This ride has been about so much more than riding my bike. Yes, it’s about celebrating being outside and the feel of wind on your face, feeling free and alive. But it’s also about protecting the land, connecting communities, supporting recreation opportunities, and celebrating all the amazing folks across Wisconsin who are engaged in the passionate, thankless, and often volunteer efforts to make Wisconsin what it is today.

This ride has been a dream come true for me. It’s been so fun and rewarding to ride my bike every day, explore the state, see beautiful new sights and quaint little towns, and share the impact and importance of the Knowles-Nelson Program in our state. I learned so much about what land conservation and maintenance really mean and look like in Wisconsin. Yes, large state parks and forests are a part of it, but so much of Wisconsin’s land stewardship and connection to the land is about community parks, boat ramps, playground facilities, public hunting and fishing resources, and private land conservation easements. It’s about acquisition, especially strategic acquisition of connected or important properties, but it’s also about maintenance and continued, reliable access to the outdoors for everyone.

It’s about environmental protection, but it’s also about connecting communities. One of the things that stood out to me most was how much Knowles-Nelson means to communities across the state. Throughout my journey, I met so many amazing volunteers and organizations that have shown up, and continue to show up, every day to protect the land, provide opportunities for people to enjoy and engage with the land, and improve their communities. In the end, this ride pales in comparison to the collective time and effort that has been put into land conservation, habitat protection, and recreation in Wisconsin. Knowles-Nelson is also about supporting the individuals who are working hard to make their community a better place. They have the passion and the ideas, but they need resources to get the work done.

The Great State Trails Adventure has been my small contribution to this work, my small part in telling the story of Knowles-Nelson and the importance of natural resource stewardship. And really, that’s all any of us can ever do: our small part to make a difference, share what we love, and communicate with compassion. It’s the collection of all our small efforts that will, hopefully, restore a robust and sustainable Knowles-Nelson Program in Wisconsin and continue the legacy of managing and enjoying Wisconsin’s natural resources with an ethic that respects our place in the ecological community. I believe, as Thoreau said, that “in wildness is the preservation of the world.”

Thank you, everyone, for the support. Keep getting outside, living your dream, and supporting the many diverse communities of which we are all a part.