Lincoln trails planning gets underway; more local youth input sought

With the job of coordinating the initial Envision Lincoln meetings behind them, Trust For Public Lands representative Amy MacNamara began working with locals last week on the plans for a trail system for the town and nearby areas.

Shortly after Lincoln was awarded the $100,000 grant from the LOR Foundation last year that funded Envision Lincoln, a priority identified by organizers is the need for a trail system around Lincoln that provides safe walking or bicycling routes for kids and visitors and that better connects the town to local amenities such as Sculpture in the Wild, the Ranger Station and the Community River Park.

The planing process - which is separate from the Montana Main Street process that is being pursued by the Envision Lincoln Economy Team - began Wednesday, May 9, with a workshop that drew a group of interested locals to Lambkins. The group discussed the challenges and opportunities a trail development effort will face, and mapped out some "dream trails" they'd like to see around town one day.

McNamara said Lincoln is in a unique situation in that the town is starting from scratch when it comes to developing local trails.

"I think that's a really exciting place for Lincoln to start that conversation, and to build a trail system they want for the future," she said.

Karyn Good, who has been the Blackfoot Challenge's local coordinator for the LOR Grant-funded efforts, said last week's meeting didn't see a huge turnout, but that the people who showed up were both passionate and willing to work together.

McNamara said though the turnout wasn't huge they've already had good input through an online survey, and while she hopes to see more people of all ages respond to the survey before it closes May 24, she's especially keen to hear from Lincoln kids.

"I think kids in particular, who don't have access to cars, are a demographic that really can benefit from safe trails," she said. "They're forced to walk around town or ride their bicycles, and they really should have a say in what the future trails for Lincoln look like. So, we look for middle schoolers, high schoolers to find their way to the trails survey and weigh in."

The survey can be found online at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LincolnTrails