a very dangerous part of the city. The local gangs felt what the students were doing was so important that they agreed to a cease fire when the students were working. Today local residents can enjoy this trail and the students can be proud of the improvements they’ve made to their city. Today the teens are celebrating their accomplishment at Partnership4Trail’s parent organization, Trails4All’s inaugural community nature day Backyard Bash. The event had over 200 participants from all over Orange County to recognize the teens for their accomplishments and to enjoy outdoor activities, arts and crafts and a petting zoo. The Cambodian Family students are joined by students from Magnolia High School in Anaheim and Letha Raney Intermediate School in Corona, who also took part in the Parntership4Trails program. The students are trained, educated and given the resources to create a site-specific, regionally appropriate natural resource stewardship project, coordinating all aspects from inception to execution. “I wanted to help get these kids off the streets and doing something they'd feel good about at the end of the day,” says the founder of Trails4All and Partnerships4Trails Jim Meyer. "It just so happens that most of them really like getting dirty and helping us with trail projects. And that's a big help to us." It just so happened that trail work wasn’t the only thing the students had in common. Throughout the course of the program, Meyer discovered that many of the students play a musical instrument. He thought it would be a fun way to end the school year by hosting a “Battle of the Bands” competition at the Backyard Bash community celebration. 38

“I’d never played music in front of people before,” says Eduardo Nunez, one of the students in the Partnerships4Trails program who participated in the band competition. “It was scary and exciting at the same time. But I really loved hearing all the people cheering us on.” The students rehearsed together for a few weeks after school to prepare one song each to impress the crowd at the “Backyard Bash,” which was officially held on Saturday, June 19 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. There was so much support from the student’s peers at the event that Meyer said it was the most heavily attended by the under 30 crowd that Trails4All had ever hosted. “We’re so glad that we've found a way to get younger people interested in what we do,” says Meyer. When asked how she heard about the event, 16-year-old Katrina Ruiz said she came to support a friend participating in the band competition. But what kept her at the park was the enthusiasm of a knowledgeable nature lover. “Joel (Robinson of Naturalist For You) asked me if I wanted to learn more about my backyard,” said Ruiz. “He took me and my friends on a hike where he told us all these things about nature that I never would have learned at school. It was really cool.” Meyer knew from the beginning that he wanted to open this event up to the entire community. "It was really important that these kids and all the donors, volunteers, and collaborators from Trails4All be recognized for the hard work they do all year long," says Meyer. "We want the Backyard Bash to be seen as a big celebration of nature and our work to preserve it. The work we do is local, it’s in peoples own backyard, we want them to see how close nature is and what they can do to help keep it beautiful.” Donna Winter, a long-time Trails4All volunteer who attended the event said she was thrilled to see the organization doing something to honor its supporters. "It was great to meet other people and families from all over Orange County who care about preserving the trails in our community," says Winter. "It's nice to feel like I'm a part of something that's making a difference." Trails4All provided free food and of course, free entertainment. Other activities included brief guided nature tours by Joel Robinson of fellow nonprofit Naturalist for You, a wild animal education session hosted by OC Park Ranger Donna Krucki, and a brief trail stewardship training session led by Jim Meyer himself. Also present were several locally represented businesses including REI, RND Running, AVIA, JAX Bicycling Center, Oakley, RoadID, and Shimano, many of which donated some great items to the silent auction, including a brand new GT Force mountain bike worth $2,000. If you missed out on this year’s Backyard Bash don’t worry, Meyer is confident that Trails4All will be hosting it again next year. To stay informed on Backyard Bash and other Trails4All events please visit www.trails4all.org. 39

Facebook Fan Page

Special Event Media Alert TRAILS4ALL WILL BE HOSTING INAUGURAL COMMUNITY NATURE DAY, BACKYARD BASH, JUNE 19TH 2010 TO HONOR STUDENT VOLUNTEER. We encourage you to join Trails4All for a celebration of all things trails

WHAT:

Trails4All and its student education program Partnerships4Trails will be hosting the event that will include arts and crafts for children, a petting zoo, and guided nature walks. There will also be a silent auction feature items donated by Oakley, REI and other retailers.

WHEN:

The FREE event will be held at Irvine Regional Park from 10a.m. to 2p.m. on Saturday June 19th.

