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New signage for gateway communities
Over the past decade more and more attention has been given to the Arizona Trail. The 800 mile trail that travels from Arizona’s southern boarder with Mexico goes through the entire Copper Corridor before it makes it way through northern Arizona and the Grand Canyon before it reaches the Utah border.
As the popularity of the trail grows so does the need for the Gateway Communities along the trail to meet, collaborate and discuss how the communities can harness the economic benefits of the trail as well as support the maintenance and development of the trail.
The ATA has formed an Arizona Trail Gateway Community advisory committee. The advisory group meets three times a year and their Spring meeting was held in March at the Oracle Historical Society. Trail champions from Summerhaven, Pine, Sierra Vista, Superior, Pinal County, and Kearny were all in attendance.
The group discussed the launch of several new products that are being sold with a revenue share to support the Arizona Trail including a new blend of coffee by Oracle based Sky Island Roasters called the Arizona Trail blend. The coffee will be packaged for both home use as well as in convenient packaging for those using their coffee on the trails.
The group is focussing efforts on how all of the communities can work together to support hikers and promote the communities along the trail.
The next meeting is scheduled to be held in Pine in August.
Mila Besich is a resident of Superior with two children. She volunteers for many local organizations. She is an experienced fundraiser and event planner for Copper Corridor Economic Development Coalition. She covers some of the area town councils and schools.
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