FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts: Sally Ferguson, Idaho Trails Association (208) 871-1906; Jen Hensiek, U.S. Forest Service (208) 382-7460; Sylvia Cooper, Boise REI (208) 322-1141

ITA's intern, Joe Pickett organized six volunteer trail projects this year.Boise – Idaho’s hikers will delight in a new trails group. The mission of the Idaho Trails Association is to promote the continued enjoyment of Idaho’s hiking trails.

One of ITA’s core purposes is to help take care of the trails that hikers use and enjoy. Last year the group maintained two hiking trails, one on the Payette National Forest and one on the Clearwater National Forest.

“As Forest Service trail budgets decline, it is more important than ever for hikers to help maintain the trails that we use and enjoy,” said Sally Ferguson, President of ITA. “Hikers now have an easy way to help make sure we have hiking opportunities available in the years ahead.”

This year ITA completed trail work on six hiking trails including the Parker Trail in the Big Jacks Creek Wilderness, the Kennally Creek Trail near McCall, the Wewukiye Trail near Warm Lake, the Crooked River Trail near Idaho City, the Dan Ridge Trail in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness, and the Beehive Lakes Trail near Sandpoint. Fifty-eight volunteers maintained over 22 miles of hiking trails and also built two miles of new hiking trails.

“We greatly appreciate seeing hikers step up to help us with trails,” said Jen Hensiek with the Boise National Forest. “Volunteers can play an important role to help ensure that their trails remain safe, sustainable, and enjoyable.”

ITA received generous support from the Boise REI Store, the National Forest Foundation, the Wilderness Society, and the Forest Service to help hire an intern to organize volunteer trail crews and get the work done.

“We’re proud to support an organization like ITA because they engage the hiking community in the care of our trails by providing volunteer opportunities” said Sylvia Cooper, REI Boise Outreach Specialist.

To help continue to support volunteer trail work and other hiking activities, ITA is launching a membership drive. “Some folks may not be able to make one of our trail projects as a volunteer, but they can still help support Idaho’s trails by becoming a member of ITA,” said Ferguson.

“Our goal is to recruit at least fifty-eight new members, which happens to be the number of volunteers who turned out to help repair and build hiking trails right here in Idaho,” Said Ferguson. “We ought to be able to find just as many new members as we have found dedicated volunteers.”

ITA offers affordable memberships, starting at $15 for students of public of private educational institutions. Hikers can become members by visiting ITA on the web at http://www.idahotrailsassociation.org/membership/.