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VTGC Introduction

January 17

2025

House Committee on Commerce & Economic Development�

Nick Bennette, Executive Director, Vermont Mountain Bike Association

Chair, Vermont Trails & Greenways Council

Tommy O’Connor, Executive Director, Vermont ATV Sportsman’s Association

Vice-Chair, Vermont Trails & Greenways Council

Abby Long, Executive Director, Kingdom Trail Association

Board Member, Vermont Trails & Greenways Council

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Background

Outdoor recreation is woven into the fabric of Vermont

8,000+ miles of public access trails, 70%+ hosted by private landowners
Public-access recreation is a designated purpose for conservation
Strong collaboration between public land mgrs & nonprofit stewardship orgs (VTGC)
A vibrant and highly diversified outdoor recreation business sector
Dozens of outdoor recreation-oriented communities
Accounts for 4.8% of State GDP (⇑ 0.2%)

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About the VTGC

The consolidated, expert voice and support hub for recreational trails in Vermont.

Our organizational members:

Represent 50,000+ individual members
Log 100,000+ hours of volunteer time annually
Manage and maintain 7,750+ miles of trails
Support 50,000+ jobs statewide through the broader impact of our work
Steward trails on private land, which hosts over 70% of public access trails in Vermont
Partner closely with state and federal agencies to manage trails on public land

https://vermonttgc.org/

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Stewardship

Maintaining and growing trail infrastructure through private landowner relationships and public land manager partnerships

Balance equitable access with responsible use of Vermont’s amazing landscape
Apply Best Management Practices (BMPs) on trail design, construction, use, and maintenance
Develop maintenance, access, and stewardship plans
Professionally-led with support of VTGC coordinator and Volunteer-supported work
Establish and cultivate lasting relationships with landowners who host trails
Funded primarily through memberships, grants, and philanthropic support

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The Benefits

Outdoor Recreation drives health, environmental, and economic impact

Supports healthy & resilient communities
Fosters ecological awareness & conservation
Fuels sustainable economic development:

Hundreds of outdoor businesses
Attraction and retention of new residents
Supporting infrastructure and amenities
A driving force for so many of the 13+ million annual visitor trips
Responsible for 4.8% of Vermont’s GDP, behind only Hawaii

Source: Headwaters Economics

TOMMY

Healthy and resilient communities

Quality of life for residents across the age spectrum, from families to seasoned adventurers
Nurtures a healthier population
Equitable access to those who are historically underserved

Ecological preservation

Fosters an appreciation for VT’s natural beauty
A recognized purpose for conservation in VT Statute
BMPs/stewardship to minimize negative impacts

An Economic driver – in 2021, outdoor recreation as a contributor to State GDP was only surpassed by HI and MT, a critical anchor in rural communities and a cornerstone of Vermont’s visitor economy

Hundreds of outdoor businesses and and countless more that are linked to outdoor recreation from manufacturing to main street retail who drive employment and tax revenue
Attraction and retention of new residents, especially in the growing remote work economy, and filling essential jobs for teachers, doctors, constructions workers, nurses and more
The infrastructure and amenities that support the tourism economy, capacity especially critical in rural communities
A driving force for so many of the 13+ million visitor’s trips to Vermont and one that touches almost every visitor’s experience: In their travels they stay at hotels and lodges, dine at local community restaurants, visit local retailers, use guiding services and more.

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Growth

Vermonters and visitors rely on recreational trails, now more than ever

Dramatic increase in demand for outdoor recreation over the last decade; accelerated through the pandemic
Over half (54%) of Americans recreated outdoors in 2021, participation that has increased every year since 2014
Trail usage across usage types, motorized/non-motorized and seasons has increased 100-200% over the last 5 years
Over 70% of Vermont’s recreational trails are hosted by private landowners, stewarded by non-profit organizations with limited public support

Trail Users, ‘No-Name’ Backcountry Area

TrailForks Trail Check-ins, State-wide

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Challenges

Threats to the future prosperity of outdoor recreation in Vermont

Majority reliance on private landowners without any recognition or support
Limited understanding of the outdoor recreation economy
Deferred maintenance
Underfunded stewardship
Insufficient organizational capacity
Ill-suited regulation & oversight system
Dramatic increase in demand
Climate change

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Private Landowners

Vital to Vermont’s Outdoor Recreation Economy

~75% of public-access recreational trails are hosted by private landowners
Different factors motivate Landowners to host public-access recreation, typically receiving no formal or tangible recognition
Withdrawal of access can and has had serious impacts on connectivity and local economies
Recreation managers act to address landowner concerns, though the scope of their ability to provide benefits is limited

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Legislative Priorities

A Pathway to Private Landowner Recognition

Draft bill - that includes:

