National Trails System 50th Anniversary LCNHT Newsletter

Trails 50

Celebrating 50 Years of the National Trails System
Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail

50th Anniversary Events, Activities and Social Media Campaign

Social Media

As we commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the National Trails Act in 2018, we appreciate your help in spreading the word. We’ve assembled a collection of social media content to help you share information about the anniversary with your audience. Feel free to use these samples as is or modify them to suit your needs. We highly recommend using images to maximize engagement.

Campaign Hashtags

#FindYourTrail

#lewisandclarktrail

#LewisandClarkPups

#FindYourWay

Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail Social Media

Please tag us in your posts. Share our content and alert us when you use our content and we will share back.

Facebook

www.facebook.com/lewisandclarknht

Instagram

www.instagram.com/lewisandclarknht/

Twitter

www.twitter.com/lewisclarktrail

Partner Toolkit

The partner toolkit is a section of the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail website is an area where we will share resources and NPS material with our partner sites and organizations.

https://www.nps.gov/lecl/getinvolved/partner-toolkit.htm

Facebook Partner Page

Join the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail Facebook group for partners and sites to keep up-to-date throughout the anniversary year and beyond. The group is intended for partners and sites along the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail. The NPS headquarters office will use this page to share information on projects and initiatives going on along the trail. We encourage participation and sharing among trail partners. This would be a great place to share best practices and ask questions.

Partner Page

www.facebook.com/groups/LewisandClarkTrailPartners

Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail

 

Event Database

Please enter any local events you are coordinating into the event database at https://www.trails50.org/find-an-event/

Please also alert Ashley Danielson at e-mail us. She will be compiling monthly news releases documenting events trail-wide and coordinating events on Facebook. News releases will be sent to the media, used on website and social media and uploaded to National Park Service channels such as www.nps.gov/subjects/npscelebrates/rivers-trails-50th.htm

Programming Ideas

• Sponsor a Lewis and Clark book reading challenge for local schools

• Hold a National Trails Day hike on June 2

• Host a National Public Lands Day clean up or service projects

• Promote your new selfie spot on social media

Facebook Schedule

This summer we will feature each state along the trail for one week. We will feature visitor centers, museums and high potential historic sites in each state. If you have a Lewis and Clark related attraction or event you would like us to feature, send an email to Ashley Danielson at e-mail us.

June 3-9	Illinois
June 10-16	Missouri
June 17-23	Kansas
June 24-30	Nebraska
July 1-7	Iowa
July 8-14	South Dakota
July 15-21	North Dakota
July 22-28	Montana
July 29-August 4	Idaho
August 5-11	Oregon
August 12-18	Washington

Sample Facebook Posts

Please feel free to use and adapt these sample posts in a way that fits your organization’s message. Add your photos and links to your website. You can also share our posts directly from the page linked above. There are some suggested dates for certain posts to try and elevate the reach.

With the passage of the National Trails System Act in 1968, America was given a gift – the creation and protection of some of our favorite places to explore the great outdoors. #findyourtrail https://www.trails50.org/national-trails/ #lewisandclarktrail

Lace up your hiking boots, air up your bike tires, dust off your work gloves, slip on your trail runners, grab your paddle, or saddle up your horse and #FindYourTrail https://www.trails50.org/find-an-event/ #lewisandclarktrail

(June 2) Today is National Trails Day. Get out and Find YOUR Trail! Visit the Trails50.org website for more information about the celebration. #lewisandclarktrail #FindYourTrail

What’s your favorite trail? #FindYourTrail #lewisandclarktrail

(June 18) Join the 50th birthday party for our nation’s trails at www.trails50.org #lewisandclarktrail

(June 25) Did you hear the news? We’re part of the #FindYourTrail movement! You can be a part of it too—find out more at findyourtrail.org #lewisandclarktrail

People everywhere are talking about #FindYourTrail! Get the inside scoop at trails50.org #lewisandclarktrail

(July 2) How did you #FindYourTrail? Share your story with us! #lewisandclarktrail

(July 9) Why do you love the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail? Share your story with us! #FindYourTrail #lewisandclarktrail

(July 20) #DYK The National Trails System turns 50 this year? Help us celebrate by telling your friends about your favorite trail! #FindYourTrail #lewisandclarktrail

(July 30) In 2018, we’re celebrating the 50th anniversary of America’s extraordinary national rivers and trails systems #FindYourWay to… (fill in the blank with a specific site, story, experience, or sub-message)

(August 6) We all find our own personal connections to these amazing places in our own ways—in 2018, we’re inviting you to find your own connection, find YOUR way, and be inspired by America’s extraordinary rivers and trails. #FindYourTrail #lewisandclarktrail

