A county-wide interactive trail map is scheduled to be released in early 2024.
The Friends of Chautauqua County Greenways group consists of a variety of local organizations and municipalities with a goal of enhancing and conserving Chautauqua County’s 700+ miles of trails that are used for snowmobiling, hiking, horseback riding, cross country skiing, mountain biking, kayaking, and more. The group is supported, in part, by the Chautauqua County Partnership for Economic Growth (CCPEG).
Currently, each group maintains their own trail maps, which come in a variety of formats, creating inconsistency and confusion for trail users, while also leading to trail underutilization in some instances. The Partnership for Economic Growth, along with the Greenways group, County Planning Department, and Chautauqua County Visitors Bureau are currently in the process of working with the consulting firm of Barton and LoGuidice to build an interactive, countywide outdoor recreation map and mobile app. Once completed, the map will include any and all trails in the system, regardless of intended purpose.
Planning Department Projects Coordinator and CCPEG Planning Manager Rebecca Wurster said “We’ve already reviewed and evaluated the existing mapped trails in the County, and have just about wrapped up collecting inventory/GIS data of mapped and unmapped trail systems. We are also developing a streamlined process for submitting future data, which can then be uploaded to the interactive map to ensure it is being updated on a regular basis.”
The Friends of Chautauqua County Greenways group also unveiled its new logo, designed by Kellogg Design in Lakewood. The logo is intended to help brand and raise awareness about the group and its mission of working together to promote all trail systems within the county.
The next public meeting of Friends of Chautauqua County Greenways will take place next spring. At that time, the interactive trail map should be completed and ready to be presented to the public.
For more information on the FCCG and to keep up with the latest news involving the county’s vast trail system, follow their group page on Facebook.
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