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Giving Thanks
As storms roll across Arizona, delivering much-needed moisture to the southern and central parts of the state and blanketing northern AZ in snow, we want to wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving. 

This time of year, we’re reminded how thankful we are to be a part of the Arizona Trail Association. From our hard-working volunteers to our dedicated partners, from our passionate supporters to our generous donors, we’re inspired by this diverse coalition of stewards who, for 25 years, have come together to support the Arizona Trail. Each day, we give thanks for the opportunity to be part of such a strong trail community, but today we celebrate it even more.
 
While some will spend tomorrow in the shopping mall or searching for deals online, we encourage you to Opt Outside instead. Skip the shopping, do something health for you and your family, and explore a segment of the Arizona Trail or another natural area close to home. Time spent outdoors is far more valuable than a new gadget. Share your outdoor adventures with us through social media (#optoutsideazt), and together let’s encourage more people to Opt Outside. This initiative was started by REI Co-op in 2015 – they close their stores on Black Friday and encourage you to Opt Outside.
 
And if you do participate in Friday’s celebration of consumerism, please shop locally. Arizona’s businesses need your support. For a list of the local businesses that directly support the ATA, check out our Partners online.

AZT Topo Maps Now Available on Avenza
The popular Arizona Trail Topo Maps are now available through the Avenza mobile app. All 129 of the detailed topo maps can be downloaded from the Avenza store and stored to your mobile device. Once they’re downloaded, the maps work offline and without cell phone connectivity. You can use the maps to find your exact location along the trail using your smartphone’s built-in GPS system, create custom waypoints, assign photos to specific locations, record tracks, measure distance, and much more. Check out some of the features of the AZT Topo Maps on Avenza here.
 
Individual maps are available through Avenza for $0.99 each or $129.99 for the entire mapset. Ready for the great news? Maps are available for free to Arizona Trail Association members. Just login at aztrail.org and follow the instructions in the Member’s Only Content section.

Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit Raffle Tickets Benefit the Arizona Trail
Get your tickets today for a chance to win a 2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit. Tickets are available for $25 each or 5 for $100 and will only be on sale online until December 6.

Grand Prize: 2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee
2nd Prize: Two round-trip, first-class airline tickets to anywhere in the world
3rd Prize: $5,000 cash
 
The ATA receives 100% of profits from ticket sales and you could drive away this new car when the winner is chosen on December 13 in Tucson. You do not need to be present to win…Mr. Click will call you if you’re one of the winners.
 
Since 2004, the Jim Click Automotive Team has initiated annual raffles for charities in the Greater Tucson area by donating a new vehicle as the raffle prize. This year, Mr. Click is donating a 2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit along with two other prizes to encourage more ticket sales so individuals can support the nonprofit organizations they love most.
 
Buy your tickets online and we’ll mail them to you. Please help share the opportunity with friends and colleagues, too. Maybe you’ll be driving to the trailhead to start your next outdoor adventure in a new Jeep.

New Gates and Rollovers Installed
Thanks to a few generous donors and the hard work of volunteers, the Arizona Trail’s Passage 7 (Las Cienegas) now has three new rollovers. These steel structures are designed and fabricated by the ATA’s metalsmith extraordinaire Rob Bauer, and installed next to existing gates. They have myriad benefits for trail users.
 
Rollovers are essentially arched cattleguards and allow hikers, runners and mountain bikers to pass over them smoothly without stopping to open and close the gate. Along some parts of the Arizona Trail you will encounter multiple gates every mile. Rollovers allow you to spend more time enjoying the trail. They also increase the chances that gates will remain closed, keeping cattle where they’re intended to be.
 
As a reminder, the ethic along the Arizona Trail is to close all gates unless they have been intentionally wired to stay open by the ranchers.
 
Thanks to Ben’s Bikes, The Loomis Family and Cirrus Visual Communication for their donations to support the three rollovers. And tremendous gratitude to all of the volunteers who did the hard work of installing them in remote locations.
 
Speaking of gates, have you ever traveled through the cement culvert under Highway 77 near Oracle State Park along Passage 13? You will remember the old wire gate was very difficult to open and even harder to close, and the small green gate next to Old Tiger Road wasn’t wide enough for equestrians. Thanks to the County Line Riders of Catalina that area has been transformed.
 
Last week, a group of equestrians, ATA staff and members of the AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps gathered near Old Tiger Road to make some grand improvements to this segment of the AZT. The old wire gate was removed entirely, a new fenceline was installed away from the trail corridor, a metal trail sign installed to help with navigation, and a steel AZT Supergate replaced the old gate. Rob Bauer was also on-site with a mini-excavator to dig holes for the gate installation.
 
Small but significant improvements…the trail gets better all the time.

Governor Honors the Arizona Trail Association
Arizona Governor Doug Ducey recently signed a Commendation honoring the Arizona Trail Association’s 25th anniversary and recognizing the positive impact the Arizona Trail has on the state of Arizona. “We are grateful to have continual support from the Governor’s Office and the Arizona’s Legislature,” said ATA Executive Director Matthew Nelson. “Especially as we celebrate our 25th anniversary this year, accolades like this are further proof that Arizona embraces outdoor recreation and recognizes the importance of organizations like the ATA committed to empowering citizens in the stewardship of our public lands, strengthening Arizona’s economy, improving the health and wellness of residents, and providing a pathway for individuals to connect with nature.”
 
The Commendation reads:
Whereas, the Arizona Trail Association was the dream of Dale Shewalter who envisioned a cross-state trail in the 1970s, and in 1985 while he was working as a Flagstaff school teacher walked from Nogales to the Utah state line to explore the feasibility of a trail traversing Arizona; and
 
Whereas, the Arizona Trail Association was the nonprofit organization formed in 1994 to serve as the voice for volunteers, hikers, mountain bikers, equestrians and all users of the Arizona Trail with the mission of protecting, maintaining, enhancing, promoting and sustaining the Arizona Trail as a unique encounter with the land, and now delivers programs serving veterans, youth, recreationalists, nearby communities, land management agencies, wildlife, and the land itself; and
 
Whereas, tens of thousands of volunteers have united to build the continuous Arizona Trail that now stretches 800 miles across the entire length of the state, from Mexico to Utah, to connect deserts, mountains, canyons, forests, wilderness, history, communities, and people, and showcases Arizona’s diverse vegetation, wildlife, and scenery, as well as unique historic and cultural sites, and welcomes runners, hikers, mountain bikers, equestrians and all non-motorized users; and
 
Whereas, the Arizona Trail has become an international destination for outdoor adventurers, and contributes to Arizona’s $21 billion annual outdoor recreation economy.
 
Now, therefore, I, Douglas A. Ducey, Governor of the State of Arizona, do hereby recognize the 25th anniversary of the Arizona Trail Association and the positive impact the trail has on the State of Arizona.

Territory Supply is a proud supporter of the Arizona Trail Association. Territory Supply is an outdoors and lifestyle website based out of Phoenix, Arizona. Their goal is to help readers find their next adventures by highlighting hiking, camping, backpacking and travel destinations in the US — and the best gear to get them there. Territory Supply features some of the best outdoor gear on the market, as well as some of the top camping, backpacking and hiking spots in states like Arizona, Oregon, Washington, Colorado and Utah. Follow them on Instagram @territory.supply
 
Territory Supply is a Saguaro level Business Partner.
 Please support the local businesses that support the ATA.
 
Copyright © 2019 Arizona Trail Association. All rights reserved.

Arizona Trail Association
534 N. Stone Avenue
Tucson, Arizona 85705
(602) 252-4794
www.aztrail.org

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