Since many of us have hiked along portions of the Arizona Trail at least once during our caching adventures, I thought the following may be of interest to the list:

The Arizona Trail is one of five finalists to win the Greater Outdoors Project grant.  You can help the Arizona Trail win by voting online (http://www.greateroutdoorsproject.com/vote

) or texting the word "trail" to 39668 every day until midnight ET on May 31, 2009.  The organization that receives the greatest number of votes will be awarded a $50,000 grant and be featured in an upcoming Redwood Creek advertising campaign.

Project Description:
The Arizona Trail is a continuous, non-motorized 817-mile scenic trail across Arizona from Mexico to Utah. It links deserts, mountains, canyons, forests, communities and people. The trail was envisioned in the early 1980s by Dale Shewalter, a Flagstaff, Arizona, school teacher, who convinced others to join him in making it a reality.  The Arizona Trail Association was formed to coordinate the planning, development, management, and promotion of the Arizona Trail for the recreational and educational
experiences of non-motorized trail users. 

Today, 95 percent of the trail is complete, thanks to the efforts of countless volunteers, government agency partners, and small and large businesses.  The last five percent of unconstructed miles are some of the most difficult with many in remote central Arizona south of Superior, in the aspen-clad San Francisco Peaks north of Flagstaff, and in the rugged Rincon Mountains east of Tucson.  The grant would be used to build some of the most difficult remaining miles. Due to the remote location in a rugged wilderness area, these miles must be constructed by hand. Not only will the grant help complete the trail, it will allow access into backcountry near Tucson and protect a sensitive riparian area as well.

For more information, visit www.aztrail.org. 


Current Vote Status:

1 - Arizona Trail Association 6,866 votes
2 - Friends of New Orleans City Park 4,620 votes
3 - WildEarth Guardians 2,912 votes
4 - Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey 2,870 votes
5 - National Forest Foundation 1,555 votes

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