IMBA Speaks at Canadian Trails Conference

IMBA Trail News
Volume 13, Number 3
Summer 2000

IMBA executive director Tim Blumenthal was a featured speaker at the inaugural Canadian National Trails Conference, June 1-4, in Owen Sound, Ontario. Blumenthal spoke during the event's opening session on the topic of "The State of Trails Worldwide," and later presented a paper entitled "Fifteen Tips for Enhancing Trails Tourism" during a session that focused on the Economic Benefits of Trails.

In his State of Trails talk, Blumenthal said he's optimistic about the future of trails. He called for better regional trails planning that transcends management boundaries. He said individual trail users need to take more personal responsibility--not only to minimize their impact and reduce liability concerns, but to make trails better through volunteer work. He said he expects governments everywhere to place a higher value on conservation, open space protection and trails in the coming years: this will be a positive development, he said. Blumenthal's Trails Tourism paper is now available on IMBA's website in the Resources section.

Other Conference participants with IMBA connections included former Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew leaders Jan and Mike Riter of Georgia, and Ontario advocacy leaders Dave Seto and Ed Zacharewski. The conference, which was held under the theme of "Communities Connecting," drew more than 300 participants from nearly all Canadian provinces and several U.S. states. More info: www.nationaltrail.net.