Donate

We're out there when trails need us. Your gift now supports the work.

Effective March 16, Trail Conference Headquarters is closed until further notice. Our staff will attempt to process memberships and donation acknowledgements in a timely manner, but there will be delays in shipping. If you have any questions, please contact [email protected]. We appreciate your patience during this time.

Charlie Cook Memorial Trails Fund

This dollar-for-dollar matching fund supports the Trail Conference’s public work educating the public and building, maintaining and protecting more than 2,100 miles of trails. This challenge grant honors the memory of longtime hike leader and friend of the trails, Charlie Cook.

Help support our rehabilitation of the Welch Trail Education Center to improve and increase housing for our 2020 Trail Conference Conservation Corps members.

Croton River Stewards Fund

Help support our first season of stewards at the Croton River to protect the sensitive ecosystem along the riverbank.  Trail Conference stewards will engage with the visitors to encourage appropriate ways to enjoy this beautiful but very popular destination.  With your support, the stewards can help this natural resource recover from the impacts of overuse while providing visitors with a cleaner, safer experience.

Zakim Family Tool & Signage Fund

The right trail building tools are priceless to our volunteers, enhancing their efficiency and morale and making our trails better. Trailside signage keeps hikers on the right path and improves their trail experience. Thanks to a generous 1:1 match from the Zakim family, your donation to the Zakim Tool & Signage Fund will be matched dollar for dollar. Total match limit: $5,000.

Conservation Dogs Fund 

Our Conservation Dogs, Dia and Fagen, use their powerful sense of smell to find pests and weeds faster and more efficiently than humans can with eyesight.  In the program’s pilot year, our dogs learned  how to detect 3 invasive species, searched over 1.5 million square ft in 9 counties, and helped us remove over 2,000 invasive plants. With the help of dogs, we can increase the quantity and efficiency of our invasive species surveys, and with your generous support we can continue to grow this innovative program --- donate today!

Long-Distance Trails Memorial Fund

The Long-Distance Trails Memorial Fund was formed by the Trail Conference and our generous supporter and longtime volunteer Malcolm Spector to honor the memory of Jakob Franke, whose contributions to the Long Path and Shawangunk Ridge Trail were immeasurable.

Trail University of New Jersey Fund

Your gift to Trail University will improve the quality of trails by advancing the skills and productivity of our volunteers, staff and partners. Trail U, which won the NJ Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence, provides on-the-job training in all aspects of trail building and maintenance. Thanks to an anonymous donation, we are 1/3 of the way to our goal of $6,600. Please help us fully fund this important program with your gift today.

Multi-Use Trail Projects

Your donation will help fund the construction of sustainable multi-use trails in eastern Sterling Forest (Tuxedo, N.Y.) and nearby parks. The Sterling Forest trail network has already received critical acclaim as the region’s finest trail system for mountain biking, trail running and walking. Equestrian use is also planned for specific trails in this area.

Harriman-Bear Mountain Trails Improvement Project

Thanks to a generous 1:1 match from Michael Bruno, the Tuxedo Hudson Company, the Silman family and an anonymous foundation, your donation will fund the re-construction of Harriman’s most historic trails (Appalachian and Ramapo-Dunderberg Trails), which are eroding due to age and nearly a century of use. This project also honors the memory of Harry B. Silman, who helped build the volunteer movement and source tools to lay out and maintain Harriman’s trails, from the 1930’s to the 1980s.

Trail Angel Society

The purpose of our Trail Angel Society is to provide reliable income over the long term, through planned gifts such as bequests or other estate provisions that benefit the Trail Conference. The Society is open to anyone who confirms that the Trail Conference will benefit from their estate plan.