The following links are provided as resources only and not as endorsements. We do not assume responsibility for content of these sites and views expressed are not necessarily those shared by WSHC.
Federal Volunteer Programs
Volunteer Protection Act
How the Law Will Affect Associations
Volunteer Protection Act of 1997
Fed Law protects volunteers 501(c)(3) & 501(c)(4)
Volunteer Protection Act of 1997 3
Very Detailed
Volunteer Protection Act of 1997 More
More detail about law
Funding & Grants Return to Top
American Hiking Society
AmericanHiking.org
Funds for trails come from various sources, including federal appropriations, state funds, grants, and private donations. Regardless of administration or funding source, most trails are founded on public-private partnerships and include some form of cost-sharing or leveraging. Volunteer contributions both through labor and direct funding are critical to trail construction, protection, and continued maintenance. In 1999, volunteer contributions to the national scenic and historic trails alone totaled over 550,000 volunteer hours (with an estimated labor value of $7.4 million) and $5.7 million in financial contributions. Countless more funds and labor help establish and protect trails on our public lands in general.
DNR Lake & River Grants
The Bureau of Community Financial Assistance administers the grants listed. To learn more about an individual grant, please review list on web site.
Grantsmanship: Looking For Funding In All The Right Places
Guide to getting started
Kodak American Greenways Awards Program
Kodak, The Conservation Fund, and the National Geographic Society, provide small grants to stimulate the planning and design of greenways in communities throughout America. The annual grants program was instituted in response to the President's Commission on Americans Outdoors recommendation to establish a national network of greenways. Made possible by a generous grant from Eastman Kodak, the program also honors groups and individuals whose ingenuity and creativity foster the creation of greenways.
National Scenic Byways Program
Providing resources to the byway community that will enable better management of byway organizations and the intrinsic qualities they value and work hard to protect. (Source of Fed Funds)
Patagonia
Patagonia funds only environmental work. We are most interested in making grants to organizations that identify and work on the root causes of problems and that approach issues with a commitment to long-term change. We look for programs with a clear agenda for change and a strategic plan for achieving the organization's goals. Because we believe that true change will occur only through a strong grassroots movement, our funding focuses on organizations that build a strong base of citizen support.
Recreational Trails Program (Source of Fed Funding)
The Recreational Trails Program (RTP) is an assistance program of the Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Federal transportation funds benefit recreation by making funds available to the States to develop and maintain recreational trails and trail-related facilities for both nonmotorized and motorized recreational trail uses.
River Alliance of WI
The River Alliance of Wisconsin is a non-profit, non-partisan group of citizens, organizations and businesses dedicated to advocating for the protection, enhancement and restoration of our rivers and watersheds.
Take Pride in America
We hope that you will spend some time looking around. You can find opportunities for volunteering on federal lands, state and local contacts in many states, and information about how to initiate your own Take Pride in America project or event. Remember that the public lands and buildings belong to you. You are responsible for doing your part to keep them free from litter and graffiti. Together we must maintain our natural, cultural and historic resources and improve them so that we can all enjoy them now and our children and grandchildren can enjoy them in the future.
The Laura Jane Musser Fund
Encourages groups to to use a consensus-based approach to environmental decision-making.
Tourism Grant
The Wisconsin Department of Tourism administers a $1.13 million Joint Effort Marketing (JEM) Grant Program. JEM provides partnership funding to help non-profit Wisconsin organizations promote tourism in their area.
Transportation Enhancements (Source of Fed Funding)
The list of qualifying TE activities provided in 23 U.S.C. 101(a)(35) is intended to be exclusive, not illustrative. Only those projects that are listed in one of the 12 categories are eligible for transportation enhancement funds.
Economic Benefit Return to Top
Benefits of Trails and Greenways
Economic Impacts of Recreation on the Upper Mississippi River System
The value of the Upper Mississippi River System (UMRS) as a national resource is being ever more widely recognized. The system is vital in supporting ecological systems, commercial navigation and a wide variety of recreational activities
Economic Impacts of Recreation and Tourism
Recreation and Tourism Activities have significant impacts on regional economies. This site summarizes economic impact concepts and methods, focusing particularly on their applications to recreation and tourism.
Economic Impacts of Trails
Impacts of Trails and Trail Use
Outdoor Recreation in American Life: A National Assessment of Demand and Supply Trends
This book contains the results of the most recent national assessment of outdoor recreation and wilderness.
