The Sedona Trail Keepers, a local partnership helping maintain Sedona’s 400+ miles of world-famous red rock trails, has reached a total of 50 donating businesses, vastly exceeding projections, it was announced today.
Since its inception in 2017, the Sedona Trail Keeper donations will reach $370,000 by the end of the next fiscal year, according to the Sedona Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Bureau and the Sedona Red Rock Trail Fund, partners in the program.
“Just one year ago we projected 35 businesses would join Trail Keepers,” said Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Bureau President and CEO Jennifer Wesselhoff. “Exceeding that target by 15 is an amazing tribute to the commitment of our business community to environmental sustainability.” We had the help of Amaryth Gass, a part-time employee garnered by a grant from the Red Rock Trail Fund. On February 27, 2020 we brought the community and the sponsors together, to thank them and honor them for their commitment. A donation check for $100,000 was given to the Sedona Red Rock Trail Fund.
Each Trail Keeper business donates $1,000 annually to offset the costs of maintaining and improving Sedona’s trails in the surrounding Coconino National Forest. The Chamber matches all contributions, doubling the impact.
Officials with the US Forest Service say federal expenditures are insufficient to cover the estimated $400,000 annual cost of keeping Sedona’s trails safe and well-maintained. The Sedona Trail Keepers donations help fund the cost of seasonal workers who construct and improve hundreds of miles of trails, according to Kevin Adams, the President of the Sedona Red Rock Trail Fund (SRRTF).
“Trail Keepers is a major contributor to keeping this critical economic and environmental resource in world-class condition,” Adams said. “Without business and Chamber support, trails could close or deteriorate and become difficult to navigate, causing people to go off trail and inadvertently damage the environment,” Adams added.
100% of Trail Keeper funds are donated to the Coconino National Forest Red Rock Ranger District by SRRTF, a coalition of outdoor enthusiasts founded in 2016 to financially support trail maintenance.
The Sedona Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Bureau is an accredited Destination Marketing and Management Organization. Tourism is Sedona’s largest industry with an annual impact of more than $1 billion.
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