Earlier this week, Gov. Ned Lamont announced a group of state grants that were awarded to expand Connecticut trails. Among the awardees was the Town of Wilton.

“We are pleased to share the great news that the Town of Wilton has received a grant for $243,000 from the State of Connecticut to expand the ‘WilWalk’ section of the Norwalk River Valley Trail (NRVT),” NRVT Interim President Kate Throckmorton said.

On Monday, May 15, Lamont’s office issued a press release on the announcement by the governor and Energy and Environmental Protection Commissioner Katie Dykes of approximately $9 million in state grants to be allocated through the Connecticut Recreational Trails Program. Grants were awarded to 50 projects to plan, build, expand, and improve multi-use trails across Connecticut.

“The incredible response to this grant round shows the high demand for outdoor recreation in our state. Our residents and visitors continue to explore state parks, forests, and municipal open spaces and land trust preserves at record levels,” Lamont said.

That’s a fact Wilton NRVT users know well. Demand for outdoor trails has increased dramatically both statewide and locally since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020.

While annual visits to trails across Connecticut almost doubled from 9-10 million visitors in 2019 to an estimated 17 million in 2022, NRVT usage increased 260% in Wilton during and post-lockdown. This figure is derived from data as measured with counters installed on the Wilton Loop North section in partnership with UCONN’s CT Trail Census.

“The award to the Town will improve our trail’s connectivity and accessibility to nature, which benefits our residents and visitors physically and mentally making Wilton and surrounding towns attractive places to live,” NRVT First Vice President Charlie Taney said. “However, I want to emphasize that almost without exception, the NRVT must raise private donations to ‘trigger’ these government grants. For example, this award of $243,000 requires a 20% match as a condition of the grant”.

With the overall project cost of $303,750, that means NRVT leaders are on the line to provide $60,750 for this project at Chipmunk Ln. Trail projects underwritten from other funding sources, like the Skunk Ln. to Pimpewaug Rd. project in the pipeline, cover construction only and require all pre- and post-construction costs to be covered by the NRVT.

Additionally, the NRVT must raise significant funds every year to maintain and repair the trail from storm damage and the wear and tear of daily usage. For example, recent tree work at Gaylord Dr. North incurred $1,400 even with a steep —and greatly appreciated, Taney said — discount by Knapp Tree Inc. and generous underwriting from the Wilton Garden Club.

Andrea Gartner is executive director of the NRVT’s nonprofit fundraising arm, Friends of the NRVT and she leads the organization’s public plea for financial contributions. She hopes that donors will help meet the almost $61,000 match requirement and not get lost in the “really, really great news” about the sizeable state grant award.

“The Norwalk River Valley Trail is not alone in how hard it is to convey to the public that we need their strong financial support when our latest grant award is the largest ever,” Gartner said.

More information on the NRVT and how to donate to support the organization’s efforts is available on the NRVT website.

CLARIFICATION: The article was updated to provide the overall cost of the project. The $60,750 represents 20% of the overall cost.