For Immediate Release: September 8, 2004
Contact: Mel Lloyd, 970-244-3097
 

Holy Cross Trail to be dedicated on National Public Lands Day—volunteer and be a part of history

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – The 11th annual National Public Lands Day (NPLD) will be celebrated on Sat., Sept. 18.  Locally, you can be a part of history by volunteering and then dedicating a trail in the same day!  This year volunteers will assist the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in reconstructing and dedicating the Holy Cross Trail, a scenic and popular trail used by mountain bikers, hikers and trail runners alike. 

“Families are encouraged to participate and we are asking all volunteers to register at 970-244-8877 or http://www.gvmbp.org,” stresses BLM Park Ranger Chris Pipkin.  “My goal is to have 60 individuals on several teams working on various sections of the trail.”  In addition to a t-shirt, prizes and energy bars, registered volunteers will be rewarded with a coupon for one free entry day during the next year at any public land site managed by any of the following federal agencies: Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, US Army Corps of Engineers, US Fish and Wildlife Service, and USDA Forest Service.

Volunteers will meet at 8 a.m., Sat., at the Tabeguache trailhead on Monument Rd. southwest of Grand Junction and hike in to begin work.  The dedication ceremony will follow at about 4:30 p.m. back at the Tabeguache trailhead on Monument Rd.  Work on the project will continue at 9 a.m. on Sun., Sept. 19.  Volunteers should bring:

• Work gloves
• Sturdy boots
• Sack lunch
• Water (at least two quarts)
• Sunscreen and hat

The Holy Cross Trail had been closed because it was not identified as a designated route in BLM’s 1999 Bangs Canyon Management Plan.  The Colorado Plateau Mountain Bike Trail Association (COPMOBA) proposed adding the trail to the designated route system, and BLM's environmental analysis authorized the trail contingent on rebuilding and rerouting to create a more sustainable trail that more closely follows the natural contours of the land.  Since Sept. 2003, BLM has been partnering with COPMOBA and other trail enthusiasts in rebuilding the trail.  Abandoned sections of the original trail are being restored and naturalized, while the new route retains the difficult, technical character of the original yet provides a net gain in overall distance.  This project is slated for completion by year-end.

Many other BLM trails, both locally and nationally, are in need of maintenance and upgrading.  Trail projects are ongoing and largely rely on continued partnerships with recreation user groups.  For more information on this and other local BLM NPLD projects, contact Park Ranger Chris Pipkin at 970-244-3024, go to www.npld.com, or call 1-800-VOL-TEER  (800-865-8337).

National Public Lands Day is managed by the National Environmental Education & Training Foundation. Chartered by Congress in 1990, NEETF is a private nonprofit organization that develops and supports environmental learning programs to meet social goals and builds partnerships among government, the private sector and non-governmental organizations.

Toyota is guided by its Global Earth Charter, a comprehensive effort to promote conservation activities and to protect the environment in all stages of the company’s operation.  National Public Lands Day is just one way Toyota has demonstrated its environmental leadership.  The Toyota Prius, which has an EPA rating of 55 mpg, is the benchmark of gas/electric hybrid vehicles and is 90 percent cleaner for smog-forming emissions than the average vehicle.  The company will introduce two more hybrids -- the Lexus 400h SUV this fall and the Highlander SUV in early 2005.  Among its many environmental accolades, Toyota received the Gold LEED Award from the U.S. Green Building Council for a new office complex at its headquarters in California.

-BLM-

Editor’s Note:  BLM Grand Junction invites media to hike in (moderate 30 min. hike) for photo ops and on-the-ground interviews in one of the Grand Valley’s most scenic areas.  Contact Mel Lloyd at 970-244-3097 for additional information.