Back in January, we posted an extensive overview of not only the Worcester Range Management Unit (WRMU) draft Long-Range Management Plan (LRMP), but also a summary of what an LRMP is and the process for developing one. In that post, we discussed the recreational opportunities included in the plan for the WRMU, as well as what else we’d love to see included in the final LRMP.
Following extensive public comments – including from many of those in the recreation community – the Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation (FPR) has officially released the final WRMU LRMP. We deeply appreciate the effort that so many of our Members made to provide their thoughts on the draft plan, which clearly had an impact. Major trails-related revisions between the previous and the current final Plan include:
- Support for a multi-use connector trail linking Perry Hill, downtown Waterbury, and Little River State Park, connecting WATA’s two iconic trail networks. This trail concept was developed through a feasibility study performed by the Town of Waterbury.
- Backcountry skiing proposals will be considered more broadly in the management unit.
- Trail braiding will be addressed through concentration of the use of managed trails in sensitive higher elevation areas, leveraging signage and passive strategies for trail delineation.
- Support for a universally accessible multiuse trail connecting the three-season parking area on Brownsville Road to the northern meadow and beaver pond overlook, beginning with a feasibility assessment.
- Work to achieve mechanized (e.g. MTB) designation of the Brownsville Trails will be made with the goal to make the trails suitable for adaptive mountain bikes, if at all possible.
- FPR will collaborate with us (VMBA) to assess Perry Hill to determine actions that would need to make the network aMTB-friendly and work with WATA to pursue upgrades that would provide adaptive mountain biking where possible and appropriate.
- FPR will pursue increased accessibility of existing recreational opportunities and/or development of new accessible opportunities across the WRMU whenever it will not drastically alter the experience or create excessive ecological impacts.
- Recreational use will be explicitly considered when timber sales are developed in order to preserve the desired recreational experiences that would be impacted.
We were delighted to see these changes adopted in the final Plan, and want to express our gratitude to both FPR and those who took the time to submit public comment on the draft Plan. This is a clear example that your voice can make a difference.
You can check out the full adopted WRMU LRMP here, a summary of all the changes here, and review our earlier post with background and context – as well as our full set of desired changes – here.
Thank you for your help in securing expanded and improved public access in the Worcester Range Management Unit.