Trails Build Alaska Would Create Trails Workforces
What: Trail Mix, a Juneau trails group, is spearheading an effort called Trails Build Alaska, to direct federal money from the American Rescue Plan Act to build a trained trails workforce in the state. The group is advocating for the Dunleavy administration and the legislature to create a statewide trails workforce development program, inspired by Trail Mix’s successful COVID-19 Conservation Corps (CCC), as well as similar programs in Sitka and Anchorage. Those programs, funded from the federal CARES Act, quickly got people working on building new trails or repairing existing trails with a strong focus on job training. The Trails Build Alaska coalition is asking for a $12 million allocation from the recently passed Rescue Plan Act for this trails workforce development program to be administered by the State. Local groups or governments would have to opt in and would have control over their own trail crews.
Who: Anyone who would like to see more paid trail crews in communities across the state
When: While the legislature is in session; advocacy is needed sooner rather than later.
What you can do:
- Call, write, or email your legislators for yourself or on behalf of a trail or trail user group.
- Write letters to the editor.
- Post on Facebook.
- Sign this petition to Governor Dunleavy (bit.ly/trailsworkforcepetition)
- For more information, email sophia@trailmixinc.org.
Why: Fairbanks and other areas need more trail crews. BLM and State Parks have trail crews in the Fairbanks area (though they could probably use even more), but the borough is pretty limited. It does a good job with what it has, but it could really use a robust trail crew to either build new trails or take care of the ones we already have. If this program is approved, the next step would be to lobby the borough to take advantage of it. A local nonprofit might also step forward to create a trails crew (or bolster the one it already has, such as the Nordic Ski Club of Fairbanks). The program would help trails at other areas in the state, too.
Alaska Long Trail Funding Effort
What: Alaska Trails is trying to get projects for the Alaska Long Trail into the state’s capital budget. The Alaska Long Trail is a project to connect Fairbanks and Seward by trail. Some trail sections already exist, but others do not.
Who: Anyone who would like to see this project completed
When: While the legislature is in session; advocacy is needed sooner rather than later.
What you can do:
- Call, write, or email your legislators for yourself or on behalf of a trail or trail user group.
- Write letters to the editor.
- Post on Facebook.
- To find out more go here https://www.alaska-trails.org/go-bond-2021. (Note that the page mentions the General Obligation, or GO, Bond. As mentioned under “Two Swerves,” the GO Bond may not happen, so the advocacy direction is changing.)
Why: Alaska is going to receive more than $1 billion from the American Rescue Plan Act. Alaska Long Trail advocates believe some of that money could be spent toward creating this trail, which would benefit locals and help strengthen our visitor industry. Alaska could use a long trail as a marketing tool. Plus, wouldn’t it be fun to go from Fairbanks to Seward all by trail?!