WHO:

All proceeds will go to Trails4All and their trail cleanups, as well as its student organization, Partnerships4Trails. Partnerships4Trails gives students from all over Southern California the opportunity to learn about trail maintenance. The organization is active in three schools currently and helps student exercise their mind and body while creating a more beautiful Earth.

CONTACT:

Jim Meyer, Executive Director Phone: (310) 344-9229 Email: JMeyerT4A@aol.com www.Trails4All.org

Pitch Letter Thomas Smith smith@ocregister

Hi Thomas, To respond to the rise of teenage gangs in Santa Ana, Partnership4All has developed a new program to teach an appreciation of nature, leadership, management, and most importantly: that there are other options for life than becoming a gang member. Offered by Trails4All, a nonprofit established in 1992 to protect and preserve Orange County’s trails, the program is partnering with two local schools and one after school program to make a difference in the lives of teenagers. To recognize the students for their participation in the program Trails4All will be hosting Backyard Bash, a community nature day where the community can enjoy the outdoors and celebrate the students. Backyard Bash will be hosted at Irvine Regional Park on Saturday June 19th, the first weekend of summer. Festivities will start at 10 a.m., and include a petting zoo, pony rides, guided nature walk, arts and crafts, booths with information about trails and the outdoors, BBQ lunch and a silent auction featuring items from retailers such as REI, Oakley and CamelBak including a GT Force mountain bike worth $2,000. Students from Partnerships4Trails will also take part in a “Battle of the Bands” with a $200 grand prize from Guitar Center and be given awards for their participation in the program. The event will last until 2 p.m. All proceeds from the event will benefit Partnerships4Trails. I will be contacting you next week to see if you have any questions or to arrange any interviews. Sincerely, Stephanie Burris Trails4All

Executive Bio Jim Meyer Founder & Executive Director Trails4All Before founding Trails4All Jim served as Director of the Nature Reserve of Orange County, Immediate Past Chair of Orange County Regional Recreational Trails Advisory Committee, past steering committee member of SHARE and past Executive Committee Member and Conservation Chair of the Sierra Club in Orange County. Jim Meyer established the Trails Council of Orange County in 1992, which expanded into Trails4All in 1995. Jim started the Trabuco Canyon Clean up in 1995, where he led a team of volunteers to clean Modjeska, Silverado, and Trabuco canyons. He and the team cleaned out dozens of huge waste containers, car bodies and appliances. Jim introduced the National Coastal Clean up to Orange County to clean the streams, creeks and rivers in the area. He asked businesses to donate funds, in-kind materials or staff to remove trash and recyclables before they reach the ocean. Jim has inspired more than 2,000 volunteers to participate in this event, now called the Inner-Coastal Watershed Clean Up, each year. Since 1997, Jim has developed partnerships with different public agencies to organize and sponsor nearly 23,000 volunteers to work on more than 600 countywide trail work, cleanup and restoration projects. Volunteers have logged nearly 113,000 volunteer hours under his leadership. Jim also helps coordinate the sharing of resources such as tools, materials, and training knowledge within the organization. Today, Jim is developing new initiatives for Trails4All. Some of Trails4Allâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s current projects include a commitment to public awareness and education about critical issues such as watershed and urban run-off. The organization recently began a program called Partnerships4Trails that joins with local afterschool programs to teach students about building trails, ecology, local habitats, land stewardship and leadership. Jim is a mountain bicyclist, hiker, trail builder and some-time equestrian who strives to create harmony among different users of Orange Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s trail system and create an enjoyable outdoor experience for all.

Preservation starts in your own backyard About Us

Projects

Awards

Partnership4Trails

Volunteer

Donate

Trails4All is a 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to the creation, preservation and restoration of trails and open space in Southern California and to bring the outdoors to all residents. Trails4All maintains and improves facilities for recreational use. We are involved in trail construction, clean-ups of creeks and watersheds, and a youth leadership program, Partnership4Trails

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13720 Florine Ave. Paramount, CA 90723-2133

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P: (310) 344-9229

F: (562) 529-5153

More...

E: JMeyerT4A@aol.com

Backyard Bash!

Festivities include a petting zoo, pony rides, arts and crafts, silent auction, guided nature walk, and food! As well as entertainment from our Partnerships4Trails students in our very own Battle of the Bands!

