History & Mission
Learn more about the Council’s mission and history
Vermont Trails and Greenways Council’s mission is to ensure that people will always have access to the trails and landscape of Vermont.
Our Mission
Our work
More than 7,000 miles of public trails provide Vermonters and visitors an essential foundation for health and wellbeing. Trails support economies and build community, while encouraging the development of a stewardship ethic. VTGC is proud to work on behalf of their care and the people and organizations who manage them. In collaboration with our partners, we provide networking and learning opportunities, advocate for legislation and funding, and promote best practices so that trails are built to be climate resilient and have minimal impact on the land that supports them.
How We Operate
A volunteer board of directors and committees, and a small but dedicated staff, advance yearly goals built upon our mission and evolving needs of membership. The current membership includes organizations responsible for more than 70 percent of our public trails. Our work, however, supports and is informed by a broader group of hundreds of stakeholders – planning commissions, conservation organizations, groups dedicated to making the outdoors more inclusive, Vermont Outdoor Business Alliance (VOBA) members, funders, and our partners at Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation (FPR) – who care about the quality and impact of outdoor recreation.
Members are welcome to attend any of our monthly board meetings, held remotely on the second Wednesday of the month. Contact info@vermonttgc.org for more information or go to our Events page. We also host an annual spring membership meeting, which provides the chance for members to connect, learn about organizational activities, and help shape our future.
History
In 1989, a forward-thinking group of trail managers representing motorized and non-motorized trail organizations, municipalities, and state agencies organized to develop a collective voice for trail stewardship organizations. Together, they developed legislation that would go on to support the funding, development, and maintenance of trails and the establishment of the Vermont Recreation Trails Fund under Title 10, Chapter 20. They also advocated for the organization’s formal designation of the Vermont Trails and Greenways Council, landowner liability legislation, and legislation for the Vermont Trails System.
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In 1993, the Council was designated in Vermont statute as an official advisory group to the Agency of Natural Resources that ‘shall advise’ on all matters related to recreational trails. In that capacity, the Council works closely with Vermont Forests, Parks, & Recreation to inform policy, guide legislation, and manage the Vermont Trails System.
The same year, the Council developed its articles of incorporation and by-laws, making its primary purpose to communicate the importance of recreation and the benefits of trail-related recreation. The purpose of the council today has evolved to ensure access to trails and advise the State in maintaining and improving a network of trails throughout Vermont.
Since then, our membership has grown to include community groups, local businesses, municipalities, and public land management agencies. Learn more about what we do.
