Discover Flagstaff has declared the week National Eco-Tourism Week for an eco-friendly, localized twist.
Now, let’s trek the trails and keep supporting our community. Discover Flagstaff unites visitors and residents in multiple ways, one of which is ecotourism. Ecotourism is any form of visitation that focuses on traveling to natural environments with a mission to learn about and ultimately help protect those environments. The Discover Flagstaff Pledge for the Wild (PFTW) program is all about responsible visitation and giving back to our community to keep Flagstaff’s wild places wild. This public education effort is for both locals and visitors to keep our destination beautiful, sustainable and clean, and to educate responsible trail use while hiking, tree bathing, stargazing, wildlife watching or biking. The program benefits the local non-profit Flagstaff Trails Initiative with trail management, and it is easy to participate: simply text WILD4FLAG to 44321 with a donation.
Adding more strength to PFTW, Discover Flagstaff is adding a new dimension this month – Flagstaff Trails Passport – which adds another level of awareness and further encourages participation in responsible recreation to preserve Flagstaff’s beauty. The Flagstaff Trails Passport is designed to easily and conveniently select trails from a multi-agency procured list to help manage trail congestion, while also providing an opportunity to earn great prizes.
These trails are assigned points based on level of difficulty, with easy trails assigned 1 point, moderate trails assigned 2 points and difficult trails assigned 3 points. The first 400 people who earn a cumulative of at least 10 points will allow Discover Flagstaff to make a one-time donation (in the trail user’s name) to the Flagstaff Trails Initiative (FTI). The Flagstaff Trails Passport is an excellent guide to adventure, and pairs perfectly with Pledge for the Wild. Get the free Flagstaff Trails Passport – launching May 7 — at discoverflagtaff.com and win prizes!
The Discover Flagstaff goal is to keep Flagstaff relevant, collaborate with community partners and support locals while marketing attractions, accommodations, restaurants and events with all the things to see and do while visiting, encouraging visitors to stay and play responsibly. Learn more at discoverflagstaff.com and the Flagstaff Visitor Center (1 E. Rt. 66). FBN
By Meg Roederer