Over the past year and a half, FPR and the Vermont Trails and Greenways Council with support from CRO Planning and Design has been working to modernize the Vermont Trails System (VTS). The project had three components - consolidating a set of universal best practices for trail management in Vermont, creating a plan for updating the application and membership of the VTS, and recommending next steps to FPR. This session will update the trails community on the project and the future of the VTS.
Learning Objectives:
Understand the Vermont Trails System
Learn how the system itself can help you manage trails
Learn about the process and next steps for a modern VTS
Presenters:
Claire Polfus, Recreation Program Manager, Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation
Claire works with a wide variety of recreation partners and agency staff to support and improve outdoor recreation across Vermont. She has work experience in recreation management, communications, and program development as well a BA in Environmental Studies from Middlebury College and an MS in Natural Resources from the Ecological Planning program at UVM. She started working with FPR in 2022. When she’s not working, she particularly enjoys riding, gliding, and tromping through the woods, tending her garden, drinking strong coffee, and reading good books.
Nick Bennette, Executive Director, Vermont Mountain Bike Association
Nick Bennette (He/Him) has been the Executive Director of the Vermont Mountain Bike Association (VMBA) since April 2021. Originally from Missouri, Nick obtained a PhD from Princeton University before spending nearly a decade consulting for foundations, companies, and non-profit organizations, focusing on environmental sustainability. Unsurprisingly, Nick is an avid mountain biker and spent many years volunteering with the Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance in Washington State before moving to Vermont to lead VMBA. VMBA deploys more than 25,000 volunteer hours annually to steward over 900 miles of trail across 28 Chapters, often engaging professional trail builders on larger, more complex projects. Nick continues to be an active volunteer trail steward and can often be found in the woods with his bike, tools, or black lab, Ahsoka.
Carolyn Lawrence, Recreation Planner, CRO Planning & Design
Carolyn Lawrence is a Recreation Planner for CRO Planning & Design. Her experience includes parks, recreation, and trail system planning; nonprofit management; and community engagement.