Where: Irvine Regional Park When: June 19th, 2010 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Who: Trails4All and Partnerships4Trails Why: Raise money for trail cleanups and teach students about trail maintenence Preservation starts in your own backyard.

For more information, visit www.trails4all.org

www.trails4all.org

Trails4All • 13720 Florine Ave. • Paramount, CA 90723 • (310) 344-9229 •

Sponsors

In the early 1990s, Orange County’s federal funding for trail maintenance began to decrease. In light of the budget shortfalls, volunteers from trail user groups stepped up and took on the role of trail maintenance and creation.

Pacific Crest Trail

Jim Meyer, an avid trail user and long time area resident, decided to help organize the efforts to maximize their effectiveness. He formed Trails4All to unite the diverse volunteers under the common goal of making the trails cleaner, safer, and more enjoyable for everyone. The organization became a 501(c) (3) non-profit in 1995.

($50,000 or more)

Orange County Community Foundation SL Gimbel Family Fund

Preservation

Starts

John Muir Trail ($10,000 to 50,000)

California Coastal Commission County of Orange, California KMH Design Project Pollution Prevention

Holy Jim Trail

($5,000 to 10,000)

Sempra Energy Foundation Union Bank City of Aliso Viejo

City of Lake Forest City of Laguna Niguel Mission Viejo

Santiago Trail ($1,000 to 5,000)

Jim Meyer

Awards and Accomplishments: The Centennial Heritage Museums “Environmental Award” (2002) The Disneyland Environmental Community Service Award (1999, 2001 2002 & 2003) “The Ruby Slippers Award” for environmental stewardship (2004)

Holy Jim Falls

How did you learn about Trails4All?

E-mail Address

Phone

Zip State City Address

Middle Initial First Name Last Name

Collaboration Internships Other Fund-raising In-Kind Services Volunteering Donating Trail Projects Membership

I want to help Trails4All keep our parks open, maintain our trails, and clean up the environment. Please send me more information about...(Check all that apply)

Yes!

History

The Santa Ana River Watershed Alliance (SARWA) Non-profit “River Hero” Award (2007) The American Trails National Community Service Award (2008).

Crystal Geyser AERA Irvine Ranch Conservancy Girl Scouts of OC City of Tustin

Brea, CA Riverside, CA Earth Resource Foundation WARE Disposal Co. City of Laguna Hills

Cactus Hill Trail (Under $1,000) City of Cerritos City of Corona City of Hemet City of La Habra City of Redlands City of Santa Ana

City of Seal Beach City of Yorba Linda Force Batteries Disney VoluntEARS Inland Empire Waterkeeper Lake Perris Rec. Area

Trails4All is a qualified charitable organization under IRC 501(c)(3). All donations are tax deductible as provided by law. Fed ID# 33-0719807

Santiago Oaks Regional Park

In Your Own Backyard 13720 Florine Ave. Paramount, CA 90723 (310) 344-9229 Fax: (562) 529-5153 Email: info@trails4all.org www.trails4all.org

Section Three: Appendix

Research Summary Introduction: For our research we contacted donors, previous donors, volunteers and trail users. We also met with Jim Meyer of Trails4All and took part in the Inner-Coastal Watershed Clean Up organized by Trails4All. Specific Insights: Awareness:

Awareness of Trails4All is low among trail users and among Trails4All’s volunteers. Donors also have trouble distinguishing between Jim Meyer and Trails4All.

Credibility:

Among those who are aware of Trails4All the organization is held in high regard. Donors see that their money is well spent and volunteers feel Trails4All does an excellent job of maintaining trails.

Donations:

Volunteers and donors both like the ability to be able to support projects that are close to them and to have the ability to decide where their money goes.

Partnerships4Trails: Awareness of the program was low among donors and volunteers. However, both groups and trail users were interested in learning more about the program and felt it increased the credibility of Trails4All.

Current and Past Donors Method: phone interview with seven supporters Donor Insights:  Most donors became familiar with Trails4All through their relationship with Jim Meyer  Donors like the ability to donate to specific projects  Many donors mentioned that a new Web site and improved communications with the public and media would be vital to Trails4All’s future  Communication needs to be improved among donors as most were unaware of Partnerships4Trails. However, when told about the program, some said they would likely increase their donations to support the program.  People who support Trails4All are passionate people who support Trails4All cause, this passion should be utilized to help the nonprofit grow.

