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_________________________________________________________ The National Trails Roundtable is calling on all Canadians who use motorized and non-motorized recreational trails, or who develop, build, maintain, fund or advocate for trails in their provinces, territories, regions or communities, to give their input by responding to the National Trails Survey. This Survey has been prepared by the National Trails Roundtable following a meeting of trail enthusiasts from all parts of Canada in November 2010. The objectives of this Survey are to determine the most important challenges and priorities of Canadians who care about trails, to see where there is general agreement and to identify areas for potential collaboration. For more information about the National Trails Roundtable please read the Backgrounder which accompanies this News Release. To access the Survey go to www.surveymonkey.com/s/NTRsurvey To respond to the Survey it will be necessary to review the National Trails Roundtable Summary Report which can be viewed on the following websites:
Dennis Burns Executive Director Canadian Council of Snowmobile Organizations Tel: (807) 345-5299 Email: ccso.ccom@tbaytel.net In November 2010 trail leaders from across Canada participated in a two day National Trails Roundtable workshop in Banff Alberta. This workshop was attended by delegates from all provinces and territories Most of them are volunteers. The non-profit organizations and government agencies with which they are affiliated undertake advocacy for or the promotion, development, funding, building or maintenance of trails. This Roundtable Conference was initiated and organized by TransCanada Trail and Parks Canada, both of which also provided funding for certain events during the conference. The objective of the conference was to determine if there is a need for and support for greater collaboration at the national level between the different groups of stakeholders concerned with trails. Participants in the workshop concluded that collaboration between stakeholder groups must become a high priority. Over the two days delegates developed their vision for trails throughout Canada and agreed on the many values they share. These include their passion for trails, the importance of safety and education, respect for diversity and accessibility, the need for cooperation, collaboration and inclusiveness, the importance of volunteer and community involvement, the importance of health, and active living and respect for nature and sustainability. The delegates agreed in principle that the following are essential: collaboration between trail stakeholders, the need for trails to have a higher profile with the public and governments, increased funding and resources, respectful conduct on trails, sharing of information and knowledge and interaction with governments. The delegates identified ten areas with major challenges which impact on achievement of their vision. These include government involvement, funding, fragmentation of the trails sector, user group conflict, land use, marketing, trail building and maintenance, education and engagement, risk management and environmental stewardship. The Roundtable has published a comprehensive Report with the results of the workshop. A working group has been formed to engage trail stakeholders and follow up on the issues identified during the workshop. A Summary Report has also been prepared and a Trail User Survey has been structured to solicit input from as many trail groups and users as possible across Canada. The Summary Report and the full Report can be accessed on the websites to the following organizations: Canadian Council of Snowmobile Organizations, Canadian Off-Highway Vehicle Distributors Council, Canadian Trails Federation, National Trails Coalition, Trans Canada Trail. Links are provided in the above News release. The Roundtable Workshop ended on a high note with unanimous agreement on the need for more collaboration on virtually all issues concerning trails throughout Canada If you have questions about this initiative or wish to contribute please contact the Roundtable's contact person listed in the News Release for your Organization, Province or Territory. Introduction Throughout Canada, there are many organizations that develop, fund, maintain, and promote a variety of trails at the local, provincial and national level. Generally, these organizations are staffed by dedicated volunteers and channel whatever monies they have directly towards improving the trail system. There’s no neat diagram to explain the work or relationship of these organizations, and their difference in size, longevity, purpose and capacity is vast. Some trail groups are new, while others have extensive experience in trail building and know more about funding mechanisms and working with different levels of government. In the eyes of many trail stakeholders, including users, builders, operators, and government funding partners, there is too little focus on collaboration, understanding, or reaching out and too much time spent looking inwards. Trail leaders recognize that the trails sector is comprised of a large number of stakeholders with different needs and goals. The National Trails Leadership Roundtable was designed to determine if there was support for improving collaboration across the sector, so that leaders of a variety of organizations can clarify their roles and responsibilities as positive contributors to the trails movement at the national level. This initiative was funded by the Trans Canada Trail and Parks Canada. The Roundtable provided a forum for trail leaders to meet and talk candidly about their shared interests and concerns. A consulting firm, MASS LBP, was engaged to facilitate the process. They prepared two research papers in advance