Selectboard approves one‑year trail‑access agreement for Bow Pioneers, amended to July 31, 2026

The Bow Selectboard approved a motion to grant the Bow Pioneers access to town trails for trail work and events, with the authorization amended to run through July 31, 2026. Steve Conway, representing the Bow Pioneers, said the club submitted required state paperwork and had secured several landowner permissions, and that a few permissions had been extended to five years.

Board members emphasized the need for the club to provide a list of confirmed landowner approvals and locations before future approvals and requested updated maps showing planned routes and closures; Conway said the group would supply printed copies and an electronic map when available. The board discussed aligning the town authorization with the club's calendar to reduce timing conflicts: one selectboard member proposed amending the motion to set the authorization until July 31, 2026, "to encourage them to get back to you," and another seconded the amendment.

The board also discussed the implications of landowner refusals and how route closures on private property would affect the town trail system; Conway said some closures would not affect town-owned trail sections and described ongoing reroutes that include property recently purchased by a club supporter. The motion, including the July 31, 2026 end date, passed by voice vote.

The board requested the Bow Pioneers provide updated landowner permission lists and mapping before future approvals and encouraged coordination with the regional planning commission and conservation commission on trail access and routing.