Volunteers Method: Online survey Response: The survey was emailed to 113 volunteers, 15 responded Volunteer Insights:  Low response rate among volunteers may reinforce the fear that volunteers are unaware of Trails4All, however, all volunteers who did respond were aware of Trails4All  Many volunteers volunteer for other environmental groups as well  Proximity of home, betterment of trails, getting outdoors and preservation of nature were all primary reasons for volunteering  Most volunteers wanted to receive information about Partnerships4Trails  Most volunteers would likely attend a community event hosted by Trails4All

Trail Users Method: Survey at Crystal Cove State Park in Newport Beach, Whiting Ranch in Foothill Ranch and The Oak Canyon Nature Center in Anaheim Hills. Response: 30 trail users surveyed Trail User Insights:  Most trail users volunteer and support nonprofit environmental organizations  Only six percent of trail users surveyed were familiar with Trails4All  About half of parents said they would be interested in Partnerships4Trails for their children  Most would be interested in attending a community event focused on the environment

Inner-Coastal Cleanup Event Method: Volunteering, observing and talking with other volunteers Event Insights:  Most of the volunteers at this event were in high school  One family we spoke to volunteered at the Inner-Coastal cleanup for years, but were unaware that it was hosted by Trails4All and did not take part in any other Trails4All events  The only item at the event that said Trails4All was the t-shirt handed out to volunteers  There were no representatives for Trails4All at the event or mention of the organization while we were there

Volunteer Survey Results: 1. How often do you use local trails? a. Daily: 6.7% b. Weekly: 53.3% c. Monthly: 6.7% d. A few times a day: 33.3% e. Rarely: 0.0% 2. What organizations do you volunteer for/donate to? (Qualitative) Trails4All (6) CSUF Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary Share (2) Cherry Hills Seminary Bat World Sanctuary Warriors Society (2) Schools (2) Wetlands and Wildlife Sierra Club InterCanyon FiresSafe Leagues Back to Natives Restoration Council USFS Equestrian Coalition of Orange NRDC County Nature Conservancy Make a Wish Wells Fargo Orange County Audubon Chino Hills State Park Redlands Conservancy Land Laguna Canyon Foundation Trust Program Donna Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Neill Conservancy Crafton Hills Conservancy Goodwill Special Olympics Health organizations Coastal Clean ups Best Friendâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Catnippers Power4Youth CSUF Alumni Assoc Church 3. How often do you volunteer for trail use groups that are involved with cleanups, restoration, advocacy, planning and other issues? Daily 0% Weekly 0% Monthly 33.3% A few times a year 40% Rarely 26.7% 4. What inspires you/would inspire you to volunteer for trail groups? (Qualitative) Enjoyment of hiking Reward of volunteering Love the work 52

Getting outdoors (2) Community involvement Close to home (2) I have the time (2) Keeping our open space clean and safe To better the trails for everyone (3) 5. What inspires you/would inspire you to donate (money, in-kind, services or materials?) (Qualitative) Preservation of natural areas (2) They are small groups that donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t receive a lot of funding from federal funds. Enjoyment of accomplishing tasks and working with peers Benefits to the community Seeing the results Having the time 6. Have you ever heard of Trails4All? Yes: 100% No: 0% 7. Trails4All is a local non-profit that works in trail restoration, creation, clean up and planning as well as advocacy. It has a new program called Partnerships4Trails that partners up with local after-school programs to teach students about building trails, ecology, local habitats, land stewardship and leadership. Would you be interested in receiving information on how you can help with Parternship4Trails? (yes, no). Yes 66.7% No 33.3% 8. Would you attend community events that benefitted outdoor restoration projects and environmental after school programs? Very Likely: 13.3% Likely: 53.3% Somewhat likely: 26.7% Not likely: 6.7% 9. What are some projects or areas you would like to see trail groups work on in the future (i.e. a park or certain trail?) (Qualitative) Whatever trails need work (5) Canyons

Grizzly Bear National monument Orange Blossom Trail Heritage Trail Santa Ana River Trail Crafton Hills Trails Local High School environmental club 10. What is the best way to reach you about volunteering/donating opportunities? a. Email: 100%

