Join LGV and the Friends of the Genesee Valley Greenway to officially kick-off the 2021 Genesee Valley Trail Town initiative!
ABOUT THE EVENT
Trail Town Programs® revitalize rural communities by growing outdoor tourism and small businesses. In 2021 LGV will be working with ten municipalities in Southern Monroe, Livingston, Wyoming and Allegany Counties to establish a network of Trail Town hubs along the Genesee Valley Greenway and Genesee River corridor. The project aims to boost outdoor tourism, create more resilient communities and support the region’s post-COVID recovery.
Join us!
This event will be an important opportunity for project stakeholders to learn about the initiative, hear from communities that have successfully implemented a Trail Town program and discuss implementation over the next 12 months.
Who should attend?
Communities participating in the Genesee Valley Trail Town initiative and other stakeholders in the region interested in innovative approaches to rural development.
SCHEDULE + AGENDA
Morning Session: 10 am - 12 pm
*Open to the general public
10:00 -10:30 am | Welcome and project overview
10:30 - 11:45 am | Panel Discussion: Trail Towns and Rural Transformation
Learn about some of the most innovative and successful Trail Town models established to date and how they’ve been used to revitalize and transform rural communities across the U.S. and New York State. Guest speakers will include:
David A. Kahley, Co-founder, President and CEO of The Progress Fund
Seth Wheat, Director of Tourism Development, Kentucky Department of Tourism
Russell Clark, Program Officer, Rivers, Trails and Conservation Program with the National Park Service
Dylan Carey, Project Director for Parks & Trail New York (PTNY)
Russell Hirschler, Executive Director of the Upper Valley Trails Alliance (UVTA)
Read each speaker’s full bio here.
11:45 am - 12 pm | Next Steps
Afternoon Session: 1:00 - 2:30pm
*Open to GV Trail Town Communities only
The afternoon session is designed for communities participating in the initiative to meet, get introduced to the project team and go over implementation and preparations for the March workshops.
Facilitators: Michele Archie, Harbinger Consulting + Nicole Manapol, Letchworth Gateway Villages