Critical Trail Needs in Utah: Establishing An Olympic Legacy For Trails 2002-2004

1. Critical Trail Needs in Utah: Establishing An Olympic Legacy For Trails 2002-2004 Utah League of Cities and Towns Annual Conference Sheraton City Centre Hotel, Salt Lake City September 12, 2002 Steve Burr Director, USU’s Institute for Outdoor Recreation and Tourism Courtland Nelson Director, Utah Division of Parks and Recreation Terry Green Planning Manager, Utah Division of Parks and Recreation

2. Governor’s Olympic Trails Initiative • Utahns want more and better trailsand Governor Leavitt Responds… Looking ahead 1,000 days and beyond, Governor Leavitt’s Office asked the Utah Division Parks and Recreation to evaluate establishing a program or legacy to assist and accelerate the development and improvement of both motorized and non-motorized trails and pathways throughout the state.

3. Why Do Utahns Want More and Better Trails and Pathways? • High priorities for the citizens of Utah. • Important components of quality growth, community fitness, economic benefit, and outdoor recreation. • Provide access to Utah’s outstanding public lands, enjoyment of wildlife, and healthy social interaction in our communities. • Use of trails and pathways is a significant part of recreational activity, tourism, and lifestyle in Utah.

4. Major Objectives for an Olympic Legacy of Trails in Utah • Improve the quality of life in Utah by developing trails and urban pathways. • Encourage business growth and vitality by retaining and attracting highly competent and talented professionals and employees to boost economic momentum over the long term. • Improve economic benefits to rural communities that often host recreational trail activity. • Improve statewide tourism. • Collaborate with other state and federal agencies to implement trails and urban pathways.

5. Major Objectives for an Olympic Legacy of Trails in Utah • Encourage local planners and developers to incorporate innovative open space and pathway designs into developments. • Increase walkability of our communities, and improve use and enjoyment of alternative transportation. • Improve health and fitness of our citizens, and measure and assess physical and mental health benefits arising from trails activity. • Ensure and improve public access to public lands in Utah.

6. Major Objectives for an Olympic Legacy of Trails in Utah • Provide trails or urban pathways within 15 minutes of every home and workplace. • Help local trail sponsors craft clean, well-designed, and easy-to-maintain trails and trailheads for grant applications. • Identify at least three priority trail projects in each planning region in the state—urban and rural/motorized and non-motorized—that could be undertaken or completed in the next 1,000 days. • An Olympic Legacy for Trails in Utah…

7. Governor Leavitt’s State of the State Address January 28, 2002 “As an Olympic legacy, I propose the creation of the Utah Olympic Trails and Streams System. The objective is 715 miles of premier trails, open to hiking, off-roading, horseback riding, and biking, and within a 15-minute drive of every Utah citizen.” “These initiatives are worthwhile in their own right, but as always, there is the economic tie-in. It’s about quality of life. It’s about jobs being drawn to a beautiful, exceptional state.”

8. Establishing An Olympic Legacy For Trails In Utah Through A Public Planning Process • Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget encouraged adoption of the Envision Utah approach to a trail legacy program and suggested apublic participation process. • Envision Utah—a public and private community partnership dedicated to studying the effects of long-term growth in the Greater Wasatch… • One Objective: Enhance communities with great places to walk by providing accessible, safe, and beautiful urban pathways and walkways linking shopping area, parks, and open spaces.

9. Establishing An Olympic Legacy For Trails In Utah Through A Public Planning Process • Asked to explore the 21st Century Community Initiative program as a means of implementing trails and paths through their planning, recreation, transportation, and tourism assessments, and facilitating selection of projects based on trail amenities. • Through the Quality Growth Program, trails and urban pathways could be enhanced by inclusion in quality growth areas.

10. Establishing An Olympic Legacy For Trails In Utah Through A Public Planning Process • Three Sources of Public Input for Information: • Governor’s Trails Initiative Steering Committee • Statewide Telephone Survey of Resident Attitudes Toward Recreational Trails • Seven Regional Trails Workshops • …providing a substantive base for trails priorities, clarification of issues, and user-group references, and a political foundation for future proposals.