General Information Return to Top
A+ Equine & Buffalo/Bison
Yahoo discussion group on Equine sports, tack, etc.
AERC Trails Web
AERC Trails Web is a site created by the American
Endurance Ride Conference's AERC Trails committee to provide equestrian
trail users with information regarding national trail use and
preservation, urgent actions needed for same and upcoming events as well
as links for trails, horse camping, travel and other useful references for
trail riders.
Active Living
Active Living Network: Building a National Coalition
for Active Communities
American Land Rights Association
The American Land Rights Association (ALRA) is a
grassroots, non-profit organization advocating private property rights and
multiple use of federal lands including recreational and commercial
access. ALRA is engaged in issues such as compensation for government
takings of property, defending cabin permittees and inholders of private
property within federal lands such as national parks and national forests,
opposition to land acquisition trust funds such as the Conservation and
Reinvestment Act (CARA), and support for rural communities. Headquartered
in Battle Ground, Washington, we also have a full-time staff and office in
Washington DC.
American Trails
American Trails is the only national, nonprofit
organization working on behalf of ALL trail interests. American Trails'
members want to create and protect America's network of interconnected
trails. We support local, regional, and long-distance trails and
greenways, whether they be in backcountry, rural, or urban areas. Our goal
is to support America's trails by finding common ground and promoting
cooperation among all trail interests. We're involved in everything from
training trails advocates to providing increased trail opportunities for
individuals with disabilities.
Back Country Horsemen of
America
Back Country Horsemen of America is a non-profit
corporation made up of state organizations, affiliates and at large
members.
BlueRibbon Coalition
Representing recreationists, we work hard in "Preserving our Natural Resources for the Public, instead of from the
Public."
Equestrian Land Conservation Resource
Dedicated to promoting access to and conservation of
land for equestrian use
Horseman's Radio Weekly
The radio program for horse folk from coast to coast.
ICQ
GDHTA page
Join the Glacial Drumlin Horse Trail Association discussion group
Illinois Trail Riders
Dedicated to Keeping Horses on our Trails
NY Trails Advocacy /
Equestrian Trail Info
Anne M O'Dell's site. Includes her presentation that
she gave to the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy's International Conference in
June of '03
National Trails Training Partnership
THE NATIONAL TRAILS TRAINING PARTNERSHIP (NTTP) is a
forum of diverse trail organizations and agencies whose mission is to
improve opportunities for training for the nationwide trails community.
Join us to promote training opportunities! American Trails maintains an
extensive calendar of classes, workshops, and training sessions online and
is developing the NTTP database of a wide variety of trail-related
resources.
Trails for Trail
Riders
A Trails Directory
US Equine Trails Coalition
The United States - Equine Trails Coalition is an
association of horseback trail riding enthusiasts, equestrian
organizations and other equine users who share that enthusiasm, which is
dedicated to preserving America's cultural heritage of enjoying this
Nation's open spaces from the back of and with the use of a horse.
Integral to continuing this heritage is assuring and preserving, and
establishing new, equine access to trailheads, staging areas, facilities,
trails and horse camps.
WDNR Lands Mapping Application
See maps of DNR Lands.
Insurance Info & Resources Return to Top
Alliance of Nonprofits for Insurance, Risk Retention Group
The Alliance of Nonprofits for Insurance, Risk
Retention Group (ANI-RRG) is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit insurance
company whose mission is to be a stable source of reasonably priced
liability insurance for 501(c)(3) nonprofits.
Conserve-A-Nation® Insurance Program
Insurance Rate Reduction for Small Land
Trusts
The Land Trust Alliance is pleased to announce that we
have successfully negotiated significant rate reductions in the minimum
premiums for our current comprehensive insurance package and for our
Directors and Officers (D&O) insurance.
Liability insurace on YOUR horse offered by
the Kansas Horse Council
We also offer $1,000,000. in equine liability
insurance to anyone who joins the Kansas Horse Council. When you become a
member, this insurance is automatically yours and protects you from the
actions of any horses that you own. This includes coverage anywhere your
horse is, whether on your property or not. Call the office for more
details. This is available to those who join and live in other states.
Liabilty & Lawsuits Info from IMBA
Link to Recreational Use Statutes for all 50 States -
Landowner Liability - Table of State Liabilty Laws (Be sure to look at
Michigan's Laws) - You Play, You Pay
