The USDA Forest Service is pleased to hear of the passage of the Great American Outdoors Act, which will enable federal land managers to take aggressive steps to address deferred maintenance and other infrastructure projects on national forests and grasslands. The Forest Service will use these funds to maximize the benefits experienced by millions of Americans who visit and use their national forests. Projects funded by this act will focus on improving conditions on forest and rangelands and increasing the resiliency of our nation’s forests for present and future generations. The Forest Service is inviting the public to provide feedback on the projects that are under consideration to be prioritized for funding in Fiscal Year 2021.
We need your support. Please submit the comments found below to the submission form. Your voice will help Chapters continue to build and maintain the trails that you love to ride. Comments are due 9/13. Thank you.
I think Smugglers Notch Resort really needs some mtb attention. The state regulated land has made it slow to develop trails there. The trails there are ok but nothing special when compared to the good stuff in Stowe or Essex, Richmond, Waterbury, etc. In the UK they have “trail centers”, basically self shuttled bike parks. If there were arteries of climbs created with branched off bikepark trails, it could really bring some much needed excitement to the resort, and, done right, some more tourism and money spent in our state. With the already developed midlands trails, the potential is huge to have all of Cambridge/Jeffersonville interconnected with trails. Think kingdom trails but in the Champlain Valley. I’ve started to support VMBA more over the past few years as I’ve grown to love the mtb sport. I want more people to experience the fun that I’ve had. So I feel pretty passionate about opportunities to develop some trails that all could enjoy!
The Rutland area has seen a significant increase in usage and will greatly benefit from increased funding and maintenance.
I AM WRITING IN SUPPORT OF THE GREEN MOUNTAIN AND FINGER LAKES NATIONAL FOREST DEFERRED TRAIL MAINTENANCE REDUCTION. VERMONT HAS SEEN SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN TRAIL USE OVER THE PAST DECADE, THIS YEAR IN PARTICULAR. MORE PEOPLE FINDING BETTER CONNECTIONS WITH THEMSELVES, EACH OTHER AND THEIR LOCAL NATURAL BEAUTY IS FANTASTIC. AN INVESTMENT IN REDUCING DEFERRED MAINTENANCE WILL HELP ENSURE THIS HEALTHY TREND CONTINUES.
IN MANY VERMONT TOWNS, TRAILS SERVE AS A MEANINGFUL COMPONENT OF ECONOMIC VITALITY AND PROGRESS FOR LOCAL BUSINESSES; REGULARLY PRODUCING EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES AND SUPPORTING TOURISM ACTIVITY. THESE BUSINESS OWNERS AND THEIR WORKFORCE ARE COMMONLY MEMBERS OF LOCAL TRAIL ORGANIZATIONS. VERMONT’S CLOSE-KNIT NETWORK OF TRAIL-BASED NONPROFITS ARE AN INTEGRAL PART OF TRAIL WORK AND SUPPORTING QUALITY USER EXPERIENCES THAT ENCOURAGE CONTINUED PARTICIPATION.
I ENCOURAGE YOU TO COMPETITIVELY RANK THESE PROJECTS AS YOU MAKE YOUR FUNDING DECISIONS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.
Trails, and especially In recent years mountain bike trails and back country ski trails have provided additional economic stimulus in the northeast. The USFS should direct funding towards these economic drivers