July 2013 - Parks & Recreation - 51

a water trail. Even if you are the only
land owner, you will likely need the
help of others outside your department
to provide the support needed to make
your trail successful, such as logo development, interpretive plans, sign design, skill classes and much more.
Connecting a network of access
sites to create a trail-wide experience
usually requires bringing each site
manager together, along with perhaps
outfitters, chambers of commerce representatives, elected officials, paddling
and boating groups, Coast Guard
Auxiliaries, sheriff departments, etc.
Your list of partners will reflect the
ownership, politics and interests of
the surrounding town or region.
You will need to create a partnership to develop a common vision and
determine who will be the main champion or sponsor for the trail. Typically,
partners work together, with the help
of public input, to develop a management plan that will guide community outreach, promote education and
stewardship, advocate for safety, plan
events, set priorities, coordinate recre-

ation programming, share resources,
seek grants - basically do whatever
is necessary and desirable to support
each other and the trail as a whole.
Water trail partnerships go by many
names - coalitions, alliances, councils, associations - and the Internet is
full of their collaborative work. Check
out the partnership behind the Willamette River Water Trail (www.wil
lamettewatertrail.org), the Delaware
River Water Trail's Concept Plan
(www.delrivgreenway.org) and Tillamook County Water Trail's guidebooks (www.tbnep.org) as a sampling
of the rich relationships and products
powering water trails these days.

Lakes-to-Locks
Water Trail
www.wwta.org
In Seattle, paddle in
the shadow of the
Space Needle, float
among research ships
in Lake Union and explore quiet coves along Lake Washington.
Discover nature in the city while gliding
through Mercer Slough, and watch eagles and blue herons along the Lake Sammamish shorelines. Washington Water
Trails Association is the glue that holds
this partnership together, which includes
nine cities, King County, two state agencies, the Port of Seattle and the Army
Corps of Engineers. The western end of
the trail connects with the Cascadia Marine Trail, an intercoastal waterway between Olympia and the Canadian border.

Good for Business
Like most things recreational, water
trails can add significantly to a community's bottom line. Dining and overnighting, equipment rentals, shuttle
services and user fees all add up. Think
ecotourism, outdoor classrooms, skill
workshops and downtown riverwalks.
The partnerships fueling water trails
today will just as likely be led by a

10 Steps for Planning a Water Trail
Agree on a trail vision.
Form a planning team and build partnerships.
Inventory trail segments and site facilities.
Generate public outreach and involvement.
Analyze and inventory information and field
check data.
6. Make trail and site recommendations.
7. Create an action plan.
8. Produce a guidebook, maps, website and apps.
9. Find funding and identify resources.
10. Take action!

Erinn J. Hale

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Planning Assistance
The National Park Service Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance program has been
helping water trail partners create and improve access to waterways throughout the
country for almost 20 years. They work to meaningfully engage youth and the health
community in the planning process. Find the application for free assistance at www.nps.
gov/rtca. The annual deadline is August 1. For more resources, including economic impact studies, see www.parksandrecreation.org/2013/July/For-the-Love-of-Water-Trails.

tourism consortium or a nonprofit organization as a park agency. In fact,
the chamber of commerce model is a
good one to apply to water trails, where
each member has a vested interest in
the good of the whole - in this case,
the entire water trail and the region it
serves. In Washington State, the Pend
Oreille River Tourism Alliance (PORTA) champions the 70-mile Pend
Oreille River Water Trail, and the nonprofit economic development agency
Visit Kitsap Peninsula sponsors the
Kitsap Peninsula Water Trails' website.
In short, water trails can boost the value of your existing investments in boating facilities, provide users with a much
richer recreation experience, promote
environmental awareness and add black
ink to your community coffers. For
many people, it's love at first sight!
Sue Abbott is a community planner with the
National Park Service Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program in Seattle, Washington (sue_abbott@nps.gov).

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July 2013 - Parks & Recreation

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