“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/"
