Kingdom Trails awarded a VOREC 2023 Community Grant to support inclusive programming!

May 31, 2024

We are proud to announce that last week, Kingdom Trails was awarded a Vermont Outdoor Recreation Economic Collaborative (VOREC) 2023 Community Grant for $74,927 to support inclusive mountain bike programming in partnership with the Kingdom East School District (KESD), Unlikely Riders, and POWERED Magazine! KT was one of 51 new recipients in 2023 for grants to boost outdoor recreation across Vermont, totaling $6.3 million! 

KESD offers mountain bike programs to school-age youth through after-school and summer camp programs that seek to break barriers for youth enrolled in the school district. POWERED is a nonprofit that offers outdoor recreation clinics to magnify the full spectrum of identities that represent outdoor lovers and promote physical, mental, and social well-being. Unlikely Riders is a nonprofit that offers programs to reduce or eliminate the barriers to mountain biking for BIPOC Vermonters while also creating a community to exist fully and authentically in outdoor recreation spaces. 


Through these valuable partnerships, these grant funds will actively support initiatives that promote inclusive, equitable, and diverse programming, incorporating groups facing barriers to entry into mountain biking. These creative and imaginative efforts will allow these groups to engage in programs they might not have accessed otherwise, facilitated by encouragement within a safe and secure affinity space. We recognize our significant economic impact in the region and our role as an exceptional recreational resource that can help provide these opportunities. We are excited to support these programs in this way.


These funds support fall after-school and summer camp youth bike club programs through KESD, host 6 mountain bike clinics for POWERED, and support a mountain bike weekend at KT for Unlikely Riders. In turn, these programs directly support outdoor recreation and community development by encouraging the involvement of our local community, developing, building, and sustaining partnerships with local organizations, and supporting local businesses' efforts to support outdoor recreation and regional economic development. 

Finally, this grant encourages environmental action and promotes a healthy lifestyle in our regional community. These programs educate participants on our Ride With Gratitude campaign with Bike Borderlands. Participants learn essential skills that revolve around protecting nature, respecting and showing appreciation for the gift of access, and caring for others around them; all points, in turn, encourage participants to be an example for others outdoors, in life, and on the trail. 


Governor Phil Scott established the VOREC Steering Committee by executive order in June 2017 to bring together a broad set of outdoor recreation stakeholders to promote stewardship of state recreation assets and market Vermont’s outdoor recreation values and attributes to effectively foster responsible and sustainable economic growth. We are grateful to the Vermont Legislature for their continued commitment to outdoor recreation! We are equally grateful to our 105 private landowners who make the KT network possible. We #ridewithgratitude for you!


This grant award speaks to KT’s commitment to community investment and our core values to prioritize access and inclusion, embrace outdoor recreation, health, and safety as a shared responsibility, and to grow wisely as we listen, learn, and evolve.


For more information on the VOREC Community Grant award and the awardees, please visit https://fpr.vermont.gov/press-release/63-million-vorec-grants-boost-outdoor-recreation-across-vermont

Leadership Transition Announced at Kingdom Trails and the Northeast Kingdom Collaborative

By Sven Cole • July 25, 2025
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 Becomes KT's First Corporate Sponsor

By Sven Cole • June 17, 2025
Cannondale Dirt Party a Success
Vermont State Treasurer, Mike Pieciak, speaks at the 2025 Outdoor Recreation Day at the Statehouse

KT is taking action—on the trails and in the Statehouse!

By Abby Long • February 13, 2025
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.
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