Trail User Survey Results 1. Where do you live? Southern California 74% Out of state 15% Northern California 1% 2. How often do you use local trails? Daily 23% Weekly 26% Monthly 16% Few times a year 34% Rarely <1% 3. What activities do you do? Hike 70% Bike 33% Other (mostly for aerobic exercise) 15% 4. How do you feel about the conditions of the trails and habitat in the local parks? Great 35% Good 50% Needs Improvement 5% Adequate 5% Poor 0% Abstained 5% 5. Would you volunteer Time or Money for the improvement of trails in your area? Both 15% Money 36%

Time 25% None 24% 6. Have you volunteered or donated to environmental organizations in the past? Yes 55% No 45% Most common environmental organizations people were involved with: Green Peace Sierra Club Marine Life 7. Are you familiar with the nonprofit organization Trails4All? Yes 6% No 94% 8. If you have children would you be interested in enrolling them in an afterschool program that taught them about trails, the outdoors and leadership? Yes 23% No26% Not Applicable 51% 9. Do you or would you attend community events focused on the outdoors? Yes 30% No 20% Maybe 50%

Preliminary Identification of Publics & Resources 1. Corporate Donors (Monetary and In-kind) a. Past donors b. Potential donors 2. Corporations who award grants a. For environmental initiatives b. For youth focused initiatives c. For student leadership initiatives 3. Volunteers a. Local volunteers b. Corporate volunteers c. College Students i. Orange County ii. Inland Empire 4. Trail Users a. Hikers b. Mountain Bikers c. Horseback Riders 5. People who benefit from Partnerships4Trails a. Elementary Schools in Orange County and Inland Empire b. Middle Schools in Orange County and Inland Empire c. High Schools in Orange County and Inland Empire d. After school programs separate from schools 6. Potential partner organizations for Partnerships4Trails a. Community/Youth organizations in Orange County and Inland Empire b. After school programs in Orange County and Inland Empire 7. Cities with trails 8. Community influencers whose donations and support could prompt others in the community to do likewise

Bibliography 1. American Hiking Society. http://www.americanhiking.org/ • The American Hiking Society is a national organization that protects and preserves trails. The organization has a National Trail Day where people across America take time to clean trails as well as volunteer vacations that mix backpacking with trail preservation. The group also raises awareness about trails and their benefits and helps form hiking groups around the US. • This organization is a lot like a large scale Trails4All because of their similar goals. AHS is fairly large with over 1.4 million in revenue. 2. "America's Youths, America's Trails." American Trails , Web. 16 Sep 2009. http://www.americantrails.org/resources/volunteer/Americas-youth-Americas-trails.html • This article discusses how organizations are motivating people to be more active (volunteer) because of health concerns in adolescents. 3. Appalachian Trail Conservancy. http://www.appalachiantrail.org/site/c.mqLTIYOwGlF/b.4805859/k.BFA3/Home.htm • This is a large regional organization in the East that focuses on maintaining the more than 2,000 miles of the Appalachian Trail, that stretches from Maine to Georgia. The ATC operates with over five million in revenue and has over 6,000 volunteers over 14 states. The ATC’s financing has remained fairly consistent over the past few years with a small dip in revenue in 2007. 4. "California State Parks Foundation hosts 12th annual Earth Day restoration and cleanup projects." 25 Apr 2009. Reuters, Web. 15 Sep 2009. http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS33256+25-Apr-2009+BW20090425 • This article is about state parks that use Earth Day as an event to mass recruit volunteers for the day, these parks get major funding for that one day. 5. “Canadian Shorelines to Benefit from Record-Breaking Cleanup”. September 14, 2009. Tradingmarkets.com Web. September 14, 2009 http://www.tradingmarkets.com/.site/news/Stock%20News/2527014/ • TD Friends of the Environment Foundation are asking Canadians to “step up, sign up, and clean up this September." 6. Carroll, Vincent. “Carroll: LaHood's pipe dreams.” The Denver Post. 5 July 2009. http://www.denverpost.com/commented/ci_12744935?source=commented-

