Benefits and Importance of Trails and Greenways

Benefits:

  • Preservation and creation of open spaces

  • Promotion of healthy lifestyles by encouraging physical fitness, increasing recreational opportunities and improving air and water quality

  • Protection of habitat and the environment

  • Providing corridors for people and wildlife

  • Preservation of cultural and historic areas

  • Increasing educational experiences

  • Increasing property values

 

Importance to the Town of Vernon:

The list above outlines major benefits of greenways.  The Town of Vernon has formalized the importance of greenways in a document entitled the “Plan of Conservation and Development”.  The Plan of Conservation and Development (PC&D) defines conservation goals some of which directly involve the concept of Greenways and trail systems.  The Vernon PC&D outlines the following goal:

 

Goal:  Establish greenways within the Town of Vernon and extending greenways to adjacent communities.

 

More specifically, the PC&D lists objectives for planning as follows:

 

  • Support the concept of greenways and actions that enable the establishment and growth of greenways.

  • Provide a network of interconnected greenways which serve to expand passive recreation opportunity and to increase public accessibility to park areas;

  • Encourage the development of a network of trails for walking, cross country skiing, snowshoeing and flora and fauna observations;

  • Create linkages to existing trails maintained by the Town and by other public and private entities such as neighboring towns or the Connecticut Forest & Park Association;

  • Encourage expansion of our preserved open space areas and greenways, particularly those sites which would link existing open space areas;

  • Take advantage of opportunities which expand our existing wildlife corridors and which ensure the survival of local wildlife species;

                

Further reading on Greenways and Trail Systems:

 

Complete text of the Vernon Plan of Conservation and Development

 

Vernon Land Use Map 2004 (color)

  

Conservation and Development Policies Plan for Connecticut 2005-2010 - Note: Quickly double click on the Back Button after reviewing the Plan to return back to this page.