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2010 RTP Achievement Awards

Award-Winning Trail and Greenway Projects

 

The members of the Coalition for Recreational Trails (CRT) have selected the winners of the "Annual Achievement Awards" in recognition of outstanding use of Recreational Trails Program (RTP) funds. The award winners were recognized at a special ceremony in Washington, D.C. on June 8, 2010 at the U.S. House of Representatives Rayburn House Office Building, during the annual celebration for Great Outdoors Week.

Learn more about the Recreational Trails Program

 

Vermont:

Outstanding State Trail Program Award

From the Coalition for Recreational Trails

Strong working partnerships and careful, accountable administration are key to the success that the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation has achieved with its RTP. The state RTP administrator serves as liaison with federal and state officials, statewide, regional and local trail organizations, municipalities and nonprofits, as well as trail enthusiasts and interest groups.

 

Each year’s projects are widely solicited though public outreach, including grant workshops on interactive TV. RTP-funded projects must address key findings or desired conditions in Vermont’s Trails & Greenways Plan. Grant applications are carefully evaluated, selected and tracked, even down to their GPS location. Trail design standards are required and documented, promoting trail construction or reconstruction being built to the highest possible level of accessibility. Use of youth-service crews is actively encouraged and Vermont’s RTP is reviewed to ensure ease of process, compliance and cost effectiveness.

To help ensure that Vermont’s many trail interests are being addressed effectively by the RTP, multiple-use trail development or reconstruction– including groups of different ages -- are encouraged. Projects designed to minimize or even resolve conflicts are given extra credit in the grant-application process.

Project sponsors build support through collaboration and community partnerships. Fun learning opportunities for civic participation take place with trail projects to allow responsiveness to community-driven trail interests. The Vermont Trails and Greenways Council plays a key role too, providing advice and counsel on all trail-related matters, promoting citizen participation in trail planning, and making sure that all voices are heard within the trails community.

Here are a few examples of creative and effective use of RTP funds:

Local Motion, a leading bicycle and pedestrian organization, has collaborated with organizations in Vermont to put together Trail Finder, a Web site resource of collected trail data. Trail Finder provides trail surface, length, permitted uses, available amenities, nearby attractions, and even directions to get there. Trail finder’s goal is to help people get out, get active, and explore Vermont’s beautiful area. Check it out: http://www.localmotion.org/trails/

Green River Reservoir State Park’s ADA Boardwalk is a newly constructed accessible trail for wheelchair users and other trail users, allowing all users to experience the serenity of Green River Reservoir with its undeveloped shoreline.

The Cross Vermont Trail is a significant multi-use trail funded with RTP and Transportation Enhancement funds over the past decade. Many schools, downtown areas, regional and town trails have been connected to the Cross Vermont Trail. Safe travel to school, recreational use, off-road travel to downtown areas from one neighborhood to the next abound with this project.

One of the most attractive aspects of the RTP is the sense of community that it cultivates among a great variety of trail users. In Vermont, the state RTP took that community building one step further last year, developing the first-ever collaborative National Trails Day event in State Parks, focused on offering a wide variety of recreational trail sessions for school children. It was so successful that this event was offered in two Vermont State Parks this year!

Coalition for Recreational Trails:

The Coalition for Recreational Trails, a national organization representing the nation's major trail interests, has been working since 1992 to build awareness and understanding of the Recreational Trails Program, to support its implementation and to help insure that it receives adequate funding. The Annual Achievement Awards are part of the Coalition's ongoing effort to promote and celebrate this highly successful program, which has greatly enhanced the quantity and quality of trail experiences available to the public. For more information about CRT and its members, go to: www.funoutdoors.com/coalitions/crt.

 

Annual achievement awards presented by the Coalition for Recreational Trails: 2010 |
2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000