Friends of Jamaica

My name is Conliffe Wilmot-Simpson and I need your support to reach my goal of attending the 2025 International Trails Summit in Madison, Wisconsin.

Who Am I?

I have been an avid hiking enthusiast for most of my life, having climbed Blue Mountain Peak more than 50 times. Here are two of my blog posts relating to hiking in Jamaica:

Trail Opening in the Blue Mountains of Jamaica

Hiking Across the Grand Ridge of the Blue Mountains

For the past 8 years I have been a volunteer with the Jamaica Conservation and Development Trust (JCDT), the NGO with responsibility to manage the blue and John Crow Mountains National Park and UNESCO World Heritage Site. For the last three years I have been their Hike Coordinator and also assisted with training of their rangers in Protected Area Management. I have been a member of the Board of Directors for the past two years.

I am a co-founder of a newly formed Jamaica Trails Network which describes itself as:

“The Jamaica Trail Network is a dedicated community of hiking enthusiasts and naturalists committed to developing a network of recreational trails, to enhance access and to promote their sustainable use.

Our mission is to identify, map, mark, build and maintain trails in partnership with the government, communities and other stakeholders, while fostering solid connections with local communities.

Our efforts promote health, environmental stewardship, and sustainable community economic development making Jamaica’s trails more accessible and enjoyable for all.”

Why is the International Trails Summit Important?

The International Trails Summit, which is organized jointly by American Trails and the Professional Trail Builders Association, is a coming together of almost 1,000 stakeholders in the international trail community. The format is three days of trail-related general and academic presentations. There are also pre conference specialized sessions and post conference technical training, demonstrations and field trips.

I participated in 2023 as a part of a Jamaican delegation of 5 members and was a co presenter of a session on hiking activities and plans from Jamaica. We gathered important information and made very useful contacts. One direct result was the visit to Jamaica of a volunteer from Texas who stayed on island for 10 days and assisted with Trail Training for a group of volunteers.

Attendance in 2025 will among other things allow us to:

- Deepen our knowledge of all aspects of Trails and the organization of trail support and management organizations.

- Renew contacts and establish new contacts with member of the International Trail Community, government departments, academia and other stakeholders.

- Help us to better understand the dynamics of the post Covid resurgence of trail and other general outdoor activities and how to manage the tensions of environmental conservation and impacts on local communities.

- Recruit volunteers and others who will be able to enhance the efforts of the Jamaica Trails Network.

I intend to make a full trip report of the summit activities and a listing of follow-up items. I believe that the sharing of this trip information as well as the passing on of any specialized knowledge gained, will be of great benefit to the Trail Network, the JCDT as well as the other groups and individuals involved in hiking in Jamaica.

Thank you for your support!

The money raised will go to the Friends of Jamaica, a 501 c(3) nonprofit, who is acting as the financial agent. The money raised will then go to the Jamaica Trail Network to send Conliffe to the International Trails Summit in Madison, Wisconsin on April 2025.