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At the request of Governor Bob Taft, ODNR will soon begin to plan a statewide system of recreational trails that are interconnected, easily accessible and open to a variety of uses by people across Ohio. Recreational trails fill a variety of social, environmental, economic and transportation needs. It is important to ODNR to make the process comprehensive in order to produce a plan that will serve the long-term needs of all trail developers in the state.
First steps will be to inventory all existing and planned recreational trails and to gather input on what prospective users want and expect from an interconnecting system. In order to take those steps, ODNR will hold a series of regional meetings around Ohio over the next six weeks to gather citizen input. Joining in this effort are the Ohio Department of Transportation, Ohio Parks and Recreation Association, Ohio Greenways Project, the Rails to Trails Conservancy, the National Park Service and local trail groups and agencies.
If you would like to provide input for statewide trails planning, please complete this online survey form, by July 20, 2001.
ODNR has three goals for the meetings:
- To gather information on existing or planned state, regional and community trails
- To identify criteria for trail-related financial assistance
- To identify strategic issues and recommendations for carrying out a statewide trails system
Meeting attendees are encouraged to bring copies of any trail plans or proposals (with maps) that ODNR can use in preparing a statewide trails inventory. For additional information, contact Bill Daehler at (614) 265-6402.
Public meetings are planned for the following times and places:
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