Long before she ran Pontchartrain Conservancy, Kristi Trail was a kid on the lakefront, swimming in water most people learned to avoid because of its pollution. Even so, that early connection to the lake shapes the work that led to her 2025 Inspirit Award.
Trail has served as the executive director of the Pontchartrain Conservancy for nine years. The award recognizes her work protecting the water, land and communities across the 16 parishes in the Pontchartrain Basin.
During her tenure, the organization has nearly doubled its staff from 16 to more than 30, reflecting its expanding environmental and education work.
As the organization has grown, Trail keeps returning to the thought that first drew her to this work: how people are able to experience the lake itself.
Trail says that when it comes to lakefront swimming, the northshore has easier access than the southshore which is complicated because of the amount of infrastructure.
That access question, she said, is part of a larger conversation about reconnecting people with the lake — a conversation that often leads to Lincoln Beach, a place many residents haven’t been able to access for decades.
Trail is pleased that the city of New Orleans is working hard to reopen Lincoln Beach, which is expected to be done in 2026, because the space holds a significant place in New Orleans’ history. Established in 1938, it provided a haven for the Black community. For Trail, its reopening represents a step toward restoring not just access, but the relationship people once had with the lake.
