National Trails Day was a success

June 7th was National Trails Day, a national event sponsored by the American Hiking Society. Three events were planned for the San Juan Islands that day: a Lopez Farmer’s Market booth with 5 agencies represented, a Boy Scout group who worked at Patos Island Lighthouse and a group of Waldorf school students working at the south end of Lopez with Nick Teague and the BLM.

June 19, 2014 12:16 pm

June 7th was National Trails Day, a national event sponsored by the American Hiking Society. Three events were planned for the San Juan Islands that day: a Lopez Farmer’s Market booth with 5 agencies represented, a Boy Scout group who worked at Patos Island Lighthouse and a group of Waldorf school students working at the south end of Lopez with Nick Teague and the BLM.

Farmer’s Market

Five local agencies with interests in trails staffed two adjacent stalls at the Farmer’s Market with maps of trails, brochures, trails policy papers, trails mix and punch. Nick Teague of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) San Juan Islands Monument planned the event which brought together Lopez Community Trails Network, San Juan County Land Bank, San Juan County Parks and Washington State Parks at the Farmer’s Market to meet with visitors to discuss trails, trail development and other trail activities (building, maintaining, planning). Over 170 people stopped by to visit. LCTN promoted this year’s Lopez Walkabout and signed up 24 new members, required for participation in the September full-length hike of Lopez Island. Tina O’Brien of Spencer Spit State Park showed up in her full uniform adding the air of authority to the proceedings.

Patos Island

Included in the National Trails Day celebration were 12 local Boy Scouts from San Juan Island, Troop 4094 and 4090.  The Boy Scouts were working on Patos Island on trail and recreation site maintenance.  Patos Island is BLM administered land and cooperatively managed with the Washington State Parks and is part of the San Juan Islands National Monument.  The Troop camped overnight on Friday and was supported by the Washington State Parks with tools, materials and supplies

Monument Maintenance

Also as part of our San Juan Islands National Trails Day event, Nick Teague with BLM San Juan Islands National Monument worked with a team of 11 young, Waldorf School volunteers from Olympia performing trail maintenance on the south end of Lopez.  A member of the Waldorf School volunteer team said “I was surprised to learn how many other National Events were taking place across the United States, I’m glad we came out here to be part of this big event”. In total approximately 200 people participated in the local NTD event that included a number of volunteers hosting the Saturday Market booth

Kirm Taylor, founder of Lopez Community Trails Network said: “Trails provide a deeper connection with nature and our community. We were happy to pull together for this event to share our love of trails with everyone.”

All the agencies at the Market oversee, build or promote trails in the San Juans. Anyone interested in trails building, maintenance, planning or just hiking can get more information at: www.LopezTrails.org or stop by the BLM office in Lopez Village, just south of the Lopez Village Market. For information about the National Trails Day event go to: www.americanhiking.org/national-trails-day/ .