Update and Review: Flagstaff Trails Initiative and Draft Flagstaff Regional Trail Strategy

In August 2017, a collaboration of local agencies – the City of Flagstaff, Coconino County, Coconino National Forest, Flagstaff Area National Monuments, and Flagstaff Biking Organization – received a grant for planning assistance via the National Park Service's Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program to support a multi-agency regional trail planning process referred
to as the Flagstaff Trails Initiative (FTI).  The group of core collaborators has since expanded to include Coconino Trail Riders, Sierra Club, American Conservation Experience, R2R Hiking, and others.

The purpose of FTI is to develop and implement a collaborative, cross-jurisdictional strategy for recreational trails in the Flagstaff region. This effort seeks to improve the quality, connectivity and community support for a sustainable trail system that balances the demand for recreation with the community’s vision for conservation, development, and health.  The overall goal is to elevate Flagstaff's trails from good to extraordinary.

The project has reached an important juncture with the release of the Draft Flagstaff Regional Trail Strategy after two years of public engagement and collaboration.  The core team has been meeting since 2017 working on the following activities;

• Secured support for our goals (see attached) from agency leadership, elected officials and partners
• Prepared and adopted an FTI Collaborative Work Plan
• Created an FTI website, https://flagstafftrailsinitiative.org
• Created subgroups to work on Trail System Planning, Financial Sustainability, Education & Outreach, and Conservation & Restoration
• Held full-day retreats and mini-workshops
• Engaged over 40 community organizations who helped shape FTI and identify trends
• Solicited 570 responses and over 2,000 comments about what users value along with hundreds of tangible ideas for improving the system through the FTI Trail Survey
• Created new regional, interactive trail map, the first-of-its-kind in Flagstaff
• Hosted over 125 at our October 2018 public workshop
• Discover Flagstaff embraced the FTI program and helped support and promote FTI through the "Pledge for the Wild" campaign, https://www.pledgewild.com.  The Pledge for the Wild is a multi-mountain town platform that is defining a shared set of common values, language and tools to support responsible tourism in wild places
• Drafted Articles of Incorporation and By-Laws 
• Submitted a proposal and were accepted by United Way of Northern Arizona to be our Fiscal Sponsor while FTI is working towards creating a 501c3
• Drafted Regional Trail Strategy

• Continued staff time and resources for the FTI program.
• There is a growing interest among participating agencies to go in together to fund, one-time, a contract FTI Coordinator position going forward.  Should this partnership take shape and should Council action be needed to participate in the partnership staff will prepare a recommendation for Council's consideration at a future council meeting.

Support and participation in of the FTI published 10 distinct goals and 30+ proposed strategies, such as:

• Protection and construction of key trail connections
• Creation of a Flagstaff Trail Fund and new 501c3 organization
• A shared interagency financial agreement to allow for the sharing of resources
• New Flagstaff Trail Academy to recruit and train skilled volunteers
• Restoration of unauthorized trails
• Trail etiquette and "share the trails" campaign
• Launch of a trails planning effort specific to Observatory Mesa

Council Goals:  Actively manage and protect all environmental and natural resources.

Regional Plan:
Goal REC.1. Maintain and grow the region’s healthy system of convenient and accessible parks, recreation facilities, and trails.
Policy Rec.1.2. Promote public and private partnerships to offer parks, recreation facilities, and resources.
Policy Rec.1.3. Coordinate City, County, and Forest Service recreational planning to best serve the community.
Policy Rec.1.4. Design new or updated public facilities to include parks, open space, and/or recreational opportunities where feasible. 
Policy Rec.1.5. Incorporate sustainable building and maintenance technologies and universal design into parks and recreation facilities.
Goal OS.1. The region has a system of open lands, such as undeveloped natural areas, wildlife corridors and habitat areas, trails, access to public lands, and greenways to support the natural environment that sustains our quality of life, cultural heritage, and ecosystem health.
Goal LU.3. Continue to enhance the region’s unique sense of place within the urban, suburban, and rural context (Policy LU.3.3).
Goal ED.7. Continue to promote and enhance Flagstaff’s unique sense of place as an economic driver.

TRANSPORTATION & PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE: Deliver quality community assets and continue to advocate and implement a highly performing multi-modal transportation system.

On February 26, 2018 staff presented about the Flagstaff Trails Initiative

Trails and access to open space and the forest help make Flagstaff a better place to live and visit. They contribute to the quality of life, wellness, and economic development of our community by providing opportunities for residents and visitors to recreate within and experience our natural environment.

The City, Coconino National Forest, Coconino County, and Flagstaff Area National Monuments collectively manage more than 350 miles of non-motorized recreational and commuter trails, including FUTS and single-track trails, in the region. Flagstaff’s trails receive a significant amount of use from residents and visitors and are one of our most prominent community assets. Unfortunately, there are relatively few dedicated resources available for trail construction, stewardship or maintenance.

Every regional plan for the Flagstaff area – including City, County, and National Forest plans – identify trails as an important community asset that should be enhanced. However, there has not been a holistic and strategic effort specifically to address trails planning for nearly 20 years. The FTI provides an inclusive process to assess Flagstaff’s existing trail system and plan for improvements.

The contents of the Draft Flagstaff Regional Trail Strategy were developed through a full consensus decision making model.  The Strategy outlines a vision for the future of the trail system around Flagstaff and identified nearly 100 trail connections, new trails and access facilities throughout the region on land managed by the City, County and US Forest Service.  The recommendations were developed through an extensive, citizen-driven collaborative process that included considered.  These recommendations are prioritized regionally to allow for coordination in funding and implementation. 
 
Additionally, the strategy outlines an approach to address the challenging financial situation surrounding recreational trails.  A new Flagstaff Trails Initiative 501c3 nonprofit that is focused on raising resources and an interagency financial agreement are key elements of this approach.

Trails are part of what make Flagstaff what it is – a place that embraces its extraordinary setting on the Colorado Plateau. Trail providers, users, and other stakeholders have come together to make sure that the Flagstaff trail system is not just good, but incredible.  The project has experienced enthusiastic public participation.

The Initiative has taken a holistic approach that balances recreational demand with environmental quality considerations. Each recommended project requires additional planning, environmental analysis and on-the-ground design to ensure the projects are appropriate given the area’s cultural and natural resources and recreational uses.  Inclusion on this list does imply formal approval for any of the individual projects.  Instead, the list of recommendations represents the view of FTI partners on where the region should move next as a trail community.

This project will focus on non-motorized and motorized trails inside the boundary of the Flagstaff Metropolitan Planning Organization, which extends from Bellemont to the west, Winona to the east, Sunset Crater to the north and Mountainaire to the south. It includes trails managed by the City of Flagstaff, Coconino National Forest, National Park Service and Coconino County.

Our trails give us something fun to do with our time. They make us healthy and strong. They generate connections to nature. They create business opportunities. They improve our mental health. They give our kids places to run around. They draw visitors, who spend money and generate jobs. They help us get to work.  They help us better understand our environment. They let us test ourselves. They limit environmental impact.