Tips for Creating a Water Trail

These tips, excerpted from the March 2000 Canoe and Kayak Magazine, should get you well on your way to creating the water trail of your dreams:

• Research the project thoroughly, enough to get a realistic sense of both the unique aspects of the route and the potential problems with developing it—land ownership, access, labor involved, etc. When you know the details you are in a stronger position to sell the project and overcome the challenges.
• Come up with themes to hang the trail idea on: wilderness quality, wildlife, historic significance, local events that take place there. The trail theme(s) can become the symbol or slogan around which you organize the effort, much like a political campaign. History, for example, lends a route an authentic quality, native history, exploration routes, war history, early settlement and travel routes.
• Brainstorm a list of potential partners: local paddling clubs, state and municipal agencies, service organizations, and area businesses. Once you get organized, start approaching groups with specific proposals for how they might get involved.
• Come up with funding sources. Trails don't have to require huge sums of money, but you'll need some start-up capital for signage, printed material, maps, and so on. Look for state and federal agencies that that have jurisdiction along the trail, or with mandates for conservation work. Apply for grants. Approach area businesses and foundations.
• Work to enlist the support of property owners and to present the trail project as an opportunity to deepen and enhance the unique character of the region.
• Get the commitment of volunteer time and labor. You'll need lots of help from people who share a passion and devotion to the idea in order to make the trail a reality, and then keep it healthy in the long term.