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If you like to hike as much as we do, welcome home.

The new Administration has fostered new hopes for hundreds of outdoor recreation and conservation organizations. In the spirit of this optimism, the American Hiking Society asks: If you had a chance to speak with President Obama about hiking and the importance of preserving our natural landscapes, what would you tell him?

"We need to bring money to land management agencies and communities dedicated to developing trails and preserving open space - this is one of the best ways to transform one tax payer dollar into many."- Kim, American Hiking Society - Vice President for Programs

With support from 7500 members and 275 alliance organizations, the American Hiking Society (AHS) advocates for policies intended to promote and expand hiking opportunities – policies destined to reach the top-tier of political decision makers.

Trails Advocacy Week

In the mold of a K Street lobbyist, the Policy & Advocacy arm of the American Hiking Society works year-round to push for hiking-friendly legislation. But once a year (in February), the AHS crew invites public land managers, non-profit directors, and trail advocates from across the nation to gather in Washington DC for Trails Advocacy Week. During the week of February 20-25, don't be surprised when you see a few extra Nalgenes in the halls of Congress.

This year's event features several key legislative issues including:

Land and Water Conservation FundRecreational Trails Program (RTP)Federal Land Transfer and FacilitationEnergy Development Projects - How and Where

Registration is still open for Trails Advocacy Week. In order to engage a new generation of leaders, special discounts are available for students.

Hike the Hill

After a weekend of issues briefings and training discussions, Trails Advocacy Week kicks off on Monday morning (February 22) with Hike the Hill. The public is invited on this 2 mile hike amongst the marble monuments of our national heroes. Yes, this may be your most politically important hike ever. Featured speakers and invited guests include: Jon Jarvis, National Park Service Director; Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR); and Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA).

Trail Voice has partnered with the American Hiking Society to promote the event. If you're interested in attending and meeting up with Ian (Trail Voice Founder and Editor), contact us directly or RSVP via the following channels:

Facebook Event: "Hike the Hill" with the American Hiking SocietyMeetup.com: DC Metropolitan Hikers, Nature Lovers' Meetup, $3 Charity HikersNational Trails Day

In contrast to the political overtones of Trails Advocacy Week is National Trails Day, the American Hiking Society's signature service event. For the past seventeen years, the first Saturday in June has been dedicated to enhancing and maintaining our country's 200,000 miles of trails. As the date approaches for this year's event (June 5), visit our dedicated National Trails Day in DC event page for more information (link is to the 2009 page).

Volunteer Vacations

One of the American Hiking Society's newest programs is Volunteer Vacations. From Alaska to Florida (and everywhere in between), you can join a crew for a week-long trail work project in some of America's most treasured public lands. It's "voluntourism" for the hiking set.

Local Volunteer Vacations include two summer opportunities in West Virginia and one in Douthat State Park, Virginia, scheduled for early March as an alternative spring break option.

Hiking and the American Conscience

As we embark on a new decade, issues like global warming, health care, and childhood obesity have seized the headlines. On the heels of this attention, the American Hiking Society will continue to carve its niche in the conscience of the American people.

Membership: Join the American Hiking SocietyPartnership: Become an Alliance OrganizationSocial Media: Facebook, Twitter

The region's original hiking club (founded in 1927), Vienna-based Potomac Appalachian Trail Club (PATC), is directly to thank for hundreds (perhaps thousands) of trail miles in the mid-Atlantic states. Contrary to its name, the PATC influence extends well beyond the iconic Appalachian Trail. The club partners with many National Park Service units including Rock Creek Park. The PATC "DC Crew" is the organization's trail steward group serving Rock Creek Park's dedicated hiking trails.

Each year, Alex Sanders, a PATC District Manager, and his DC Crew focus on a particular section of Rock Creek Park trail. This year the crew is zeroed in on the upper section (near the Maryland border) of the Western Ridge Trail. The group intends to work four more sessions in 2009 including this Saturday, (July 18th). The agenda for the day includes trail rerouting, water bar laying, and turnpike (the trail kind) building. If you can't make it on Saturday, don't fret - dates for the three remaining Rock Creek Park work days are as follows (see the PATC calendar for more info):

August 22ndSeptember 9thOctober 17thNext year (and the year after that) the PATC work days will continue. With your help, Rock Creek Park will remain a DC hiking mecca for generations of Washingtonians.  Sign Up: Contact Alex SandersMembership: Join or Donate to PATC

Many organizations support the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail (PHNST), but only one - the Potomac Heritage Trail Association (PHTA) - is dedicated solely to completing the vision of the PHNST. What is this vision? It's approximately eleven hundred miles of continuous trail essentially linking the Chesapeake Bay to Pittsburgh (the Potomac River does not actually extend all the way to Pittsburgh but that's just a technicality). The singular focus of the PHTA has enabled the organization to achieve an impressive list of recent accomplishments. Bles Park, which features a new one mile section of trail scheduled for completion during National Trails Day 2009, represents the latest victory for the PHTA and its allies.

