[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},"mediaId",6337627,"mediaKeyId","2272482-d7cb2058a74f506e16c5afac8d0c74c0","parentId",2272482,"title","Kingdom Trails, huts and conservation groups push study to compensate private landowners for public trail access","audioSeconds",2703,"startMs",3764085,"endMs",6468048,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2272482-d7cb2058a74f506e16c5afac8d0c74c0&start=3764&end=6468","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2272482-d7cb2058a74f506e16c5afac8d0c74c0/thumbnail_3764085.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6337627/Vermont/Kingdom-Trails-huts-and-conservation-groups-push-study-to-compensate-private-landowners-for-public-trail-access","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6337627-e67ad17896e48c44db880028dfef678a/orig.mp4?Expires=1775200594&Signature=VSgt9~RWPvelkct7XTU5Ih1eTR7Dq5ToAgtZl-eEsf0RwP-InBld9s3WX-Cl4ugG7evtC3-U6BeG9g-wXkLZA69oXbvfGei9N0Pa~496CCWx-0JiQp05wex2JOk9PQDZ3lFqgUTLpgt9CtNYyq1iificKegmqKLStSVcf5d5vKiDkqC6PWRWcSEmrB1vLdAYr0Kr~CFLlUY4A~JmjrHTu2jHwmnpHN2ZQkw0oVnfICZkrqMj0f-OHU71c2utYjna-i0RE0F5-kZGMeP3GQuwxL6g~luXHOZVK01a1u6gNSYH~az4QRmo3oNcDSRpIhAiWTU2Z6A6AiGxd0kODNlIhQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-02-12T13:59:37Z","article","Representatives of Kingdom Trails, the Vermont Huts Association, and conservation organizations told a legislative committee that private‑land access is the backbone of much of Vermont’s trail network and asked support for a study to explore compensating landowners who allow public trail access.

Abby Long (Kingdom Trails) described a network that grew from community volunteers and private‑land hosts into a system that now attracts roughly 100,000 visitors annually and, she said, “generates $10,000,000 in annual direct spending for the Northeast Kingdom,” citing a 2016 Vermont Council study. Long said Kingdom Trails currently operates on nearly 106 private landowner agreements and that stewardship groups are limited in their ability to directly compensate hosts because doing so could affect the hosts’ protection under the state’s liability statute.

Landowner and Olympian Georgia Gould said she allowed trails on her property because she wanted her family to live where outdoor access was easy; she also warned that recent private closures had fragmented the network and that relying solely on goodwill is not a long‑term strategy. “Allowing Kingdom Trails access to my land was a no brainer,” Gould said. “Continuing to rely solely on goodwill is not a sound long term strategy.”

The witnesses asked lawmakers to support H.147, a House bill to establish a Recreational Trail Compensation Study Committee and to fund a study (testimony cited an estimated study cost of $250,000). Proponents said the study would evaluate options to recognize and incentivize private landowners, estimate regional economic impacts, and recommend policy mechanisms that would help ensure long‑term public access to trails.

RJ Thompson, executive director of the Vermont Huts Association, described the Velomont and hut network plans: a multiuse trail (about 485 miles when complete) and a system of year‑round huts that span the state and are intended to increase access and local economic benefit. Thompson said Vermont Huts already hosts “over 20,000 guests annually” across its network and that a Velomont‑connected economy study had estimated $6.2 million in total sales activity for sections and hundreds of jobs supported when the full project is built.

Shelby Semmes of the Trust for Public Land framed the conservation perspective: trails and huts can be a catalyst for land conservation and local‑scale economic development, she said, and private landowner recognition mechanisms would help protect corridors used for wildlife migration and public recreation.

Speakers referenced models in other states, including Washington, and committee members discussed possible approaches ranging from modest annual payments to landowners, to forms of tax or current‑use offsets. Several members described the issue as timely because trail‑based tourism and outdoor recreation have grown sharply since 2016.

