Wellwood Summer Trails!
Photo courtesy of Wellwood Nature Preserve
June 19, 2025
Dave Wellwood - Guest Columnist
Wellwood Conservancy is offering a program of learning and hands-on activities this summer that is intended to develop interest and capacity within the community for trail maintenance, first aid, and stewardship of the natural world.
Activities included an initial First Aid/CPR training that was held on Saturday, May 31 at the Kenny Lake Community Hall, and an introduction to trail maintenance, presented by Tim George, held on National Trails Day, June 7, that took place in the camp area at Wellwood Nature Preserve in Kenny Lake, at about Mile 5.75 on the Edgerton Highway. Other activities combining work and learning will be held throughout the summer months. All activities are free-of-charge, supported by grant funds from American Trails and the Ford Bronco Wild Fund.
Wellwood Conservancy will also use some of its awarded grant funds topurchase an extensive set of tools for use in the summer activities and in the maintenance and stewardship of Wellwood trails in the years ahead.
Wellwood Conservancy is a non-profit organization that manages the 115-acre Wellwood Nature Preserve in Kenny Lake. It’s application was the only Alaskan project funded by American Trails, which awarded grants to fifteen trails projects in early 2025 as a part of its Trail Capacity Program.
Other 2025 awardees include projects in New York, New Hampshire, California, Utah, Michigan, Arizona, Maine, Idaho, Tennessee, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts.
American Trails is a nationwide coalition of all types of trails organizations, agencies, and individuals (motorized and nonmotorized). Its objective is to connect and assist the professionals and volunteers within the trails community in improving, protecting, and raising awareness of America’s priceless trail infrastructure. The Trail Capacity Program maximizes the impact of available funding by leveraging matching funds and in-kind volunteer hours and focusing on capacity-building of existing and emerging stewardship organizations. This program partners to complete trail projects that are inclusive, foster improved trail user behavior, and connect trail assets to a broader spectrum of users.
“These projects across the U.S. were selected based on their excellent project applications, relevant, high-impact work, and representation of areas of the country that we were not able to support in past years,” says Mike Passo, Executive Director at American Trails. As of April 2025, American Trails has awarded over $330,000 to support a total of 36 trails projects in North America. Ford Bronco Wild Fund’s sponsorship is key in the continuation of the Trails Capacity Program.
“This collaboration reflects the Bronco Wild Fund’s commitment to protecting our environment. Ford is proud to be supporting such a worthy cause,” said Darci Gurney, Ford Brand Content & Alliances Integration manager.
The Bronco Wild Fund is a mission with a deep respect for our public lands – and an unbridled commitment to helping those lands continue to be a world of wonder for all. The Bronco Wild Fund teams up with like-minded collaborators: agencies, organizations and everyday heroes devoted to keeping the great outdoors great. Help is in the form of grants, scholarships, and contributions. A portion of the profits from every Bronco sold goes directly to Bronco Wild Fund collaborator initiatives.
For additional information, email: contact@wconserve.org or call 907-259-3418. To register for any of the training sessions use the QR Code below or go to https://www.survey-monkey.com/r/DL7MTSB.