11. Governor’s Trails Initiative Steering Committee Source #1 • Utah Division of Parks and Recreation invited Utahns with interest and expertise in trails to be a part of the Steering Committee. • First convened July 2001; six meetings held through April 2002. • Vision and Mission Statements, along with Guiding Values, developed and approved in August 2001. • Steering Committee input provided direction, issues and priorities identification, and tools.

12. Governor’s Trails Initiative Steering Committee Mountainland AOG Planning Utah Recreation & Parks Association Salt Lake City Planning Bureau of Land Management Ogden City Planning National Park Service Rivers & Trails Program Envision Utah Murray City Planning USDA Forest Service State Senators/ Representatives St. George Planning USU’s Institute for Outdoor Recreation and Tourism Bonneville Shoreline Trail Planning Dept. of Health, Community & Family Health Services Utah Dept. of Transportation State Historical Society State Parks & Recreation Staff & Board Members OHV Coordinator/Non-Motorized Trails Coordinator

13. Governor’s Trails Initiative Steering Committee • Vision: • A statewide network of trails to enhance the quality of life in Utah, with grassroots political support. • Ensuring trails and pathways access within 15 minutes of home and work for all Utahns. • Mission: A perpetual legacy… • To continually improve the quality and quantity of motorized and non-motorized trails for health, fitness, recreation, transportation, and social interaction.

14. Governor’s Trails Initiative Steering Committee • Guiding Values: Utahns value… • private property rights and responsibilities, • healthy lifestyles, • recreation and tourism, • protection of history and culture, • cooperative planning and implementation, • use of valid and reliable data, • and public participation at all levels.

15. Governor’s Trails Initiative Steering CommitteeIdentified Six Major Issue Categories for Consideration • A list of trails for priority development; • New and expanded funding sources; • Effective coordination and cooperation between all governmental agencies; • Protecting access to public lands by overcoming trail and access closures; developing alignments for linkages on public and private lands; • Ensuring adequate access and trails opportunities for all citizens and visitors, including access for people with disabilities; 6. Enhancing natural, wildlife, cultural, and heritage resources.

16. Statewide Telephone Survey of Resident Attitudes Toward Recreational Trails Source #2 • To substantiate Utah resident opinions on: • Values and benefits of recreational trails; • Awareness and use of trails; • Perception of needs/preferences related to trails. • Resulting information generated from survey: • Could provide supporting elements for the Governor’s Trails Initiative; • Could be utilized by Steering Committee to make recommendations for legislation and funding needs to develop the initiative for the Utah Legislature.

17. Institute for Outdoor Recreation and Tourism Conducted the Statewide Telephone Survey • Methodology • IORT designed telephone survey questions with input from Steering Committee. • Discovery Research Group, Inc. contracted to conduct the actual telephone survey. • Interview instrument pilot tested, resulting in some minor modifications to the instrument. • Random sample of household telephone numbers selected, stratified by the seven, multi-county Planning Districts in the state. • Some Statewide and Planning District results…

18. Seven Regional Trails Workshops Source #3 • Seven Regional Trails Workshops Held Between November 27th and December 12th, 2001: November 27: Heber City December 5: St. George November 28: Logan December 4: Richfield November 29: SLC & Vernal December 11: Green River • Invitations extended to Trails Stakeholder Groups in each Planning District. • Over 200 Utahns attended and participated in the workshops.

19. Seven Regional Trails Workshops • Agenda: • Background on the Governor’s Trails Initiative • Display of Graphics and Maps of Trail Systems • Importance of Regional and Local Input • Statewide Telephone Survey Results • Statewide and Planning District-Specific Results • Team Breakout Sessions to Map Priority Trails • Prioritizing Trails Issues • Suggestions for Toolbox Development • Sharing Team Reports

20. Seven Regional Trails Workshops • Confirmed some regional differences, but also some statewide similarities. • Validated the results of the Statewide Telephone Survey. • Connected with and informed a knowledgeable, experienced, motivated, and representative constituency for trail advocacy in Utah.

