Organizations and groups supportive of trails across Virginia have rejuvenated the Virginia Trails Alliance. VTA bylaws were adopted and a new board was elected on June 24. The chair of the Greater Prince William Trails Coalition will serve as one of the seven directors on the board.
The Virginia Trails Alliance will provide a mechanism for coordinating initiatives, exchanging information, strengthening relationships, and aligning advocacy for enhancing the Statewide Multiuse Trails Plan. Issues such as defining the appropriate criteria for prioritizing trails for state funding require working together, statewide.
Coordinated outreach by many organizations will be required to get the General Assembly to start funding construction of long-planned trails. The Virginia Great Outdoors Act, championed by Our Virginia Outdoors, will be introduced again in the 2027 session of the state legislature.
The 2026 version proposd $50 million annually for trails, split evenly between the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), home of the State Trails Office, and the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR).
The organization will also engage with the Secretariat of Commerce and Trade, which includes the Virginia Tourism Corporation and the Virginia Economic Development Partnership. Outdoor tourism creates jobs, particularly in some rural areas.
The economic impact will be highlighted in the trails section of the upcoming “Our Common Agenda” to be issued by the Virginia Conservation Network in August.
