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Central Wyoming Trails Alliance reports new bridges, volunteers and fundraising
Summary
Austin Burgess of the Central Wyoming Trails Alliance told the Natrona County Parks Board the group completed a key bridge and connector, raised multiple grants and donations (including $15,000 from Wyoming Community Foundation and $17,400 for a Cottonwood Creek project), and plans to expand grooming and trail maintenance this winter under an MOU with county commissioners.
Austin Burgess, executive director of the Central Wyoming Trails Alliance (CWTA), addressed the Natrona County Parks Board on Sept. 11 to introduce his executive board and summarize the nonprofit’s recent trail work, fundraising and partnerships.
Burgess said CWTA completed a major outer-loop connector and a 24-foot curved “twin bridges” structure that allows a continuous trail connection; materials for the bridge were paid for by private donors and the cost for that component was about $6,000. He listed recent funding sources that support operations and projects: a $15,000 general operations grant from the Wyoming Community Foundation, approximately $18,400 raised during a statewide giving day, a $10,000 donation from the Merrick McMurtry Foundation and a private $17,400 donation designated for the Cottonwood Creek dinosaur reconstruction project. Burgess also said CWTA has a grooming MOU with county commissioners to support winter trail maintenance and plans to expand groomed mileage from roughly 7 to 12 miles this season.
Burgess described CWTA as a local 501(c)(3) chapter affiliated with the International Mountain Bicycling Association that serves multiple user groups (biking, hiking, equestrian) across Natrona and Converse counties. He said CWTA has about 75 volunteers actively assisting with trail work and is pursuing collaborations with the city of Casper, other counties and youth programs. Board members thanked CWTA for its contributions and noted visible improvements to trails on Casper Mountain.
