Continental Divide Trail Coalition

Background Statement

On November 10, 1978, Congress established the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail (CDNST). For many years following its designation, development and recognition of the Trail languished due to a lack of adequate federal funding for the Federal Agencies tasked with its oversight. In addition, public awareness and the volunteer stewardship necessary for keeping the Trail well marked and maintained was almost non-existent, and a lack of consistent direction and focus regarding the CDT's identity and national significance often left it subject to the discretion of the land managers charged with its stewardship. After designation, limited budgets prevented the federal agencies from allocating sufficient resources to complete the Trail. By the mid-1990s the CDT was still suffering from minimal coordination among the various land management agencies, and public involvement remained almost nonexistent due to lack of awareness of the Trail.

It was the formation of Continental Divide Trail Alliance (CDTA) in 1995 that finally created public and private enthusiasm for the CDT. For 15 years CDTA worked steadily to increase awareness, partnerships and the effectiveness of the public- private partnership working on behalf of the CDT. But hard times hit the CDTA and in January of 2012, due to shrinking private funding, CDTA ceased operations leaving the CDT once again in jeopardy of no coordination, representation, or public funding, and potentially open to increased development and extraction.

The closing of the CDTA, left a gap in both the national coordination of Trail management, protection and volunteer stewardship, and the on the ground efforts of trail construction previously accomplished. In response to this gap, regional groups who had previously partnered with the CDTA, stepped into the void and with support from former CDTA staff, who consulted both as volunteers and who were hired by these partner organizations, helped fill in the gaps of volunteer construction of the Trail. These partners included numerous Backcountry Horsemen of America chapters, the Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation, Montana Wilderness Association and its CDT specific program CDT Montana, the Colorado Trail Foundation, New Mexico Volunteers for the Outdoors, Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado, Montana Conservation Corps, Rocky Mountain Youth Corps, Southwest Conservation Corps, and many others have helped recruit volunteers, build awareness, and engage local communities. But still, a major disconnect in overall coordination and focus remained that only a national level leadership with the sole focus of the CDT could provide.

A new era of public support and volunteerism working on behalf of the Continental Divide Trail began with the creation of the Continental Divide Trail Coalition (CDTC). Former CDTA staff members, volunteers, supporters and members of the CDT thru hiking community formed the Continental Divide Trail Coalition. These individuals had the institutional memory and experience of over 75 years in management of the CDT and other National Scenic Trails. Officially incorporated in June 2012, CDTC hit the Trail running and since grown to 11 full time staff operating several major programs including Field Programs, the Gateway Community Program, Outreach, Advocacy & Information Program, and the Trail Completion Program. CDTC operates by leveraging the strengths of its grassroots community of Trail partners, local communities, enthusiasts and supporters to build a strong coalition of support for the CDT, and is now recognized as the lead national partner working to coordinate stewardship of the CDT. The Coalition fills a critical need for the CDT, serving as a voice to help coordinate its management, engage the public, and most importantly make sure the Trail is protected so it remains a resource of national significance, not just for today, but for generations to come. Today, the CDT stands at 95% percent complete, but some major projects lie ahead. With the continued grassroots movement, CDTC hopes to move the CDT to completion and permanent protection.