2023 Annual Report

The Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail commemorates and interprets the route, complex story, and compelling landscapes of the 1775–1776 Anza Colonizing Expedition from Sonora, Mexico, to current-day San Francisco, California. Whether entwined with a city or isolated from civilization, the trail offers adventure, diverse cultural perspectives, multiple narratives, and an opportunity to experience history by linking the past with the present. Working with volunteer trail groups, trail managers strive to develop, maintain, and steward the trail for present and future generations to use and enjoy.

Cultural History Park Opens

The Anza Trail Cultural History Park in downtown Tucson, Arizona officially opened at a public event on January 28. The youth-designed park for people of all ages and abilities serves as a public park as well as an outdoor classroom for students and teachers of the adjacent Arizona School for the Deaf and the Blind (ASDB).

The linear park, managed by Pima County, follows a certified section of the Anza Trail along the bank of the Santa Cruz River through the very heart of Tucson. The entrance way opens to a plaza lined with native plants, and an accessible pathway guides park visitors to interactive exhibits and art installations designed to be experienced through a variety of senses: a tactile expedition map traces the route of the Anza expedition of 1775-76, the Chime art installation can be rung with white canes used by the Blind community and those with low-vision, ASL and audio-described content – accessed via QR code – connects users to the stories of those who have traversed this ancient corridor before them, and story boxes showcase the stories and poetry of youth in the community.

The multi-partner, universally designed project was initiated by members of Anza Society Inc., a non-profit community of citizen historians who applied for assistance from the NPS Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance (RTCA) program. RTCA landscape architect and project manager, Laura Bolyard, and Mobility Specialist with ASDB, Anne Rempe, led the ambitious project with support from Pima County and NPS staff from the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail.

This project is an excellent example of the type of meaningful work the Anza Trail team can acheive through our focus on community and organizational partnerships.

2023 Volunteer Statistics

• 275 volunteers

• 5,660 volunteer hours

• Volunteer time is valued at $32 dollars an hour = $181,120

2023 Education Statistics

• 325 Junior Rangers

• 4,384 4th grade students

• 155 classroom presentations

Foundation Document

A Foundation Document is an NPS planning report and includes a brief description of the trail, trail nature and purpose, significance, fundamental resources and values, and interpretive themes. The Anza Trail Foundation Document was completed and shared with partners, volunteer groups, and stakeholders in April.

Partner Meeting

Sharing our vision for broadening the narratives associated with the trail and its history was a priority for the Anza Trail team in 2023. A partner meeting in Tucson, Arizona, kicked off a year of in-person and virtual gatherings with partners along the trail corridor. Partner meetings focused on content from the newly completed Foundation Document, a planning report that guides our work.

Initiate Quarterly Partner Calls

The completion of the Foundation Document and the approaching Anza Expedition 250th commemoration spurred the initiation of quarterly partner calls. These virtual gatherings provide a platform for our partners to share their work with the trail community. Each call is centered on a theme from our new interpretive themes, developed with our community of parnters in 2021. Calls will continue in 2024 in January, April, July, and October. Please contact staff if you would like to be added to the invite list.

Ironwood Tree Experience

Our work with Tucson-based youth outdoor education organization, Ironwood Tree Experience (ITE), kicked off in 2023 with ITE Live, an experimental virtual youth program incorporating live-streamed lessons along the Anza Trail with youth leaders. The Anza Trail partnered with and supported ITE’s youth programming in 2023, which served a diverse group of participants in southern Arizona. Teenagers from underrepresented public school districts participated in holistic, bioregional experiences rooted in the ecology, culture, and history of the Juan Bautista de Anza Trail, the Santa Cruz River Valley, the Tohono O’odham Nation, and Pascua Yaqui Communities. The youth programs facilitated by ITE create youth leaders through outdoor, experiential curricula focused on empowerment, community, and leadership.

California Site Visits

Superintendent Naomi Torres and the new Trail Planner Estrella Sainburg were out on the trail, traveling to a number of sites between San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara in April. Partners in the region – including the Santa Barbara Trails Council, Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation, Mission San Luis Obispo, and the Trails & Rails program – are building momentum along the trail corridor, leveraging trail development projects and historic preservation ahead of the 250th Anza Expedition commemorative years.

Return of Trails & Rails Program

Volunteer docents returned to the observation car of the Amtrak Coast Starlight between Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo in the spring of 2023 after a 3-year hiatus. 21 volunteers gave over 1,000 hours of their time this year, connecting riders to the history and landscapes of the Anza Trail. The Anza Trail sponsors and supports the popular program. It is one of the nation’s 17 Trails & Rails volunteer-driven programs, an innovative partnership between the National Park Service and Amtrak.

Mellon Humanities Postdoctoral Fellowship Program

The Anza Trail was awarded two post-doctoral fellows through the Mellon Foundation and National Park Foundation. The prestigous program places recent humanities PhDs with National Park Service sites and programs across the agency. Its aim is to advance the NPS education mission through new research and study in the humanities. The Anza Trail Mellon Fellows will work with NPS mentors, scholars, and community partners to complete original research projects and develop new interpretive and educational programming significant to the Anza Expedition 250th commemorative years, which coincide with America 250. Research and digital humanities will connect history and its relevance to our lives today.

We have new staff!

Estrella Sainburg

MS, Community & Regional Planning

Estrella started as our new Trail Planner in August, 2023. Originally from the foothills of the Angeles National Forest, Estrella brings to her work a commitment to further equitable opportunities for recreation.

Marshall Morgan

MS, Sustainability Solutions

Marshall joined in July, 2023 as the Community Research & Engagment Intern. His work centers on ensuring historically marginalized communities have equitable access to public lands and have a sustainable future.

Dr. Brittany Romanello

PhD, Sociocultural Anthropology

Bri started in November, 2023 as our Mellon Humanities Postdoctoral Fellow. She does intersectional immigration and sociocultural research in the Arizona borderlands and is an affiliated researcher with ASU.

Kimberly Twardochleb

MA, Communications & Media Technologies

Kimberly started as our Visual Information Specialist in November, 2023. Before joining the Park Service, she worked in educational publishing and brings with her a passion for storytelling and uplifting marginalized voices through multimedia.

Dr. Sarah Montoya

PhD, Gender Studies

Sarah joined as our Mellon Humanities Postdoctoral Fellow in August, 2023. Her work sits at the intersection of Settler Colonial Studies, Critical Geographies, Critical Information Studies, and focuses on digital mapping and explorations of race and space.

Samantha Kaiser

MA, Intercultural & International Communication

Sam started in September, 2023 as our Community Volunteer Ambassador in partnership with Conservation Legacy. In this role, she is thrilled to have the opportunity to combine her education and skills with her love for conservation.

Collaboration on the Santa Cruz River

2023 saw increased collaboration with partners along the Santa Cruz River in southern Arizona:

• Working with Tumacácori National Historical Park and Tubac Presido State Park, the Anza Trail funded the popular hiker shuttle that transports trail users back to their starting point after walking the 4-mile stretch between the two sites.
• Partner support and technical assistance resulted in a new trailhead wayside interpretive panel in partnership with the Santa Cruz Valley Heritage Alliance, Anza Trail Coalition of Arizona, and the Sonoran Institute.
• The Anza Trail’s Community Volunteer Ambassador has increased the presence of trail staff in the region, providing opportunities for volunteer collaboration and training at Historic Canoa Ranch.