This year marks the 100th anniversary of the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference, which

preserved land and established trails to create natural sanctuaries in and around the city. To

celebrate this landmark occasion, an anonymous benefactor has partnered with Natural

Awakenings to match all reader donations to the NYNJTC during the month of January.

“In the early 1900s, there were people who understood that there must be an escape from the

hustle and bustle of the concrete jungle,” says Don Weise, director of membership and

development for the NYNJTC. “They worked together to secure the land, build the trails, and

blaze and map them so that future generations would have a place to go in nature to breathe,

explore and thrive. They formed the Trail Conference in 1920, to protect the land we all

love.”

With the help of financial donors and some 2,000 volunteers, the NYNTC maintains 2,165

miles of public trails on 700,000 acres of protected parkland—roughly 3.5 times the land area

of New York City.

“The generous offer to match all January donations gives Natural Awakenings readers a

unique opportunity to support our mission,” Weise says.

To donate, or to learn about volunteering or joining the Trail Conference, visit nynjtc.org.