GVLT Celebrates Trails Day with Work Party at Bozeman Pond Park
Each year, Gallatin Valley Land Trust volunteers celebrate National Trails Day by helping build and maintain the Main Street to the Mountains trail system. This year, we will be working on trails at the new Bozeman Pond Park, bringing to a close a multi-year effort to create a truly unique urban park on Bozeman’s rapidly growing west side.
One of the largest parks on Bozeman’s west side, Bozeman Pond Park serves some of our most densely populated neighborhoods, creating a critical oasis of green space, play fields, and natural areas, as well as providing important trail linkages. In 2013, GVLT helped expand the park by purchasing nine adjoining acres. This year at National Trails Day, we will be doing work to complete and improve the trails, plant trees, install directional kiosks, and prepare the newly expanded park for urban adventures.
This event is free and open to the public and is perfect for people of all ages and abilities. Volunteer registration begins at 8:30 am under the Pavilion at Bozeman Pond. Volunteer groups are encouraged! Work crews will head out at 9:00 am. Projects will wrap up around 12:00 and lunch will be served back at the Pavillion.
Volunteers should come prepared with sunscreen, water, layers for weather, sturdy shoes, hat and gloves. GVLT will have some tools but additional shovels, rakes, and wheelbarrows will be helpful. Please make sure to labels any tools you bring from home. Parking at Bozeman Pond Park is limited. Overflow parking is available on the north side of the Gallatin Valley Mall. Simply follow the GVLT signs to the registration area.
In addition, GVLT is adding a new component to our National Trails Day Celebration — the first annual Summer Trails Challenge. Between Trail’s Day on June 4, and the solstice on June 21, community members will be encouraged to record and report how far they walk, hike, or bike on area trails by logging onto www.gvlt.org/events/challenge. For every mile, GVLT will receive $1 from funds raised from community businesses. Our goal is to reach 20,000 miles in just 17-days! Community members and participants will be invited to celebrate at a BBQ at the GVLT office upon completion of the challenge.
About Gallatin Valley Land Trust
Gallatin Valley Land Trust connects people, communities, and open lands through conservation of working farms and ranches, healthy rivers, and wildlife habitat, and the creation of trails in the Montana headwaters of the Missouri and Upper Yellowstone Rivers. For more information, call 406/587-8404, ext. 1 or visit our website at http://gvlt.org/events/national-trails-day/.