Commission of a study led by the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation and the VT Trails and Greenways Council to develop landowner Incentives for Public Recreation;
Analysis of the economic impact of public trails on private land, what motivates landowners to provide public access, what prevents landowners from hosting public access and prepare a report with recommendations for how to support obtaining and maintaining public access trails on private land;
Integration with a parallel effort to modernize the Vermont Trail System through codifying Best Management Practices (BMPs), led by VT-FPR

NICK

We spoke to you about H.467, which included three short form Bills

H.131 Would have created the Green Mountain Recreation Fund, which through 5% of the tax on the gallonage sale of malt and vinous beverages would have funded a position with the VTGC, a position with FPR focused on supporting the Vermont Trail System, as well as a position to administer a stewardship-focused grant program that the fund would support.
H.85, which would have mandated that 10% of any new trails constructed on state land or with state funds be accessible to persons with physical disabilities, per USFSTAG
H.310, which would have allocated an additional $5M into the VOREC Community Grant Program

We also saw the Passage of H.126 - An act relating to community resilience and biodiversity protection, which the VTGC formally supported and which will establish State goals of conserving 30 percent of the land of the State by 2030 and 50 percent by 2050. First through an inventory (due in July) and then through a comprehensive plan for closing the gap on permanently protected land

As noted early, public access recreation is one of the recognized purposes for land conservation, and while the focus of Act 59 is on Biodiversity and Community Resilience, we believe that trail-based recreation is an essential tool in the conservation toolkit to maximize the value of conserved public lands to public and absolutely enhances community resilience

Lastly, we saw the launch of Move Forward Together Vermont, which combines the Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP) and the VOREC Action Plan to establish both a vision for the future of outdoor recreation in Vermont as well as the nuts and bolts of how we will collectively pursue that vision, leveraging VOREC’s role as a convener

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Legislative Priorities

Other policies we are following in 2025:

S.4 - Legal Trails

Provides Explicit authority for municipalities to manage Legal Trails

H.126 / Act 59 - 30 x 30

Conserved lands Inventory (July ‘24)
Plan (December ‘25)

Move Forward Together Vermont

SCORP
VOREC Action Plan
Possible Base Funding for VOREC

NICK

We spoke to you about H.467, which included three short form Bills

H.131 Would have created the Green Mountain Recreation Fund, which through 5% of the tax on the gallonage sale of malt and vinous beverages would have funded a position with the VTGC, a position with FPR focused on supporting the Vermont Trail System, as well as a position to administer a stewardship-focused grant program that the fund would support.
H.85, which would have mandated that 10% of any new trails constructed on state land or with state funds be accessible to persons with physical disabilities, per USFSTAG
H.310, which would have allocated an additional $5M into the VOREC Community Grant Program

We also saw the Passage of H.126 - An act relating to community resilience and biodiversity protection, which the VTGC formally supported and which will establish State goals of conserving 30 percent of the land of the State by 2030 and 50 percent by 2050. First through an inventory (due in July) and then through a comprehensive plan for closing the gap on permanently protected land

As noted early, public access recreation is one of the recognized purposes for land conservation, and while the focus of Act 59 is on Biodiversity and Community Resilience, we believe that trail-based recreation is an essential tool in the conservation toolkit to maximize the value of conserved public lands to public and absolutely enhances community resilience

Lastly, we saw the launch of Move Forward Together Vermont, which combines the Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP) and the VOREC Action Plan to establish both a vision for the future of outdoor recreation in Vermont as well as the nuts and bolts of how we will collectively pursue that vision, leveraging VOREC’s role as a convener

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Questions?

And… See you at Outdoor Recreation Day next month!

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THANK YOU!

The VTGC Board of Directors; board@vermonttgc.org

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VTGC Members

Comprised of over 50 trail-related organizations and individuals

18 Statewide Trail Stewardship organizations
10 Regional Trail Stewardship organizations
6 Local/Community Groups
7 Townships & Municipalities
7 State/Federal Agencies (ex-officio)
5 Individual and Commercial members

https://vermonttgc.org/members

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VTGC Board

Nick Bennette, Vermont Mountain Bike Association (VMBA), Chair
Tommy O’Connor, Vermont ATV Sportsman’s Association (VASA) Vice-Chair
Caitrin Maloney, Slate Valley Trails, Treasurer
Carolyn Lawrence, Stowe Trails Partnership, Secretary
Mariah Keagy, Sinuosity Flowing Trails
Abby Long, Kingdom Trails Association
Monica Raymond, Vermont Horse Council
Jeff Nugent, Windham Regional Planning Commission
Cindy Locke, Vermont Association of Snow Travelers (VAST)
Rachel Batz, Town of Dorset

https://vermonttgc.org/members