Great Plains Trail Coalition

Great Plains Trail Coalition
Name	Great Plains Trail Coalition
Formation	1998
Type	Nonprofit coalition
Headquarters	Lincoln, Nebraska
Region served	Great Plains
Leader title	Executive Director

Great Plains Trail Coalition

The Great Plains Trail Coalition is a nonprofit network dedicated to developing, promoting, and conserving a continuous long-distance trail across the North American Great Plains linking urban centers, protected areas, and cultural sites. Founded to coordinate land managers, recreation groups, and Indigenous governments, the Coalition works with federal agencies, state parks, and local municipalities to create multiuse corridors for hikers, cyclists, and equestrian users while integrating historic routes and wildlife corridors.

History

The Coalition traces its origins to regional dialogues among advocates from the National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, and grassroots organizations such as the Appalachian Trail Conservancy-inspired trail groups, the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, and state-level land trusts in the late 1990s. Early campaign milestones included memoranda of understanding with the National Audubon Society, the Nature Conservancy, and tribal governments like the Omaha (Native American tribe) and Ponca nations to align trail corridors with migratory bird routes and cultural landscapes. Federal recognition efforts engaged offices in the U.S. Department of the Interior and members of Congress from plains states, and pilot segments were developed in partnership with the Nebraska Department of Transportation, the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, and municipal park systems in Lincoln, Nebraska, Omaha, Nebraska, and Wichita, Kansas.

Through the 2000s the Coalition expanded collaborations with national nonprofits such as the American Hiking Society and international partners including the International Mountain Bicycling Association to adopt standards from existing long trails like the Continental Divide Trail and the Prairie Spirit Trail. Major conservation successes involved cooperative agreements with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for refuge access and joint projects with the Pawnee National Grassland and Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve. The Coalition’s timeline includes securing state grants, negotiating easements with private landowners, and documenting cultural resources with the Smithsonian Institution and tribal historic preservation offices.

Organization and Governance

Governance is conducted through a board drawn from representatives of federal agencies such as the U.S. Forest Service, state parks agencies including the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks and Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, tribal nations like the Santee Sioux Nation, municipal park commissions from cities like Rapid City, South Dakota and Amarillo, Texas, and nonprofit partners including the Trust for Public Land and regional land trusts. An executive director leads staff coordinating planning, stewardship, and volunteer programs, while technical committees model trail standards after templates used by the National Trails System and consult with legal counsel experienced with conservation easements from firms that have worked with the Land Trust Alliance.

Decision-making uses memoranda and formal agreements with entities such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for reservoir crossings and the Federal Highway Administration for right-of-way accommodations, while grant compliance is overseen by finance committees liaising with state historic preservation offices and agencies like the National Endowment for the Humanities when cultural interpretation funding is involved.

Trail Network and Route Description

The trail network links major nodes including Fargo, North Dakota, Bismarck, North Dakota, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Lincoln, Nebraska, Omaha, Nebraska, Topeka, Kansas, Wichita, Kansas, Amarillo, Texas, and Lubbock, Texas, connecting national wildlife refuges such as Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge and historic sites like Fort Laramie National Historic Site and Pawnee Indian Village Museum. Route planning uses topographic and ecological data from the U.S. Geological Survey and wildlife migration studies from the National Wildlife Federation to align corridors with riparian systems along the Platte River and mixed-grass prairie remnants near the Konza Prairie Biological Station.

Segments vary from paved rail-trails converted through collaboration with the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy to remote backcountry paths modeled on standards from the Pacific Crest Trail and the Continental Divide Trail, with multi-jurisdictional connectors negotiated with county commissioners and municipal park districts. Interpretive signage references regional history curated with partners such as the Smithsonian Institution and state historical societies including the Kansas Historical Society and Nebraska State Historical Society.

Conservation and Land Stewardship

Conservation strategy integrates habitat connectivity goals from the NatureServe network and restoration practices advocated by the Society for Ecological Restoration to protect prairie, wetland, and riparian habitats. The Coalition executes conservation easements with private landowners using models from the Land Trust Alliance and coordinates invasive species control with state departments like the Nebraska Department of Agriculture and university extension services such as Iowa State University Extension.

Stewardship activities include joint projects with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on refuge improvements, prescribed burning plans developed with the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and biodiversity monitoring in partnership with academic institutions such as the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and the Kansas State University biological programs. Cultural resource management is conducted alongside tribal historic preservation officers from nations including the Omaha (Native American tribe) and Ponca and in consultation with the National Park Service.

Community Engagement and Events

Local chapters coordinate volunteer trail maintenance with civic groups like Rotary International, youth corps modeled after the Student Conservation Association, and outdoor retailers such as REI for stewardship weekends and trail-building workshops. Annual events include long-distance fundraising hikes drawing participants from organizations like the American Hiking Society and regional marathons hosted with city parks departments in Lincoln, Nebraska and Wichita, Kansas.

Educational programs partner with land-grant universities including University of Nebraska–Lincoln and Kansas State University to offer field courses, while cultural festivals highlight Indigenous histories in collaboration with tribal cultural centers such as the Omaha Tribal Museum. Outreach leverages social media campaigns, local media outlets like the Lincoln Journal Star and Omaha World-Herald, and tourism bureaus including state travel offices to promote trail segments and events.

Funding and Partnerships

Funding streams include federal grant awards from agencies such as the Federal Highway Administration and the National Park Service, state recreational grants from entities like the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, and private philanthropy from foundations similar to the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and the McKnight Foundation. Corporate partnerships with outdoor companies and utility easements negotiated with firms that manage transmission corridors provide in-kind support, while capital campaigns coordinate with the Trust for Public Land and local community foundations.

Partnership agreements span conservation organizations like the Nature Conservancy, land-management agencies including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Bureau of Land Management, municipal park systems, tribal governments, and academic research centers to secure easements, manage habitat restoration, and develop interpretive programming.

Category:Trails in the United States