Not content to rest on their laurels, PHTA leadership is aggressively pursuing additional PHNST initiatives in the Washington DC area - notable locations include Fort Belvoir in Fairfax County, Piscataway Creek in southern Prince George's County, and several areas in northwest Loudoun County. However, the more pressing item on their agenda is recruiting volunteers for this Saturday's National Trails Day event at Bles Park. The "vision" of the PHNST will remain a vision, rather than a reality, without the help of trail-loving volunteers.

Mid-Atlantic Off-Road Enthusiasts (MORE) represents the interests of mountain bikers in an area extending north past Baltimore, west to George Washington National Forest, and south towards Richmond. Among the twenty-plus MORE "offices" (i.e. mountain bike trails) in the Washington DC area, perhaps the busiest is Schaeffer Farm. MORE was founded in 1992 - just two years later, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) reached out to the young organization with a proposal to develop a reclaimed stretch of farmland into a mountain biking destination. Two years and ten miles of trail later, the Schaeffer Farm Trail System was born.

The Schaeffer Farm Trail System's undeniable popularity keeps MORE busy with maintenance and upkeep. Dave Magill, MORE Schaeffer Farm trail liaison, organizes several trail work days per year. Coming up next on the Schaeffer Farm work calendar is National Trails Day on Saturday, June 6th. Co-hosted by REI Rockville, MORE hopes to put 75-100 people to work chopping back overgrown vines, reinforcing stream crossings, and "de-berming" eroded trail sections.

Perhaps the most exciting aspect of MORE's work with Schaeffer Farm is what the future may hold. Currently, energetic mountain bikers can ride north from the farm, via the Hoyles Mill Trail, into Black Hill Regional Park for thirty-plus miles of bliss. MORE's newest proposal is a five mile off-road trail connecting Schaeffer Farm to Clopper Lake Day Use Area and its ten miles of trail. Sounds good to us here at Trail Voice - we want "MORE" trails!

Organization Type: 501(c)(3) non-profitMembership: http://www.more-mtb.org/members/signup.phpDonate: Network for Good Twitter: @more_mtb

The Volunteer Services Office (VSO) , the volunteer and community involvement arm of Montgomery County Department of Parks, was instrumental in preparing the Matthew Henson Trail for its grand opening celebration. During the month of April, the Montgomery Parks VSO partnered with several local organizations, including Friends of Rock Creek's Environment (FORCE) and the Anacostia Watershed Society (AWS), for cleanup events along the river. At this time, no additional events are scheduled specifically for the Matthew Henson Trail, but volunteer opportunities with Montgomery County Parks are plentiful. Ben Sugar, the Trail Volunteer Coordinator for the Montgomery County DEP, highlights several upcoming projects of various disciplines including trail drainage (Rachel Carson Greenway on May 16th); new trail construction (Muddy Branch Trail on May 30th and June 6th) and hauling big rocks (Lower Magruder Trail on June 27th). Plus, if you're a volunteer comfortable with commitment (and producing quarterly reports), you may want to consider the Volunteer Trail Ranger (VTR) program. Although Trail Voice is partial to trail projects, the focus of the VSO extends well beyond the trail category. Browse the VSO's award-winning website and set up an account. For Montgomery County stewards, a wealth of opportunity is really just a click away.

Lock 6 is sold out until June. So...yeah...you might want to book your Canal Quarters adventure pretty soon. Tasked with the duty of managing 184.5 mile C&O Canal, the National Park Service needed help. In 2007, that help arrived in the form of the C&O Canal Trust - an organization with a mission to "work in partnership with the National Park Service to protect, restore, and promote the C&O Canal National Historical Park" (source). It all made perfect sense to Matt Logan, founder of the Trust:"I was a member of Congressman Chris Van Hollen's [Maryland, 8th District] C&O Canal Stewardship Task Force and the idea for a C&O "friends" group came up during a meeting. The seed was planted..."C&O Canal Pride Days

The C&O Canal Trust wasted no time in coming up with an idea to mobilize public support. In 2008, Canal Pride Days was born. The 2010 version kicks off on April 17th in Great Falls, Maryland. Additional dates are as follows:

April 18 - PennyfieldMay 1 - WilliamsportMay 8 - Paw PawJune 5 (National Trails Day) - Great Falls, MD

As an official stop on the Trail Voice Watershed Tour, we are helping the Trust promote the April 17th Great Falls event.

Canal Quarters

In its heyday, working for the C&O Canal potentially came with free rent. Many of the major locks along the Canal had housing to serve C&O staff. Through the Canal Quarters program, The Trust and the National Park Service have teamed up to renew this experience. Three of the houses have been restored (Lockhouse 6, 22, and 49) and are now accepting overnight guests.

Lockhouse 6: The closest house to DC (adjacent to Brookmont), 6 has been restored to a 1950's theme.Lockhouse 22: The Pennyfield Lockhouse is looking quite retro with unique 1830's furnishings.Lockhouse 49: "Four Locks" wasn't just a lockhouse, it was a community.

Beyond Pride Days and the Lockhouse projects, the Trust's main focus is to help raise money for Canal repairs and maintenance - including a recent $100,000 campaign to benefit the Towpath Repair Fund. In the capable hands of the Trust, many more C&O successes are sure to follow.

Organization Type: Non-profit 501(c)3Social Media: Facebook, Twitter