of the Roundtable meeting in Banff that was held from November 23 to 25, 2010. The goals of the Roundtable were twofold - to promote a more cohesive trails community in Canada and to find opportunities for greater collaboration. The results of the meeting are summarized in this document. It is hoped that they will become guidelines for developing a cooperative framework. Delegates identified shared values, created visions for trail collaboration, identified issues for action under ten themes, and brainstormed opportunities for solving challenges together. The final session presented delegates with an opportunity for compromise and union. This session allowed each delegate to propose to the rest of the group an issue or topic for agreement. On issues that did not garner agreement, delegates elected to park them as needing more time to resolve. These topics will require focus from the entire trails community over the coming months and years. All of the delegates agreed on the urgency of the need for collaboration. At the end of the two day Roundtable, a cross section of seventeen trail leaders volunteered to serve on a Working Group to review the final report from MASS LBP and develop priorities for collaborative initiatives. One of their tasks will be to investigate options for the form or mechanism of collaboration. The Working Group has also drafted an online survey to accompany this document in order to encourage other trails enthusiasts to become involved in the work of the Roundtable and to assist the Working Group to consider the views of as many people as possible. Values The delegates at the Roundtable were asked to identify the values that guide their organizations and share instances where these values were either a source of pride or conflict. The delegates found that they had a large number of common values that could act as a uniting force in the trails sector. The consultants took the values that were generated by the delegates and clustered similar values together to come up with the following “values map”: Diagram 1. Values Map  The above map shows the values loosely grouped according to theme. The size of the circle indicates the frequency with which the value was cited by the delegates. The values most common to trail organizations were: working in a collaborative manner, showing respect for the many stakeholders involved in trails, committing to making trails accessible, maximizing the passion of the trails community, raising the profile or stature of trails in the eyes of the public and policy-makers, and working with communities that are close to trails to ensure that trails are socially, environmentally, culturally, and economically sustainable. Some values related to how delegates felt about the trails themselves – that they are integral to our heritage, health, and natural environment - and some values related to how delegates hoped to ensure that trails stay this way, through education, safety promotion, sharing, good planning, and stewardship. Delegates felt confident that these shared values were a strong basis for moving forward with collaboration. Shared Challenges Ten challenges were identified through the preliminary research by the consultants as well as discussions that were held at the Roundtable. These challenges are as follows:
A Vision for Trails and Trail Collaboration The next activity at the Roundtable gave delegates the opportunity to sketch out their vision for trail collaboration. The delegates worked in six different groups. Subsequent to the Banff meeting, members of the Working Group took the six different vision statements and merged them into one vision as shown in the following table: Table 1. Vision for Trails Across Canada Our vision is one where…
As trail leaders we will work to…
By… Obtaining resources and support at the federal government level and from other funding sources; Identifying a dedicated federal government partner or a portfolio of partners; Ensuring there is a viable organizational structure to take the next steps; Supporting positive relationships at the provincial and local level within the trails community; Sharing best practices. Areas of Agreement Delegates arranged for a final plenary session where they could map areas of agreement and disagreement as a means of solidifying the issues, opportunities, and progress from the previous two days. They wanted to ensure that they didn’t leave the Roundtable with an empty promise of future collaboration. The delegates asked each other to clarify compromises, agreements, and commitments, ensuring that each issue garnered the support of the room. Issues where solutions had not yet been found were listed as unresolved, on the understanding that trail leaders would revisit them over the course of collaborative initiatives. The results are listed below. It is important to note that neither list represents a priority sequence of issues to address. Instead, the results of this conversation can be used as guidelines for mapping out a structure or mechanism for national collaboration. Collaboration: We agree to collaborate, but we also agree that:
Funding and Resources:
Conduct:
Issues for Further Consideration We have not resolved the following issues: Structure of Collaboration:
Conclusion By the end of the two days in Banff, delegates had stated strong support for future collaboration. This foundation included a map of shared values, a thorough exploration of common challenges, an identification of issues or obstacles to tackle, and an agreement that a collaborative approach is the best way forward. Delegates agreed to:
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P.O. Box 21059, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada, P7A-8A7 | Tel: (807) 345-5299 | Email: ccso.ccom@tbaytel.net |
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