Written by Laura Kelly
They’ve done it again – the 7th annual CT Trail Symposium was a wonderful day as expected! There’s nothing like connecting in person with our trails community. Hearing about all of the innovative and passionate work our colleagues are doing to improve trail opportunities around Connecticut for everyone was truly invigorating. I also enjoyed learning how each of us can support one another’s work. Many thanks to the CT Greenways Council, CT Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (CT DEEP), Connecticut Outdoor Recreation Alliance (CORA), and many other sponsors and partners, pictured below. Keep reading for more about the day from my perspective.
The day began at Manchester Community College with posters and displays as attendees gathered. There were opening remarks by Bruce Donald, Chair of the Connecticut Greenways Council.
This was followed by an enlivening presentation by Mosi Moses, the keynote speaker and the face behind @connecticuttrails on Instagram, the platform by which she encourages exploration of CT’s outdoor recreation opportunities and advocates for improving access to them.
Mosi elaborated on the importance of meeting people where they are to make trails a welcoming place for all, and the significant role of social support. Her insight set the perfect tone for the day.
The morning continued with a panel about inter-agency cooperation featuring CT Department of Transportation, CT DEEP, Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments (NVCOG), and City of New Britain, Public Works Department.
Then came the first concurrent presentation session, during which our CT Trails Program team presented on the new developments, updates, and research regarding CT Trail Census and CT Trail Finder.
Lunch was a great time to catch up with friends and acquaintances across organizations and to meet new people. Afternoon presentation sessions were concurrent and offered insight about accessibility, social media use, trail design and building, collaborative models for trail planning and promotion, and expanding active transportation. I attended some very helpful presentations and wish I could have seen them all. There were also options for viewing short films from the World Trails Film Festival 2024 series, sponsored by CORA. The entire film festival series was shown later in the evening at Parkade Cinemas thanks to their support.
To cap things off, I walked with my colleagues around Manchester on the Cheney Rail Trail and then joined some of the trails community in toasting to a great day at a restaurant downtown. I think we should have the symposium twice a year.