KTA COVID-19 Response Statement
April 3, 2020
To our Landowners, Community, and Trail Enthusiasts,
The Kingdom Trails Team hopes you and your loved ones are staying safe during these uncertain times.
As you know our trails are currently closed due to mud season conditions. There is still snow out there, yet it is melting fast. We are always closed during this in between time to protect the natural resources and future conditions of the trails. We are grateful to all for respecting the land and this closure.
The Kingdom Trail Association has also decided to remain closed, until further notice, due to these unprecedented times we are all experiencing. Together with the Vermont Trails & Greenway Council, Vermont Trails Alliance, and Vermont Dept. of Forest, Parks & Recreation, Kingdom Trails and other trail networks around the state have evaluated the current status of our recreational trail systems in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and Governor Scott’s Executive Order to ‘Stay Home, Stay Safe.”
The primary directive from the Governor is to protect the public health and safety of Vermonters. We are in the middle of a health emergency, and to avoid the spread of COVID-19 we must stay at home as much as possible.
The Governor has deemed the Outdoor Recreation sector as non-essential, even naming Mountain Bike establishments. Trail work and maintenance are not considered critical activities pursuant to the Governor’s Order and are therefore prohibited. If certain trails cannot appropriately be prepared for safe public use and properly maintained for environmental quality, we believe they should not be used for recreation. Doing otherwise creates risks to trail users and natural resources and our shared long-term goals for getting back out there on our epic trails.
As many of you know our trail network is made possible by 97 private landowners. We respect and depend on the generosity of these landowners and the communities that host us. We do not want to encourage an excess of trail users on their lands and in our communities during this emergency.
Trail use can also create unnecessary risk of injury at a time when our sole focus should be on supporting Vermont's efforts to combat the COVID-19 crisis with all available medical resources and not diverting them to emergency response actions. We do not wish to place our volunteer Burke Fire Brigades or Lyndon Rescue first responders in harm’s way, nor take essential equipment and time away from our medical professionals at Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital, NVRH, for what could have been an avoidable injury.
Please know Kingdom Trails truly believes exercise is crucial during this trying time. VT Dept. of Forest, Parks, and Recreation has suggested to stay local, within 10 miles, and that State Park roads, State Forest roads and other durable, wider trails on state lands may be appropriate for exercise during the “Stay Home, Stay Safe” order. Check FPRs website
for more information about recreation opportunities. We do encourage you to get outside, exercise, and follow the FPR's department guidance, informed by the CDC and VDH, on how to do this safely and responsibly.
Kingdom Trails will continue to evaluate when it is appropriate to prepare and open our trails for the 2020 season. This decision will be made with guidance from the state of Vermont and other Vermont trail networks such as The Long Trail, VAST, VMBA networks, VASA, Vermont Huts, and The Catamount Trail, and in conjunction with the Governor’s Orders. These decisions will be made based on the health and safety needs of our landowners, community, and trail users.
Even though we are currently closed Kingdom Trails is grateful to still be able to offer support to our local community. Last week we donated $25,000 to the COVID-19 relief
efforts to local organizations directly serving our community members during this unprecedented time of need. We encourage our trail users to join us in saying thank you to our landowners and our local communities by making individual donations to these organizations. Even members of the Board of Directors and Staff have committed to contributing individually along with KTA. Join us in Giving Together to greaten the impact.
Kingdom Trails is truly appreciative for your understanding and patience.
Please stay happy and healthy!
Abby Long
Executive Director
Kingdom Trail Association
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.
