“If a trail is built in the forest, but no one knows it’s there…”
Many New England communities have trails for recreation, but fewer have leveraged these trails to develop intentional networks of amenities to be enjoyed by a variety of residents and visitors. Regional partnerships and collaborations can be essential in developing cohesive branding, mapping, signage, education, and promotion. Collective efforts can also be critical in devising outreach strategies that encourage inclusive, respectful, and sustainable recreational use.
Join us for this lunchtime webinar to learn from professionals and volunteers from across Northern New England about what has worked well in their regions and, realistically, what tasks and goals have presented challenges. Stay after the presentations for an open Q&A and conversation to share ideas and strategies for building recreational identities, generating community buy-in, and bolstering regional economic development.
Guest speakers:
Lukas Ray, Community Collaboration Director, Kingdom Trail Association (VT)
Joe Fox, Outdoor Recreation Manager, Northern Forest Center/Bike Borderlands (NH/VT/ME/QC)
Janel Lawton, Director, NH Office of Outdoor Recreation Industry Development (NH)
Tyler Ray, Founder & Director, Granite Backcountry Alliance (NH/ME), Granite Outdoor Alliance (NH)
This webinar is part of the Developing Interconnections for Regional Trails (DIRT) project, a collaboration between UNH Extension staff, UNH faculty, and external nonprofit and agency partners, supported by the UNH Collaborative Research Excellence (CoRE) Initiative. For more information about DIRT, please visit https://sites.usnh.edu/dirt/.