No formal legislative action was taken during the hearing; witnesses asked the committee to support the study measure and to consider landowner incentives as part of long‑term trail conservation and recreation planning.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Senate Agriculture - 2025-02-12 - 9:00 AM","oneSentenceSummary","Representatives of Kingdom Trails, Vermont Huts and conservation groups urged lawmakers to support H.147 and a $250,000 study to explore compensating private landowners who allow public trail access, citing threats to trail continuity and a significant outdoor‑recreation economy.","taxTitle","Agriculture, SENATE, Committees, Legislative , Vermont","taxId",35161,"location","Vermont","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6337631,"Farm‑to‑School backers ask Vermont lawmakers to keep $500,000 each for two local‑food programs",3573,28800,3601870,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2272482-d7cb2058a74f506e16c5afac8d0c74c0&start=28&end=3601","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2272482-d7cb2058a74f506e16c5afac8d0c74c0/thumbnail_28800.jpg","/articles/6337631/Vermont/FarmtoSchool-backers-ask-Vermont-lawmakers-to-keep-500000-each-for-two-localfood-programs","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6337631-e8fecb50220e204363a6c6117a16be66/orig.mp4?Expires=1775200594&Signature=hDi51WGJB8uEIVArUMptsgE8lvnQU1hIJ-uOy-yHQO9NgbNqdj1B~hbdzoOCS7D9KuQWQMPZahkvoss4w89YTVKZKId6FXqWJIuyO9nM9viek6-fVULr~6P~G2fRQLKLiJpbLW~YW~3V35ol6XQUEoXvE~soKMku21JgTZl9av~RObNcxuHdzm6MThtuZ-Q-Zk1cIMw7NERJ3M~SqPji-joPc19gpXC5RMOUbRtXO-ToTZ8w6Z7YgYfTw4B6amaIxfqnWinkk5EKSleoU0F-BA1NC2s~hV4pkTXRWdtlRbs7OMUpn0uGDWOoEWCRcOt-V25pSEEjLj46ZpPOn52N8g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Dana Hudson, coordinator of the Vermont Farm to School and Early Childhood Network, told a legislative committee that she and network members were asking lawmakers to support the governor’s proposed budget by maintaining level funding of $500,000 for the Vermont Farm to School and Early Childhood grant program and $500,000 for the Local Food Incentive (LFI) program. “My name is Dana Hudson, and I am the coordinator of the Vermont Farm to School Early Childhood Network,” she said.

The request was supported by school food directors, local food hub staff, teachers and students who described how the programs increase meal participation and create stable markets for Vermont farmers. For example, Nisha Johnson, child nutrition director for White River Valley Supervisory Union, said the combination of universal meals and local‑food incentives let her staff focus on menu quality rather than paperwork. “Since 2023, as we had shifted our focus to increasing the percentage of local foods we serve to meet the local foods incentive grama threshold, our lunch participation has increased by almost 20%,” Johnson said, adding that translated to roughly 120 more students eating school lunch each day.

Advocates said the programs work together: grants provide capacity building and technical assistance to schools; the local incentive increases purchasing power for farms and processors; and universal school meals stabilize revenue so schools can buy higher‑quality local ingredients. Becca Herron, lead hub account manager for Green Mountain Farm Direct, cited the Agency of Education’s FY2025 legislative report on the LFI and said the program multiplies public dollars in the Vermont food economy. “According to the Agency of Education’s 2025 legislative report on the local food incentive program, every dollar of grant funding results in over $3 when we purchased it by schools,” Herron said, attributing the figure to the report.

Speakers offered concrete program details. Hudson said the Rosa McLaughlin Farm to School grant program began in 2006 and has since served more than 300 schools and early childhood programs across the state. Johnson said one district expected to receive about $33,000 of supplemental spending power from its local food incentive award; she described using that money to buy 100% local beef and locally produced tortilla chips and empanadas. Green Mountain Farm Direct told committee members it partners with more than 50 Vermont producers and that sales to schools have increased since the LFI began in 2021.

Classroom and student testimony underscored educational and engagement benefits. Aziza Malik, a fifth‑grade teacher at Champlain Elementary and Vermont State Teacher of 2024, said farm‑to‑school work “turns learning into something real and relevant.” Students described harvesting potatoes and preparing foods that later appeared on cafeteria menus: “Cooking them made me realize how simple it is to make real food,” one student said. Other speakers, including high‑school teachers and students involved in school cooking enterprises, described community meals, summer garden work, and job‑skill training tied to farm‑to‑school activities.

Speakers referenced budget specifics and programmechanics without proposing legislative language. Hudson said the governor’s recommended budget included the two $500,000 line items she requested; multiple presenters urged continuation of universal school meals through the education fund.

No formal motions or votes were recorded during this hearing. Committee members thanked presenters and acknowledged they had written testimony from additional speakers.

Why it matters: Advocates framed the funding request as both an educational and economic policy: farm‑to‑school and the local‑food incentive are presented as a way to increase participation in school meals, support farm income and circulate public dollars in Vermont’s food economy. If funding is maintained and district applications continue, presenters said, schools could expand local purchasing and student learning opportunities that tie classroom lessons to local agriculture.

Looking ahead: Supporters asked lawmakers to retain the two $500,000 line items in the FY2026 budget, and presenters left contact information and handouts for committee members who want additional data or follow‑up.","Educators, food‑service directors, farmers and students told a Vermont legislative committee the Farm to School & Early Childhood grant program and the Local Food Incentive program should be level‑funded at $500,000 each in FY2026, saying the programs boost school meal participation, support local farms and strengthen the state economy.","actionData","errors"]

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Kingdom Trails, huts and conservation groups push study to compensate private landowners for public trail access

Farm‑to‑School backers ask Vermont lawmakers to keep $500,000 each for two local‑food programs