Our Stories

New Director of the Office of Outdoor Recreation Industry: Brad Garmon

NCTA applauds Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s appointment of Brad Garmon as Director of the Office of Outdoor Recreation Industry. Andrea Ketchmark, NCTA Executive Director, joined other outdoor industry and recreation leaders for the announcement at Outside Coffee Co. in Grand Rapids yesterday. “From the Great Lakes to our expansive forest lands to a vast network of trails, […]

Inaugural Next Generation Coalition Summit

Post and photos by Emily Rodriguez   August 15-18, 2019, members of the NCTA’s Next Generation Coalition met in Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park for the first-ever Next Generation Coalition (“Next Gen”) Summit.   Led by Kenny Wawsczyk, NCTA’s Regional Trail Coordinator for Michigan, and Emily Rodriguez, NCTA’s Next Generation Outreach Intern, members spent two […]

The Federal Government Shutdown and the North Country National Scenic Trail

by Andrea Ketchmark, Executive Director of the North Country Trail Association It’s 25 days into the Federal Government shutdown. We have all seen the pictures of national parks where visitors have overrun campgrounds, left behind mountains of trash, damaged natural resources that will take years to recover and cultural resources that can never be replaced. […]