3,184 views • posted 07/03/2023 • updated 08/11/2023
Discover the benefits to designating your trail(s) as an NWT, the history of the National Recreation Trails (NRT) program and its subset National Water Trails, the process for trails to become NWTs, and more.
Presented by:
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July 06, 2023
10:00 AM to 11:30 AM (Pacific Time) {more time zones}
Cost (RECORDING):
FREE for membersNote:
Closed Captioning is available for this webinar.
Learning Credits are available for this webinar.
This webinar is free. Would you consider a donation to support this webinar?
This webinar is a follow up to our webinar National Recreation Trails: Designating Your Trail for NRT Status as it will dive in deeper on the process for trails to become National Water Trails (NWT), which are a subset of the National Recreation Trails (trails that are a part of the National Trails System*). You will hear from National Park Service staff and learn about 7 Best Management Practices for NWTs that include details on the NWT application process, what to expect, and more.
The deadline for applications each year is November 1.
*The National Trails System Act of 1968 authorized creation of a national system of trails comprised of National Recreation Trails, National Scenic Trails, and National Historic Trails.
This webinar qualifies as a Health, Safety, and Welfare (HSW) course (via LA CES).
National Recreation Trails (NRTs)
National Water Trails (NWTs)
Fox River Water Trail Forms
Peter Bonsall, National Trails Program Specialist, National Park Service
Lakewood, Colorado
Peter Bonsall is the National Trails Program Specialist for the National Park Service. He provides technical assistance to the National Scenic and Historic Trails and coordinates the National Recreation Trail program for the Department of the Interior.
Alison Bullock, Community Planner, Rivers, Trails & Conservation Assistance Program, National Park Service
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Alison Bullock has served as a Community Planner for the National Park Service’s Rivers, Trails & Conservation Assistance Program (RTCA) since 2000, providing technical assistance for trail and conservation projects primarily in Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama and North Carolina. Prior to her career with NPS, Alison worked for the State of Tennessee as the Greenways & Trails Coordinator. Alison is a graduate of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, with a Master of Science in Planning. She is a past recipient of Great Outdoors Week’s Legends Award and a graduate of NPS’s mid-level management development program. Over the past 25 years, Alison has developed an expertise in planning greenways, water trails, and complex outdoor recreation projects. She has served on the National Water Trails technical review team for annual NWT applications since 2015.
Karen Ann Miller, AICP, Executive Planner, Kane County Development and Community Services Department
Geneva, Illinois
Karen Ann Miller has been a Planner with the Kane County Development Department in Geneva, Illinois for almost twenty-three years. She has had a wide range of responsibilities from local and regional planning to organizing a variety of County functions.
Recent projects include Co-Chairing the Team developing the newly designated Fabulous Fox! Water Trail, the Oak Ecosystem Recovery Plan as part of the Chicago Region Trees Initiative, the Greenest Region Compact, the Kane County 2040 Plan and Kane County Planning Cooperative, and the Kane County 2040 Green Infrastructure Plan. Karen also provides planning technical assistance and education to local governments and organizations in Kane County.
Karen is the past President of the Fox River Ecosystem Partnership and serves on numerous committees within Kane County Government and organizations throughout the region including the Fox Valley Sustainability Network and the Chicago Region Trees Initiative. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners, a commissioner for the Brookfield, Illinois Planning & Zoning Commission and active in the Brookfield Historical Society.
Master of Urban Planning and Policy, University of Illinois at Chicago
Bachelor of Arts, Psychology, Northern Illinois University
We are offering closed captioning for our webinars, thanks to a partnership with VZP Digital. If you are in need of this service, please email us prior to the webinar. An unedited transcript will be sent to all attendees following the webinar.
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