It’s a partnership that not only makes sense but has proven to be very successful.
Over the past five years, the Sedona Chamber of Commerce has matched dollar-for-dollar money donated by 50 local businesses, which has then been presented to the Sedona Red Rock Trail Fund as part of the chamber’s Trail Keepers program. In all, $370,000 has been presented to the group, which helps to maintain hundreds of miles of trails in and around Sedona.
On Tuesday, Feb. 23, the chamber came before the Sedona City Council seeking permission to repurpose unspent funds associated with paused marketing campaigns during the pandemic. Council unanimously approved the requested $50,000. This will complete the five-year Trail Keepers pilot program.
“This is really a terrific public/private partnership, one that we hope to carry forward,” Chamber President and CEO Candace Carr Strauss said. “It’s been a tremendous success and we hope to replicate this type of success in other areas.”
She added that when COVID-19 hit, the $50,000 that was earmarked for Trail Keepers was put into the chamber’s contingency fund due to financial uncertainty as the pandemic progressed.
Since 2016, 50 local businesses have agreed to donate $1,000 a year toward the maintenance and restoration of area trails through an agreement with the U.S. Forest Service. Those funds are then matched by the chamber using money from the bed tax fund.
“This unique partnership with Sedona Red Rock Trail Fund and contributors like the Sedona Chamber is a model for other communities supported by outdoor recreation and tourism,” Amy Tinderholt, district ranger for the Red Rock Ranger District, said in a release. “This effort ensures that residents and visitors will have an amazing trail system to explore.”
In 2020, SRRTF crews completed 322 miles of trail maintenance, constructed 11.7 miles of new trails and naturalized 11.3 miles of abandoned trails. Workers rerouted eight trails, completed 402 feet of retaining walls, installed 79 rock stairs, built 101 new drainage structures and installed 134 trail signs. The continued trail maintenance and improvements in Sedona are critical in order to support the approximately two million trail users per year. The American Conservation Experience, Friends of the Forest, Verde Valley Cyclists Coalition and individual volunteers were part of the SRRTF effort.
“The contributions of the Trail Keepers have been critical to our ability to fund massive annual efforts to maintain trails and build retaining walls, rock stairs and drainage structures,” SRRTF President Kevin Adams said in that same release.
