NATIONAL TRAILS AWARDS NOMINATIONS DEADLINE APPROACHES IN MAY
Let's get some of our OHV trail leaders up on the award podium!

Every two years American Trails presents the National Trails Awards to recognize the tremendous contributions of volunteers, professionals, businesses, and other leaders who are working to create a national system of trails for all Americans. Nominations should cover accomplishments during the period of June 1, 2006 - May 31, 2008. The awards will be presented at the 19th National Trails Symposium this November. The deadline for nominations is May 31, 2008. Download the nomination form (Word 71 kb).

Award categories & criteria
Trail Advocacy Award: (1 award per State, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico):
Nominee(s) must have demonstrated successful efforts to influence public policy relating to trail planning, trail protection, trail development, or maintenance.

Trail Worker Award: (1 award per State, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico): Nominee must have made outstanding contributions and provided consistent support for trail planning, development, or maintenance. This award is intended to recognize the commitment and efforts of a private or public sector individual in working for enhanced trail recreation in their local area or state.

Best Trails State Award: This award recognizes a state which is facilitating an outstanding statewide system of trails. The nomination should address any aspects that have led to the establishment of the statewide trails network including master planning, legislation, funding, and program implementation. The nomination should also include specific projects, plans, policies and/or initiatives that have furthered establishment and expansion of the trails network during the past two years. (Once a state wins, it will not be eligible for nomination again until after two successive awards cycles or a minimum of four years have passed.)
Trails for Health Award: New this year: The award recognizes a community's commitment to improving access to trails and promoting their use and importance for increasing physical activity. The award is for commitment to long term change through community design, trail planning, heightened awareness of active community environments, physical activity promotion, and increased trail use.

Lifetime Service Award: For an individual demonstrating longstanding, significant, and exemplary service to trails planning, implementation, and recreation.

Partnership Award: The partnership must have benefited agencies or services within the field of trail planning, design, or implementation. The partnership can be between private organizations, public agencies, or public and private interests. The partnership must have contributed toward positive public exposure for the field of trail planning, design, or implementation.

Trails Public Service Award: The nominee must work for an agency and may hold an elected or appointed office at the federal, state, or local level and must have demonstrated significant and consistent support of trail planning, design, or implementation through strong leadership and/or legislative efforts. The nominee may be a paid employee or a volunteer.

Community Service Award: This honors a trail organization that performs exceptional community service relating to but beyond trail work per se. This service could include actions or projects that contribute to making their communities better places to live, improve the natural environment, support worthy causes, and/or demonstrate in other ways preeminent volunteerism.

Outstanding Media Award: Nominee(s) must have demonstrated significant and sustained efforts to provide positive public exposure and education in the field of trail use, planning, design, or implementation. The nominee must have demonstrated a willingness and receptiveness to provide free public service exposure about trails.

Trails and the Arts Award: The award recognizes outstanding public art projects, interpretive signs, or other creative structures associated with trail related improvements.

Planning/Design Award: Nominee(s) must have demonstrated problem solving through innovative methods on a trail project. The project must have included successful aspects of public participation and/or public agency involvement and have been planned to enhance the recreational trails opportunities within the project area.

Corporate Award: A business or corporation must have demonstrated significant, sustained, and exemplary service to trails planning, implementation, and/or recreation.

State-of-the-Art Technology Award: The award recognizes a trails-related product, process, or service that has significantly met a need, addressed an issue, or increased efficiency in trail design, development, or maintenance.

Outstanding Trail Sharing Award: The award recognizes innovative and successful trail sharing efforts, programs, and systems.

Read the details of winners of the 2006 National Trails Awards
The deadline for nominations is May 31, 2008 - Download the nomination form (Word 71 kb)

American Trails
American Trails is the only national, nonprofit organization working on behalf of all trail interests, including hiking, bicycling, mountain biking, horseback riding, water trails, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, trail motorcycling, ATVs, snowmobiling and four-wheeling. American Trails members want to create and protect America's network of interconnected trails. We support local, regional, and long-distance trails and greenways, whether they be in backcountry, rural or urban areas. Our goal is to support America's trails by finding common ground and promoting cooperation among all trail interests. We're involved in everything from training trails advocates to increasing accessible trail opportunities for persons with disabilities.

About NOHVCC
The National Off-Highway Vehicle Conservation Council, as a national body of OHV recreation enthusiasts, develops and provides a wide spectrum of programs, materials and information, or "tools", to individuals, clubs, associations and agencies in order to further a positive future for responsible OHV recreation.