On Saturday, September 20, 2003, National Public Lands Appreciation Day, 31 young people ages 14-18, took part in a Junior Trail Steward Workshop held near Mormon Lake, Arizona. The workshop, which was hosted by REI, the sporting goods retailer, the Forest Service, and the Arizona Trail Association (ATA), provided environmental education and training to the students, who representing the Girl Scouts Arizona Pine-Cactus Council and the Tempe Accelerated High School.

In addition to learning about wildlife, land use ethics and trail etiquette, the students built mile of new trail for the Arizona Trail, a non-motorized recreation trail, which extends 790 miles from Utah to Mexico. “I thank REI and the other sponsors for recognizing the value of educating urban youth, who will become future stewards of our valuable natural resources,” said Denise Meridith, ATA Executive Director. Other sponsors of the event included the Mormon Lake Lodge, Bureau of Land Management, City of Phoenix, APS, Synergy, Sign-a-Rama, Superstition Toyota, Intel, Phoenix Mercury, Sam’s Club, Starbucks and Fry’s.

Valley students participated in the Arizona Trail Association Junior Trail Steward Workshop and helped build part of the Arizona Trail near Mormon Lake on September 20.

Tempe Accelerated High School staff Gavin Whitfield and Tiffani Motley (2nd and 3rd from the left) helped the Junior Trail Steward students build a part of the Arizona Trail near Mormon Lake. REI was the major sponsor of the event on September 20.