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Idaho Trails Association meeting, presentations May 19

| May 3, 2018 1:00 AM

The Idaho Trails Association, a statewide nonprofit that uses volunteers to help maintain Idaho’s hiking trails, will meet and host a special volunteer appreciation party Saturday, May 19, near Sandpoint.

The general meeting is open to the public. The presentations start at 2 p.m. at 877 Heath Lake Road, Sagle.

Experts will give presentations and demonstrations about bear safety and use of bear canisters, and new hiking and backpacking gear designed to make hikes safer and more fun. Representatives from Idaho Backcountry Horsemen and some of their animals will give a demonstration of horse packing.

After these presentations, everyone will have a chance to visit with the experts (and the horses), try the crosscut and other saws ITA uses on field projects, and also try out some of that latest and best gear for hiking and backpacking. The ITA will then talk about the projects planned for 2018 and how to volunteer to help.

Following all of that, ITA will provide dinner and refreshments for its members and volunteers who worked on projects in 2017. Members of the public who sign up ahead of time can purchase dinner ($10 per person) and stay for the rest of the program to learn more about ITA and how we can all help to keep our hiking trails open.

To sign up for the dinner, please go to the ITA website at www.idahotrailsassociation.org. Click on the story about the Appreciation Parties and then on the signup button for the May 19 party in North Idaho.