• This article discusses American Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood’s view that bicycling and walking are becoming a more popular means of transportation. This trend would suggest an increase in the use of trails around the US. 7. Charity Watch. http://www.charitywatch.org/ • This non-profit organization reports on how other non-profits are doing. It goes over the financial information about the organization, it’s growth or decline, and where the money goes. This site was useful in discovering financial trends for the organizations I evaluated, however the financial information only went to 2007. 8. Darling, Dylan "Budget stalemate causing huge problems for conservation projects." Redding Record Searchlight. 08 Feb 2009. Web. 17 Sep 2009. http://www.redding.com/news/2009/feb/08/budget-stalemate-causing-huge-problems-for/ • This article how the California budget stalemate, and now cuts, are affecting local conservation projects. 9. “Environmental group Heal the Bay Five names five area waterways most debris-cluttered” Los Angeles Daily News: September 10, 2009 • Similar to The Signal article, this article speaks of Heal The Bay’s list of the most polluted water ways and the upcoming clean up event that will focus on these beaches. It is a call for volunteers and an article to create awareness of the problem. 10. "EnviroVenture Trail Series." Enviro-Sports. Web. 15 Sep 2009. http://www.thefitnessportal.com/frame.asp?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Eenvirosports%2Eco m%2F&rl=subpage%2Easp%3Fnode%3D1076194%26CTitle%3DTrail%2BBuilding%26Loc% 3D%255CHiking%2B%2526%2BWalking%257C128756%255CTrail%2BBuilding%257C1076 194&s=Fitness • This site spotlights the athletic events/competitions that Enviro-Sports hosts. They use the participants to build their volunteer pools for environmental preservation. 11. Equestrian Coalition of Orange County. http://www.ecoc.org/ • ECOC is dedicated to the service of equestrians in Orange County by preserving equestrian communities as well as parks and trails. 12. Ferguson, Anita. “2 events promote coastal health”. September 14, 2009. Delmarva Media Group. Web. September 14, 2009. http://www.delmarvanow.com/article/20090914/OPINION01/909140328/-1/newsfront2/2events-promote-coastal-health

• There will be two events to promote costal health, the 24th International Beach Cleanup Day, and the 13th annual Maryland Coast Day. 13. Gluck, Pam. “Editorial: Good news and exciting times.” American Trails Magazine. Spring 2009. http://americantrails.org/resources/opinion/news4-09gluck.html • This article covers certain victories in legislation pertaining to trail management, including the benefits presented by the recent American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. 14. Heal The Bay. http://www.healthebay.org/ • Heal The Bay is a non-profit organization that helps promote beach cleanups as well as beach cleanliness awareness. Heal The Bay is well known within southern California for their huge contributions. 15. “Heal the Bay seeks help for Sept. 19 cleanup of five worst trash-strewn waterways” The Santa Clarita Valley Signal: September 14, 2009 • Heal the Bay uses its primary research of the most polluted beaches in Southern California as a lead for a story on its upcoming beach cleanup day. This article is about the organization’s need for volunteers and about the problem. It also gives information about the event and the organization. 16. “Honiara supports Clean Up the World Campaign”. September, 15 2009. Solomon Star. September 15, 2009. http://solomonstarnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=11599&change=71 &changeown=78&Itemid=26 • As part of the international Clean Up the World Campaign, clean up activities are organized in Honiara starting yesterday. 17. Kay, Jane. "San Francisco Gate." Cash crunch halts 4,000 conservation projects. 16 Jan 2009. Web. 14 Sep 2009. http://www.southbayrestoration.org/news/articles/SFgate1-16-09.pdf • This article is about the 4,000 conservation projects that lost their funding because of California budget cuts. 18. "Latino Attitudes and the Environment." Public Policy Institute of California. Nov 2007. Web. 16 Sep 2009. http://www.ppic.org/main/home.asp • This article is about the perceptions of different ethnicity on environmental concerns, focusing mainly on Latinos.

