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, volunteers 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. This year’s event will take place on Saturday, June 4th from 9am-1pm at Bozeman Pond Park. 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, work will be done 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 8:30am under the Pavilion at Bozeman Pond. Volunteer groups are encouraged! Work crews will head out at 9am. Projects will wrap up around noon 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 label 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 its National Trails Day Celebration–the first annual Summer Trails Challenge.
Between Trail’s Day on June 4th and the solstice on June 21st, community members will be encouraged to record and report how far they walk, hike, or bike on area trails by logging onto gvlt.org/events/challenge/. For every mile, GVLT will receive $1 from funds raised from community businesses. The 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. 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 gvlt.org/events/national-trails-day/. •