(August 20) Countless generations of Americans—from the first inhabitants to westward settlers to modern vacationers—have followed America’s historic trails. Follow their paths and #FindYourWay to their remarkable stories. #FindYourTrail #lewisandclarktrail

(August 30) Find Your Way to … (insert specific site or event here) #FindYourWay #FindYourTrail #lewisandclarktrail

(September 17) With the 50th anniversary of America’s rivers and trails systems, the (agency name) and its partners are inviting a new generation to discover America’s waterways and pathways that belong to us all—#FindYourWay #FindYourTrail #lewisandclarktrail

Dates to Know

National Park Week	April 21-29, 2018
Earth Day	April 22, 2018
National Trails Day	June 2, 2018
Family Hiking Day	September 29, 2018
National Public Lands Day	September 29, 2018
50th Anniversary of the National Trails Act	October 2, 2018
Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation Annual Meeting	October 7-10, 2018
National Trails System Conference	October 22-25, 2018

Did You Know?

More than 16,000 people “like” the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail Facebook page

The combined reach of Facebook pages of partners along the trail is more than 600,000.

The Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail website had nearly 500,000 page views last year.

Resources to Download

Trails 50 Toolkit: https://www.trails50.org/toolkit/

• Logos

• Factsheets

• Event Guide

• Social Media Kit

• Special Edition National Scenic and Historic Trails Map

• Videos

• Photos

#FindYourWay toolkit for the Rivers and Trails 50th anniversaries

https://www.nps.gov/lecl/getinvolved/partner-toolkit.htm

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Anniversary Products

Facebook Frame (Digital Resource)

This special Facebook profile frame was developed for the 50th anniversary campaign. We encourage everyone to use it to highlight trails, not just national trails. You can promote the frame by using it on your Facebook profile photo and that will encourage your followers with a “try it” button. The frame is pinned on the top of our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/lewisandclarknht

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Lewis and Clark Pups #LewisandClarkPups

We are going to try something new this year in hopes of building excitement for the 50th anniversary and the trail as a whole. This summer we will have four pups that will travel the trail. The vision is that these pups are the fictional great, great, great, great granddogs of Seaman, the Newfoundland dog who accompanied the Lewis and Clark expedition. They will each travel segments of the trail and report back to each other about what they find. A naming contest will be held on Facebook to determine the names of the pups, two female and two male. The pups will be mailed to partner visitor centers.

This project is similar to a ‘Flat Stanley” that is popular with school children. Our goal is to highlight Lewis and Clark visitor destinations in a fun and unique way. Each partner site will capture photos, video and text and send it via email to the trail headquarters office. Then, we will upload it to a running blog on our NPS.gov/lecl website and on to Facebook.

We’d love your help in sharing the blog posts and creating excitement for this project along the trail.

Blog site: https://www.nps.gov/lecl/blogs/newfienews.htm

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Volunteer 50th Anniversary Challenge

With National Trails System 50th Anniversary in 2018, we want to offer a special token of our appreciation to our dedicated Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail volunteers. Volunteers who contribute 50 hours during the anniversary year (October 1, 2017-September 30, 2018) can earn a 50th

Anniversary Volunteer Coin.

How It Works

Eligibility

Volunteer must be a registered volunteer with a Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail partner site or organziation

Coins are issued for volunteer hours served between October 1, 2017 and September 30, 2018

Volunteers must track their own hours. Site volunteer coordinators or organization presidents will submit total hours and volunteers for the overall volunteer program at the site plus the names of each volunteer donating 50 hours or more to Ashley Danielson by September 30, 2018. The coins will be mailed to each site volunteer manager for distribution. Coins will be available while supplies last.

The Award

The commemorative coin features the 50th Anniversary logo on one side and the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail logo on the other.

Volunteers will also receive a congratulatory letter from the trail headquarters office.

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Geotourism

Nominate Your Site to the Lewis and Clark NHT Geotourism Page

Help your community celebrate the 50th anniversary of the National Trails System by submitting entries for the Lewis and Clark Geotourism webpage at https://lewisandclark.travel

The National Park Service is creating an online MapGuide of the unique local businesses and attractions visitors can visit along the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail.

Featuring a comprehensive interactive map, the geotourism website highlights historic sites, artisan studios, public lands, festivals, authentic “non-chain” accommodations and restaurants, small or regionally-focused businesses, family-friendly amenities, visitor centers, museums and much more.

The geotourism site is not specific to the 50th anniversary and will be a great way to get the word out about your site for many years to come!