19. Levy, Seth. “Omnibus Public Lands Act Passes Congress: Hikers Rejoice!” American Hiking Society. 25 March 2009. http://www.americanhiking.org/pressrelease.aspx?id=687 • This story covers the news that the House of Representatives has passed the “Omnibus Public Lands Management Act of 2009 (HR 146), a package of widely supported bills including legislation that protects trails and open space throughout our nation.” 20. Macdonald, Stuart. “Will your state's trails program survive?” American Trails Magazine. Spring 2009. http://www.americantrails.org/resources/opinion/state-trail-programsfunding-federal recreational-macdonald.html • This article calls for people to consider the uncertain future of the government funding that typically funds trail maintenance programs. The Recreational Trails Program expires this year and Congress must draft a new proposal. 21. Macdonald, Stewart. “Ninety-six Funding Ideas for Trails and Greenways.” AmericanTrails.org. Accessed 14 Sept 2009. http://www.americantrails.org/ resources/funding/TipsFund.html • This great Web site provides a very eye-opening list of examples and ideas for acquiring funding for trail and greenway maintenance and conservation. 22. Miller, Gregory. “The Trail Ahead.” Amerian Hiker. Accessed 14 Sept 2009. http://www.americanhiking.org/uploadedFiles/TheTrailAhead.pdf • This uplifting article written by the president of the American Hiking Society discusses the future of the organization and the strategies it plans to use to “ensure the relevance of (it’s) mission and the effectiveness of (its) trail stewardship efforts. 23. “More than 80% of Israel's Coasts Score Clean as International Coastal Week Activities Begin”. September 13, 2009. Israel Ministry of Environmental Protection. Web. September 13, 2009 http://www.environment.gov.il/bin/en.jsp?enPage=e_BlankPage&enDisplay=view&enDispWhat =Object&enDispWho=News^l4826&enZone=e_news • In preparation for the 24th annual International Coastal Cleanup which will be celebrated worldwide on September 19, 2009, the Ministry of Environmental Protection has called on the public to join forces in cleaning up Israel's coasts so that the Jewish New Year, which falls on that day, will be welcomed with a clean coast. 24. Moss, Will. “Land trust continues Willow Creek restoration”. Ravalli Republic. Web. September 13, 2009 http://www.ravallirepublic.com/articles/2009/09/15/news/news55.txt

• On Wednesday, land trust volunteers will return, as they do every year or so, to that chunk of land with the goal of continuing James’ legacy of preserving agricultural sustainability and wildlife. 25. “Mount Rainier: Thunder on the Mountain” Backpacker Magazine: January 2009 • Storms in 2006 devastated trails on Mt. Rainier. This article is about how, two years later, the trails have not yet been rebuilt due to a lack of funding. This article uses The Washington Trails Association as a source and speaks of the need for funding in order to repair the mountain’s trails. 26. New York New Jersey Trail Conference. http://www.nynjtc.org • This organization builds, maintains and protects trails in New York and New Jersey. The organization has about 1.6 million in revenue, although revenue has dropped significantly since 2005. The organization has a lot of different volunteer opportunities, and offers “Trails University” a program that teaches people how to build and maintain hiking trails. The organization is also highly involved in advocacy. They have information on a number of local issues. 27. Peirce, Neal. “Biking and Walking: Our Secret Weapon?” Nation’s Cities Weekly. 20 July 2009. http://ww.nlc.org/articles/articleItems/NCW72009/ PeirceBikeWalk.aspx • This article discusses the trend that more and more American’s are realizing that increased physical activity goes hand in hand with a good diet to maintain a healthy lifestyle. This leads to the need for better trails. 28. “Provincial grant provides ecosystem restoration jobs”. September 14, 2009. Bclocalnews.com. Web. September 14, 2009. http://www.bclocalnews.com/business/59257082.html • The Trench Society will use the $400,000 to employ 12 forestry workers on ecosystem restoration projects through the fall and winter. 29. “Putting a human face on DNR operations”. September 8, 2009. The Lakeland Times. Web. September 13, 2009. http://www.lakelandtimes.com/main.asp?SectionID=9&SubSectionID=9&ArticleID=10091&T M=33962.74 • This group focuses on getting to know the community so the community gets to know them, which hopefully stimulates more volunteering. 30. Regional Trail Corporation. http://www.youghrivertrail.org/regional_trail_corporation.htm

