Here is the information I found on the American Hiking Society website about Trails Advocacy Week.  We could also do something in conjunction with National Trails Day (see below).

ADVOCACY WEEK 2003
Advocacy Week 2003 is scheduled for March 2-5. Check back on this site for more information, including registration, about Advocacy Week 2003 in the coming months.

ADVOCACY WEEK 2002
Almost forty trails advocates convened in Washington, DC, March 3-6, 2002 for AHS' annual Hike the Hill: Trails Advocacy Week. The advocacy focus for 2002 included full funding for trails and recreation management within the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, and USDA Forest Service, trail funding through the Land and Water Conservation Fund, and passage of the National Trails System Willing Seller Act.

Advocates requested funding and support for their particular trails and projects from their Members of Congress and networked with each other throughout the week.Trails Advocacy Week sessions and activities included: introductory lobby training; budget/appropriations, willing seller, and transportation policy briefings; advocacy strategy panel; federal agency presentations from the Forest Service, National Park Service, and Bureau of Land Management; lobby debriefing; and a breakfast reception on Capitol Hill co-hosted by American Hiking Society and the House Trails Caucus with Representative Doug Bereuter (R-NE), Chair of the House Trails Caucus, as keynote speaker.

The trail advocates, hailing from 17 different states, including Alaska, spent two-three days visiting over 100 congressional offices. Most participants represented organizations supporting the national scenic and historic trails such as the North Country Trail Association, Pacific Crest Trail Association, and National Pony Express Association; regional groups included the Pacific Northwest Trail Association and East Coast Greenway Alliance. Two dedicated trail activists not associated with any particular trail came to show their support for increased trail and recreation funding as well. Thanks and congratulations to all participants for helping make Trails Advocacy Week 2002 a success.


NATIONAL TRAILS DAY
National Trails Day (NTD), held the first Saturday of every June, is a nationwide celebration of trails. With more than two thousand events hosted by trail clubs, conservation organizations, agencies, and businesses, NTD is considered America's largest celebration of the outdoors.



Erin E. Jordahl
Director, Iowa Chapter Sierra Club
3839 Merle Hay Road, Suite 280
Des Moines, IA 50310
515-277-8868
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