Our Mission

Trails & Vistas mission is to create community by celebrating the arts and nature.

Our Vision

We facilitate art events in nature for people of all ages to promote an appreciation of the performing and visual arts, build environmental stewardship, and create relationships between the artists, attendees. and local and world community members.
We respectfully acknowledge that we walk on the unceded land of the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California. The Indigenous peoples of the Washoe Tribe are the original caretakers of this land.

Trails & Vistas’ Statement of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Our nonprofit organization, Trails & Vistas, is deeply rooted in the belief of compassion and respect for all. At Trails & Vistas we believe a diverse, inclusive, and equitable organization is one where all board members, employees, independent contractors and volunteers, whatever their gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, language, age, sexual orientation or identity, education or ability, feel valued and respected. We are committed to a nondiscriminatory approach and provide equal opportunity for employment in all of our programs and events. We respect and value diverse life experiences and heritages and ensure that all voices are valued and heard.
We’re committed to modeling diversity and inclusion in the nonprofit arts industry and to maintaining an inclusive environment with equitable treatment for all.
To provide informed, authentic leadership for cultural equity, Trails & Vistas strives to:
See diversity, inclusion, and equity as connected to our mission and critical to ensure the well-being of our board, staff, volunteers, artists and the communities we serve.
Lead with respect and tolerance. We expect all board members, staff and volunteers to embrace this notion and to express it through everyday practices.
Practice and encourage transparent communication in all interactions.
Acknowledge and dismantle any inequities within our policies, systems, programs, and services, and continually update and report organization progress.
Seek to represent values of equality, freedom, respect, inclusion of all people to promote healing for equality and justice. Subscribe to the belief that all people should “Treat others as they wish to be treated.” Advocate for and support board-level thinking about how systemic inequities impact our organization’s work, and how best to address that in a way that is consistent with our mission. Commit time and resources to expand more diverse members within our board, staff, artists and volunteers.

We create community

Strengthening community with collaborating partners of artists, poets, conservationists, educators, writers, art and environmental nonprofits. We build a thriving rural culture that inspires arts activity, provides economic activity with geotourism, builds pride of place, and inspires environmental awareness. Founded in 2004, Trails & Vistas has grown to offer Art Hikes, Art in Nature Field Trips, World Concert, and community art/dance workshops.

Trails & Vistas is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization (26-4300208) partnered with several Truckee/Tahoe non-profit organizations, InnerRhythms Dance, Lake Tahoe Nevada State Parks, Truckee Donner Land Trust, and The Culture/Language Department of the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California, and California State Parks.

We promote environmental stewardship

Taking kids outdoors to create, discover, and learn. Trails & Vistas "The Dreaming Tree" field trips are an interactive art hike for 400+ California and Nevada third grade students with music, poetry, storytelling, environmental studies, and visual art.

Executive Director: Veronica Derrick, Board of Directors: Jean Fournier, Ashley Banovich, Sonya Koster, Maria Jones, Dan Joseph, Patricia Kelley, Polly Triplat, Laura Brigham, Heather Boger, Katrina Johnson, Barb Wilkinson,
Founder and Artistic Director: Nancy Tieken Lopez
Advisors: Romina Branje Community Outreach,
Cesar Lopez of Atypical Design, and Christina Stoever Young of Sunshine Tahoe.
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