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

February 13, 2025

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. 


KT is a world-class trail system deeply intertwined with the local community. In 1994, it was Northeast Kingdom community members, private landowners, who banded together to develop the multi-use nonprofit trail network that now welcomes 100,000+ visitors and generates over $10,000,000 in annual direct spending for the Northeast Kingdom, a region with significant social and economic challenges. 


KT’s 106 private landowners, neighbors after neighbors, who host our trails, know firsthand the positive economic, public health, and conservation benefits of communities investing in outdoor recreation. However, they do not receive compensation for their generosity. Stewardship organizations, such as KT, are prohibited from directly compensating host landowners, as it would compromise the landowner’s protection under the state’s liability statute. 


Currently, over 70% of Vermont’s public-access trails are on private land and dependent on the benevolence of private landowners. With increased demand on our trail assets, these non-profit trail stewardship organizations face more and more challenges in retaining public access to vital trail corridors. 


This question of how we develop an appropriate mechanism to recognize and incentivize private landowners will be a critical component of how we retain public access to Vermont’s trail system, and how VT remains a national leader in outdoor recreation. 


Therefore, KT is advocating for H.147, a bill to establish the Recreational Trails Compensation Study Committee, a proposal that would analyze how to create a mechanism to recognize landowners that provide public access for trails. This proposal includes a localized outdoor recreation economic impact study to better understand the value across recreational activities and land ownership. This study is a vital investment in sustaining recreation on private land and supporting Vermont's $2.1B, almost 5% of the state’s GDP, outdoor recreation economy.

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

Chers voisins du Nord

By Abby Long • February 5, 2025
Vous êtes toujours les bienvenus à Kingdom Trails You are always welcome on Kingdom Trails
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