The 2023 Trail Use Count Data Report is complete and posted on the CT Trails website. Read about the 2023 counts at 23 long term locations along with 12 short-term locations including takeaways and trends.
Author: Emily Wilson
Welcome Emily!
We are excited to announce that we have a new intern here at UConn CLEAR and the CT Trail Program!
Emily Markelon is an environmental studies and journalism student at the University of Connecticut, planning to graduate in the fall of 2024. She is the Twitter and Facebook chair for UConn’s chapter of Her Campus, a nationally recognized online women’s magazine, and she is the Director of Administration for her sorority Alpha Omicron Pi.
Emily will be working primarily on CT Trail Finder, specifically trailside services to start, and we look forward to applying her skills and talents to other aspects of the program. Welcome Emily!
My 2023 Trail Symposium Recap
Graduate Student Opportunity
The CT Trails Program and the UConn Department of Natural Resources and the Environment seek a graduate student interested in pursuing a graduate degree in partnership with an interdisciplinary project focused on outdoor recreation and trail use and monitoring. The funded assistantship will start in January of 2024.
Work for this assistantship will involve comparing novel methodology to better estimate and understand ongoing trail use dynamics, management planning for abrupt changes in trail use such as during the Covid-19 pandemic, and enhancing equitable access to outdoor recreation resources. Results will contribute to development of a state-level protocol for improving long term evaluation of trail use and methods for data collection. There is some flexibility in the thesis or dissertation topic emphasis, to be determined based on the interests of the selected applicant.
2023 Connecticut Trail Symposium
The Connecticut Trail Symposium is back in 2023! And this year will be a new, more immersive experience with multiple events over multiple days. Many thanks to the City of Torrington for sponsoring the events and making them possible.
The Trail Symposium will be Friday, October 13, 2023 from 9am-3pm at the Five Points Arts Center in Torrington, CT.
The Trails Film Festival will makes its Connecticut debut on Tuesday, October 10 at the Warner Theatre in Torrington.
A special screening of the film “Why We Walk” is planned for Thursday evening, October 12, at the Five Points Arts Center in Torrington, followed by discussion, networking, and socializing.
Please visit the Symposium web page for updates and information including the agenda, sponsorship opportunities, and more!
The 2022 Trail Use and Count Data Report
The 2022 Trail Use Count Data Report is complete and posted on the CT Trails website. Read about the 2022 counts at 21 locations, including takeaways and trends.
Welcome Adelheid!
The Air Line State Park Trail Count and Survey Analysis
In the fall of 2022, the Trails Team completed the Air Line State Park Trail Count and Survey Analysis Report which is part of the Master Plan work being conducted by CT Resource Conservation & Development Area (RC&D). It is an evaluation of the Air Line State Park multi-use trail based on survey responses and counts from short- and long-term infrared counters from January to December 2021.
New! Share the Trail Brochure
The PATHS team created an educational brochure called Share the Trail about trail safety and etiquette on multi-use trails for bicyclists, walkers and equestrians. Check it out!
New Website and Listserv
We are happy to announce the new Connecticut Trails website which brings together projects focused on trails and trail use. Also notice the brand new Trails Listserv for trail-related discussions and announcements. Welcome!