• In Web site look and feel this organization is most similar to Trails4All. It is a regional organization in Pennsylvania that was set up by three counties. Its relationship with government is similar to Trails4All because of this. This organization is designed to acquire, design and maintain trails. The organization has grown exponentially over the past few years with nearly 90% growth from 2006 and 2007. 31. "REI Grant." Pacific Crest Trail Association . 2008. Web. 14 Sep 2009. http://www.pcta.org/general/news/REI%20Grant.asp • REI gives grant to the Pacific Crest Trail Organization, they like giving grants to groups that have a focus on youth outreach. 32. "REI Grant Dollars in Action." REI. Web. 14 Sep 2009. http://www.rei.com/aboutrei/outdoor02.html • This is a breakdown of all the organizations that were awarded REI grants. According to REI they look for organizations who engage communities, especially youth, in outdoor recreational activities. 33. Ross, Kimberly. "California Conservation Corps could disappear in budget cuts ." Redding Record Searchlight. 10 Jan 2009. Web. 15 Sep 2009. http://www.redding.com/news/2009/jan/10/california-conservation-corps-could-disappear-in/ • This is an article describing a possible scenario for the leading recruiter of youth volunteers. There business model is to pay their volunteers minimum wage to motivate them to do environmental work, this could be jeopardized if budgets are cut. 34. “Stimulus money aids youth”. September 12, 2009. Montrose Daily Press. Web. September 13, 2009. http://www.montrosepress.com/articles/2009/09/14/news/doc4aab2483233f8653323175.txt • Gunnison Natural Conservation Area is asking the youth to help in trail restoration. 35. Runnion, Trey. “Riverfront making great progress”. Aug. 23, 2009. KansasCity.com. Web. September 13, 2009. http://www.kansascity.com/273/story/1400725.html • This significant improvement on the Riverfront Heritage Trail will allow safe passage under the ASB Bridge and connect more than 10 miles of the region’s Riverfront Trail System. 36. Sable, Heather. “American Hiking Society’s 2009 National Trail Day® Supports the Summer of Service.” American Hiking Society. 9 September 2009. <http://www. americanhiking.org/pressrelease.aspx?id=959>

• This article covers the accomplishments made on this year’s 17th annual National Trails Day, a day of service dedicated to celebrating the nation’s trails through cleanup, hiking, and other activities. 37. Surfrider Foundation. http://www.surfrider.org/ • Similar to Heal the Bay, Surfrider also focuses on the preservation and clean up of the oceans. This organization is also quite large with over 6 million in revenue. It is also experiencing growth as of 2007 like Heal the Bay. • Along with beach clean ups Surfrider is an advocacy organization that focuses: beach access, beach preservation and the protecting of “special places”. 38. “Tenn. ash spill community getting $40M from TVA”. September 14, 2009. The Associated Press. Web. September 14, 2009. http://www.rockymounttelegram.com/news/state/tenn-ash-spill-community-getting-40m-fromtva-832756.html • The Tennessee Valley Authority will provide $40 million to help restore the image and economy of a Tennessee community that suffered a massive coal ash spill from a TVA power plant, officials announced Monday. 39. "The Gift of Time: Effective Volunteer Program Management." Parks.ca.gov. Mar 2006. California State Parks, Web. 15 Sep 2009. http://www.parks.ca.gov/pages/795/files/the%20gift%20of%20time.pdf • This is an entire guideline put together by the Association of California State Parks to recruit and effectively manage volunteers, also give breakdowns of demographics of volunteers. 40. “The Spondylus Trail”. September 14, 2009. Travel Agent Central. Web. September 14, 2009. http://www.travelagentcentral.com/trip-types-and-activities/ecuador • This community is using trail restoration for sustaining tourism, which involves the locals in conserving the environment as part of a corporate social responsibility. 41. “Trail section completion links Donner to Pacific Crest Trail” Sierra Sun: September 1, 2009 • Article about a trail that was built by the American Trail Society and reopened because of its work. Volunteers from all over the country worked for a year to open up the trail. 42. “Trails to be closed for hydromulch, restoration”. September 12, 2009. Daily Sound. Web. September 13, 2009. http://www.thedailysound.com/News/091209trailclosures

• A series of frontcountry trails recently reopened following the Jesusita fire will go back into closure mode on Monday as repair crews spray hydromulch and restore forest routes. 43. “Trail upgrades funded”. September 14, 2009. Northislandgazette.com. Web. September 14, 2009. http://www.bclocalnews.com/vancouver_island_north/northislandgazette/news/59240037.html • Mount Waddington has three trail projects, repairing, resurfacing and relandscaping San Josef Bay, Alice Lake Loop, and Devil’s Bath. 44. Washington Trails Association. http://www.wta.org/ • This Web site is a good model for Trails4All to aspire to. This local organization maintains trails and promotes the use of trails to the community. They offer information about local hikes and clubs that people can become members of to enjoy trails. It has the largest volunteer base of any trails organization in the state of Washington. It also advocates for increased spending for trails and monitors trail damage. WTA has been growing slowly over the past few years.