Getting on the map

Nicole Karem is Gateway Community Coordinator for the Continental Divide Trail Coalition (CDTC) and she came to Carbon County on July 22 to explain designating Encampment/Riverside as a Gateway Community on the Continental Divide.

Karem said there are currently five states involved in the 3,100 total miles on the Continental Trial Divide (CDT). 550 miles of the CDT are in Wyoming. The addition of Encampment/Riverside brings the total of gateway communities on the trail in Wyoming to three. Rawlins and Pinedale are the other two communities.

The Gateway Community Coordinator for CDTC is a long ways from where she was raised.

Karem is from Kentucky. She graduated from the University of Kentucky in 2018 with a degree in Anthropology and Spanish. She is planning to go to law school next year, but decided, before continuing school, she wanted to do something different.

"I wanted to come out West, so I took a job through Americorps with the CDTC and here I am," Karem said. "I am the Gateway Community Coordinator, so along the CDT there is about 15 gateway communities, and my job is literally to coordinate them and that means something for each community because some of them are 700 people and some are a city of 10,000."

She said the way each community relates to the Trail is different.

"I contact people in each community and talk to them about what they want to do with the Trail, what they hope the Trail does for their community in the future and kind of go from there," Karem explained. "I started this on June 10 and for the first month and half it was being on the phone and emails getting ready for this trip."

Karem said the CDTC Board and Advisory Committee identify and endorse four pillars of focus for the coalition.

The four pillars are stewardship of the Trail; promotion of the Trail; building a strong Trail Community to support the Trail and building an organization with sound governance to support its efforts.

Karem said, although the Trail Communities have many differences, the CDTC establishes strong community based relationships through activities that support the construction, maintenance and support of the CDT.

"Boots on the ground are important and Wyoming is where I have started," Karem said. "I will be going to eight other communities after Encampment/Riverside."

She said the CDTC involves a large group of volunteers, supporters and partners in an ongoing process to inform the work and the priorities of CDTC.

Karem said building strong local relationships with communities adjacent to the Trail and involving volunteers in the communities is an effective way to build the movement and preserve and protect the CDT.

Karem pointed out communities along the Trail's route are considered a resource by CDT users. The potential of thousands of visitors coming to the Trail every year, outfitters, guides, restaurants, hotels and other businesses are welcoming CDT travelers.

Karem said there can be excellent benefits for all involved in the CDTC.

Designation as a Continental Divide Trail Community and participation in the program acts as a catalyst for economic development, engaging community citizens as Trail visitors, helping local municipalities and regional areas with conservation planning and helping local community members see the Trail as a resource and asset.

She said the program also serves to recognize those communities who are taking steps to ensure the ongoing protection of their natural, cultural and recreational resources, including the CDT.

Karem said when she has completed her tour of the the gateway communities, her goal will be to help each community in its special needs to be on the CDT.

"I think what we want to accomplish is different in each community, and really depends on what the community sees as their future with the Trail," Karem said. "Generally we want to be a backbone, we want to help the communities get their names out there, not just through the hikers, but also the section hiker and day hikers."

Karem said she has no preconceived notions about visiting each community.

"Outdoor recreation is the fastest growing segment of the United States economy and there is so much potential for theses communities along the Trail," Karem said. "The more people talk about the Trail, the better it is for the Trail because more people will be interested in protecting it and stays available to hike."

She said the Trail helps brand communities that are along the Trail.

Leslie Jefferson, Director of Carbon County Visitors Council, said having two of the three Gateway Communities in Wyoming are in Carbon County was excellent for tourism industry in the county.

"What I found surprising is the CDT is the part of the Triple Crown in hiking trails in the United States," Jefferson said. "It is usually the third leg of the this crown after the Appalachian Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail."

Karem said the CDTC works hard to explain the criteria entailed to be a Gateway Community because not all that many can since it is about location.

Once contacted, the Gateway Coordinator will review basic questions regarding the community. The Gateway Coordinator will schedule a visit to the community to meet with the advisory committee set up by the town and get a tour and meet with the general community. After meeting with CDTC's Gateway Community Coordinator, the advisory committee should be working to complete the Gateway Community Application.  

Karen said, upon agreeing to work with a local community, CDTC makes a long term commitment to the community and its residents.

After the designation occurs, the community works with CDTC to provide ongoing information about community resources and capacity.

Stacy Crimmins, Director of Saratoga/Platte Valley of Chamber of Commerce, said it was an opportunity for Encampment/Riverside to literally be put on the map.

"Two million people are on that trail each year," Crimmins said. "This a good thing for Riverside and Encampment because hikers come down off the trail and get to see what the towns have to offer."

She said a committee will have to be formed of four to six people and the step after is to figure out where the communities are in the process.

"Once this is all completed, I think this is going to be a really good thing for both towns," Crimmins concluded. "I don't see any down side for this designation."