2020 KTA Mini Grant Recipients
October 19, 2020
Grants awarded to 8 local projects.
Kingdom Trails awarded grants to 8 local projects. Grant recipients were selected through a competitive application process, scoring projects on such criteria as community need, impact, sustainability, diversity and inclusion, public support, and a realistic, effective work plan and budget.
The Kingdom Trails Board of Directors is excited to announce the following recipients of the 2020 KTA Mini Grant awards:
Town of East Haven Library: Awarded $4,800 to refurbish the playground at the East Haven Community Park to provide a safer and more attractive area for residents and visitors to recreate and gather.
Kingdom East School District: Awarded $4,439 for the All Kids Bike program for Kindergarten and First Grade students of all KESD schools. Funds will purchase 22 Strider bikes, curriculum and training that will enable PE Teachers to facilitate learning opportunities for students to ride a bike without training wheel support.
Vermont Children’s Theater: Awarded $4,055 to update the lighting and electrical wiring in the VCT barn. Funds will increase energy efficiency, provide more effective lighting of the space and ensure safety for youth productions and other community groups who use the barn.
Rural Edge Support & Services at Home (SASH): Awarded $3,546 for Fall Awareness and Prevention. This program will integrate fall prevention education, physical aids to help reduce falls, and the opportunity for physical movement and strengthening. Program participants will acquire yak tracks, cane ice picks, and/or portable sand to use on icy surfaces.
H.O.P.E: Awarded $2,500 for their weekly Backpack Program, providing food to children from 8 area schools, and their families who are facing food insecurity.
Town of Lyndon: Awarded $2,460 to dedicate to the multi-year process of converting the vacant, former Town Highway Garage parcel into a public greenspace with river access and connections to local trail networks (KTA, VAST, etc.). These funds will allow weekly mowing and weed whacking to promote an immediate, welcoming space for relaxation and unobstructed river access for swimming, tubing, paddling, fishing, etc., plus the installation of picnic tables and benches to encourage enjoyment of the greenspace, and signage to educate users on “leave no trace” principles and promote community care of the area and environmental awareness.
NEK Backcountry: Awarded $2,300 to purchase trail tools in order to be more efficient in clearing and
maintaining approved glade skiing areas. NEKBC will also purchase lumber to build bridges over sensitive wet areas and add signs for proper parking areas, educating skiers about NEKBC policies and protecting the environment.
Cobleigh Library: Awarded $900 to purchase books about outdoor recreation and nature diversity as well as snowshoes for community members to check out of both the bookmobile and library, encouraging health and wellness through reading and outdoor movement activities.
Kingdom Trails is thankful to all applicants who submitted proposals and we wish all the best in advancing these valuable local endeavors, improving the quality of life for our community. Above all, Kingdom Trails is grateful to our private landowners who so generously allow our trails to cross their beautiful properties. It is because of them that we may continue contributing to our community and offering this program.
To learn more about the new KTA Mini Grant program and how to apply for next year’s cycle, please visit www.kingdomtrails.org/kta-mini-grant.org
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Dear KT Community, I write to you today as I begin a transition in my relationship with Kingdom Trails. I have made the difficult decision to take the next step in my professional journey and step away from my role as Executive Director. Serving Kingdom Trails and this incredible community over the past eight years has been one of the greatest honors of my life. I am deeply proud of the work I’ve led and supported, from navigating immense global challenges and natural disasters, to forging incredible relationships, with our landowners and community. And throughout this journey, the Northeast Kingdom has become not just where I live, but truly my home. It’s the place I chose to become a mother and where my family has put down roots. That said, I am ready to explore new ways to serve this community, ways that will allow me to continue growing as a leader. I’ve accepted the role of Interim Executive Director for the Northeast Kingdom Collaborative, where I will carry forward the work I fell in love with through Kingdom Trails: strengthening our communities and supporting thoughtful economic development. In this new role, I’ll have the opportunity to advocate not only for outdoor recreation, which is so essential to the heart of our region, but also for the many sectors that make the Northeast Kingdom such a unique and vibrant place. Please know I remain deeply committed to Kingdom Trails. This is my home, and it will remain my home. I wish to always be an ambassador for KT, including playing a role in ensuring a graceful, responsible transition with care. The Board of Directors and I have committed to this, to ensure continuity, stability, and the trust you hold in this organization. I am grateful beyond words for the opportunity to have served my community through this role, and I look forward to closing this chapter with the same heart and good intention with which I began it. Georgia Gould is stepping in as interim Executive Director to lead the organization through this transition. Georgia has served on the KT Board of Directors since 2021, leading both the Landowner and Trail Advisory Committees. She is a KT Landowner with an impressive mountain biking and cyclocross resume - including a bronze medal in one of her two Olympic bids on Team USA and five career national championships in cross-country and short track mountain biking. Georgia, her husband Dusty, and their two young children are engaged members of the Burke community and the KT team. Her deep ties to the sport of cycling, dedication to providing great trails for all skill levels, and her love of this community make her the perfect choice to lead KT in its next phase. The Board and I are thrilled that Georgia has agreed to lead KT and feel confident that she will hold the mission of the organization at the center as she has throughout her Board service. You can reach Georgia directly and welcome her to this new role at ED@kingdomtrails.org . With deep gratitude, Abby ### Kingdom Trail Association The mission of the Kingdom Trail Association is to provide recreation and education opportunities by managing, maintaining, and building trails to foster the health of our community, surrounding environment, and regional economy. Kingdom Trails strives to accomplish this mission by offering a 100+ mile network of quality, non-motorized, multi-use trails for all levels of ability, incorporating the best of our local scenery and natural diversity. The Kingdom Trails are made possible through the generosity of 106 private landowners. Northeast Kingdom Collaborativ e The mission of the Northeast Kingdom Collaborative is to improve the quality of life for all residents of the NEK through coordinated economic and community development as the vision is a strong, vibrant Northeast Kingdom where we all thrive. The NEKC brings people together to spark positive change in our communities, creating structures that bring partners together across service areas, sectors, municipal and political boundaries to provide solutions for the renewal of the Kingdom. The NEK Collaborative serves as the backbone organization for the federally designated NEK REAP Zone and community partner for USDA Rural Development.
Cannondale Dirt Party a Success
KT is taking action—on the trails and in the Statehouse!
This 2025 Legislative Session, KT is teaming up with other amazing trail organizations through the Vermont Trails & Greenway Council, to advocate for H.147 a bill to establish the Recreational Trails Compensation Study.
Why does this matter?
Vermont’s outdoor recreation economy generates $2.1B annually, nearly 5% of the state’s GDP, that's 2nd in the nation after Hawaii (Go VT!) KT alone drives $10M in economic impact annually. Therefore, the state must recognize and incentivize these generous private landowners, including the 106 who make KT possible and allow public access to trails.
