by Laura Kelly
The 6th annual trail symposium was a fantastic day! Manchester Community College was a great host. The campus is beautiful – if you’re ever wandering that way (it’s right off the Charter Oak Greenway!), it’s worth visiting. The theme of the day was “Trail Toolbox: Sharing Tips, Tools, and Triumph’s on Connecticut’s Trails and Beyond”, and I learned a lot.
The day started with some networking, meeting new folks and reconnecting with many long-time colleagues and partners. This was a highlight of the symposium for me. Then the morning continued with the keynote presentations in the auditorium. Bruce Donald (CT Greenways Council, East Coast Greenway) kicked things off with a warm welcome, and then Kim Bradley (CT DEEP) and Rista Malanca (Northwest Hills COG) described the successes and future direction for the CT Rec Trails Grant Program. Naugatuck Valley COG gave us a glimpse into the progress and design for the ongoing Naugatuck River Greenway Trail project. It was exciting to learn about trail successes and hard work paying off!
Kim Bradley (CT DEEP) catching us up on the achievements of the Rec Trails Grant Program
The final presentation for the morning was a panel of representatives from Connecticut, Maine, and federal governments discussing questions from both the moderator (Mick Ferraro) and the audience about building community with trail user groups. It seemed to me that the crowd enjoyed taking stock of shared challenges, and talking about tips for addressing them based on one another’s experiences.
After more networking and great conversation during lunch, the breakout sessions began. Topics ranged from the indigenous history of the New England Trail (Jay Levy, Mohegan Tribe; Claire Cain, CT Forest and Park Association [CFPA]), to trail building (Rob Butterworth, Deep River Land Trust, CFPA), to engaging high school students in volunteer trail programs (Shoreline Greenway Trail, led by Dan Buckley). Emily Wilson also presented on CT Trail Finder and Trail Census, recapping our project accomplishments and answering questions.
UConn graduate student Nick Harms presenting a poster on his research about mobile data methods of estimating trail use counts
We ended the day with a bike ride and walk on the Charter Oak Greenway, led by Bike Walk Bolton and Hop River Trail Alliance. It was very nice to get some fresh air after a day inside, continue chatting with new acquaintances, and enjoy a trail that was new to me. I’m looking forward to seeing you all again next year!
Walkers and cyclists gathering outside the college after the symposium to enjoy fresh air and some more conversation