Trails could save our democracy. That is the opinion of Emily Brown, a trails advocate in South Dakota, whose LinkedIn article has been circulating our community this week.
“Here is the thing most people don’t realize: trails don’t just appear. They are not neutral. They are the result of people showing up, organizing, disagreeing, negotiating, and ultimately deciding to build something together”, she says.
“To build a trail, you have to work with land managers, city officials, private landowners, businesses, and community members. You have to navigate competing priorities, build trust, form coalitions, and influence decision makers. You have to listen, adapt, and advocate. In other words, you have to practice civic engagement.
That is democracy in action.”
That is the Trailies in a nutshell.
Read the rest of Emily’s article at: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/trails-could-save-our-democracy-emily-brown-lzarc/
Thanks to local trails steward Peter Sullivan for dropping this in our inbox!