21. Steering Committee and Regional Trail Priority Issues • Initial Steering Committee priority issues were essentially validated in the seven Regional Trails Workshops. • Regional priorities tended to be more specific. • More motorized trails were suggested, as well as equestrian facilities and multiple-use trails. • Several regions had already completed very extensive trail planning.

22. Steering Committee and Regional Trail Priority Issues

23. Steering Committee and Regional Trail Priority Issues

24. Major Objective for an Olympic Legacy of Trails in Utah:Identify Three Priority Trail Projects in Each Planning District

25. Major Objective for an Olympic Legacy of Trails in Utah:Identify Three Priority Trail Projects in Each Planning District in Utah

26. Major Objective for an Olympic Legacy of Trails in Utah:Identify Three Priority Trail Projects in Each Planning District in Utah

27. Major Objective for an Olympic Legacy of Trails in Utah:Identify Three Priority Trail Projects in Each Planning District in Utah • These 21 trails and trail segments represent only 20% or less of many potential, desired, and lesser “Legacy” trail projects identified in the regional Trails Workshops. • Local trail advocates can initiate trail grant applications, and seek technical assistance through special programs.

28. Local land use restrictions Private ownership barriers Federal, state, and local land use regulations Pre-existing land use plans RS 2477 litigation and resolution Wildlife habitat-sensitive problems and challenges Conflicting land use and development Other challenges and barriers Potential Priority Trail Projects subject to variety of challenges:

29. Potential Priority Trail Projects subject to variety of challenges, but… • Experienced trail advocates/trail staff in other communities who have solved similar problems are eager to help. • Regional and community decision-makers closest to these problems will hopefully be working toward their resolution. • State, federal, and regional trails experts and program staff will be available to provide information, advise, technical assistance, and grants as they become available.

30. Trails Funding Limitations, but opportunities are there! • Current state and local funding levels will not reach far enough to develop over 700 miles of trails. • High priority trail opportunities and challenges can be addressed first. • Initial efforts in trails planning have been completed, at both statewide and regional levels. • Some local planning efforts are at high levels. • Opportunities exist for cooperative and collaborative approaches to achieve a legacy of trails in Utah.

31. Directions for the Future: An Olympic Trails Legacy for Utah • 2002 Statewide Trails Conference • Keep the momentum going… • 2001 Statewide Trails Conference • Seven Trails Workshops held throughout the state at the end 2001. • Opportunities for Regional Trails Working Groups • Involvement of more trails stakeholder groups • Provide in-depth training sessions for trails people around the state utilizing the “trails toolbox” being developed. • Quality experiences, satisfaction, and benefits • Trail planning, design, construction, and maintenance workshops • Monitoring and evaluation

32. Establishing An Olympic Legacy For Trails In Utah 2002-2004 • Visit Utah State University’s Institute for Outdoor Recreation and Tourism’s Website at www.cnr.usu.edu/iort for: A Statewide Telephone Survey of Utah Residents’ Attitudes Toward Recreational Trails • Report on Statewide Results and Specific Planning District Results(Professional Reports) • Trails Workshop Presentations Specific to Planning Districts(IORT Presentations)

34. Statewide Telephone Survey Methodology Telephone Interviewing • 370 telephone interviews conducted in each of the seven Planning Districts, proportionately divided based on individual counties’ population percentage within a district. • An adult, 18 years or older, in each household contacted was asked to participate in interview. • From September 6-17, 2001, total of 2,590 telephone interviews conducted statewide; each interview averaged between five and six minutes. • Sampling approach selected in order to facilitate data analysis at both Statewide and Planning District levels.

35. Statewide Telephone Survey MethodologySampling Design • One shortcoming of this sampling approach… • Can not simply combine the data from all Planning Districts to provide statewide summary results. • Certain Planning Districts would be under- or over-represented because the district populations are not all equal.

36. Planning Districts’ Approximate Percent of State Population Southwestern (6.1%) Bear River (6.2%) Southeastern (2.6%) Central (3.1%) Uintah Basin (1.9%) Mountainland (18.4%) Wasatch Front (61.7%) Total State Population is 2,118,300 (Based on 2000 Census)

37. To correct for this in Statewide Results only, simple multipliers or “weights” are used to calculate averages and sums.