On a recent chilly morning, Tim Calabrese was carrying a leaf blower across a wooded hillside, just south of downtown Ludlow.
He was following a line of pink flags that marked out a future mountain bike trail, across about 300 acres that are owned by the .
The economy in Ludlow is closely tied to outdoor recreation.
Okemo Mountain is the economic driver during the winter, and Calabrese says his group, , or LAST, wants to make Ludlow a year-round destination for Vermonters, and visitors, who love the outdoors.
鈥淚t is a tourist destination. And for years people would just drive through with bikes on their racks and go to places like Killington, or further north,鈥� said Calabrese, who was one of about a half-dozen volunteers who showed up to do the trail work. 鈥淪o we鈥檙e trying to really put the word out there and build trails and bring people in.鈥�
Outdoor recreation is big business in Vermont.
found that it brings in more than $2 billion a year, and it makes up almost 5% of Vermont鈥檚 economy, which is the second-highest percentage in the country.
I think working with what we have is a reality. You can鈥檛 take private land away; it鈥檚 going to be here.Alex Racicot, volunteer with Ludlow Area Sport Trails
Alex Racicot, who was also working on the trail, is co-owner of Boot Pro, a bike and ski shop in Ludlow, and she said her business relies on a healthy partnership with private landowners who open up their property.
And at the same time, she said, having access to that land can鈥檛 be taken for granted.
鈥淚 think working with what we have is a reality. You can鈥檛 take private land away; it鈥檚 going to be here,鈥� she said as she flung a large branch off of the trail. 鈥淚t鈥檚 getting more and more, as I said, it鈥檚 being sliced up, instead of 200-acre farms, you know, people are now, maybe 50 acres, 80 acres, and they put a house in the middle, you know, and then the next 80 acres or 50 acres. So it is being chopped up a lot, which presents a challenge, of course, with right of way.鈥�
About 70% of all of the public trails in Vermont go through private land, according to Jackie Dagger, who is program manager for the , the state鈥檚 outdoor recreation office.
Dagger said there are small volunteer groups just like the one in Ludlow, all over the state, that are building and maintaining trails, and working with property owners to keep their land open and accessible.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a tradition that we鈥檝e had for a long time,鈥� Dagger said. 鈥淎nd it鈥檚 a gift to our neighbors. It鈥檚 a gift to visitors who come here to appreciate the natural beauty that we have. And, there are challenges that come with that.鈥�
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One of the big challenges, Dagger said, is keeping the trails open in the face of climate change.
Volunteers don鈥檛 always know about the best practices in working around streams, and when there鈥檚 flooding and washouts there are limits on how federal money can be used on private land.
Dagger said trail use across Vermont has more than doubled since the pandemic, and that means more people are walking on trails that might be muddy or wet, with volunteer trail organizations left to figure out how to manage it all.
鈥淭he role that climate change is playing in the ability of our communities and our trail organizations, and our businesses to be sustainable, you know, how do we build resilience in our system, and our network of outdoor recreation partners,鈥� she said. 鈥淵ou know, those things have impacts to public access to private land.鈥�
The state put more than $11 million into the outdoor economy over the past few years, through Dagger鈥檚 office, but that was mostly one-time COVID-19 money.
We know the makeup of the state is changing. The desire is to really make sure we are aware of what鈥檚 going on, to understand if and how we might need to better recognize landowners. And just to be prepared.Nick Bennette, Vermont Trails and Greenways Council
And so, with a tight state budget, and a lot of questions over the future of federal funding, outdoor recreation leaders are looking for a new way to understand and support Vermont鈥檚 unique reliance on access to private land.
鈥淲hat we want more than anything else is to understand and be prepared to make smart investments in the outdoor recreation economy,鈥� said Nick Bennette, who is a member of the .
The group works with landowners, and trail groups, and Bennette said there is a this year that is trying to come up with ways to incentivize public trail use on private land.
Vermont has a current use law that gives landowners property tax relief if they work their land and don鈥檛 develop it.
And the supporters are examining if a similar tax relief law would help keep public trails open.
Bennette isn鈥檛 sure if the Legislature will advance the idea this year. But he said with increased use, changes in land ownership, and a focus on the importance of the outdoor economy, Vermont has to better understand, and prepare for, the future.
鈥淎s folks from out of state move to Vermont they might have a different ethic, and we鈥檙e seeing sort of, I wouldn鈥檛 say cracks or kinks, but we鈥檝e seen issues where private landowners have withdrawn access,鈥� Bennette said. 鈥淲e know the makeup of the state is changing. The desire is to really make sure we are aware of what鈥檚 going on, to understand if and how we might need to better recognize landowners. And just to be prepared.鈥�
