Highlightsof Extension TYI NG RESEARCH TO REAL LI F E COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE, H EALTH AND NATURAL RESOURCES expenditures, as well as potential impacts on population, employment, income, and fiscal impacts. Reports from the study can be found at http://s.uconn.edu/nrg. The findings of the study showed that this trail, when fully constructed, could have a significant and positive impact on communities in the region. But, those impacts aren’t inevitable even if the trail is built. Trails have to be used, promoted, maintained, and the community, both resi- dents and businesses must be engaged in using and developing the trail. The greatest potential economic impact would result from increased consumer spending by users as well as costs of construction, expansion and maintenance. Currently trail users are spending about $5.6 million annually on items related to trail use (including gear, rentals, clothes, and food) and this could rise to about $42.6 million by 2030 when the trail is fully built. Direct construction expenditures may reach $77.2 million by the year 2030. Consumer surplus spending and health benefits also accrued significant economic value over time, including benefits to residents who don’t even use the trail or live in the same zip code as a trailhead. Consumer surplus describes the difference between how much people might be will- ing to pay to use the trail and how much they actually pay. This includes costs that are avoided like paying for gas to drive to a trailhead or for medical care as a result of health problems. Residents within closest proximity to trailheads and those nearby are expected to realize a combined annual consumer surplus of $5.1 million. That would be expected to rise to about $34.6 million by 2031 when the trail is fully built. The more people that use the trail, the greater the economic benefit will be. Many users walk or bike on the trail often enough to realize health benefits by reducing incidence of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer. The net present monetized value of health-related benefits would be expected to increase from about $5.2 million currently to $37.9 million in 2031. The study has yielded other benefits beyond the impact numbers. As a result of the project, many other trail groups expressed interest in gathering data on their own trails to better understand their users and make better investments. UConn Extension partnered with the Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments and received a $62,000 recreational trails grant from the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to expand the study to 15 other trails around the state, a project called the Connecticut Trail Census. 1 LetsGoCT. Connecticut’s Bold Vision for a Transportation Future. (2015). Retrieved November 15, 2016 at http://www.governor.ct.gov/malloy/lib/mal- loy/2015.02.18_CTDOT_30_YR_Vision.pdf Connecticut Trail Census A statewide multi-use trail user study and volunteer data collection program The Connecticut Trail Census is a statewide multi-use trail user study and volunteer data collection program on 15 multi-use trails. The goals are to understand when, who, how, and why people make use of Connecticut’s multi-use trails, educate leaders and gen- eral public about trails and their impacts, promote resident participation in monitor- ing, and encourage sound trail building and maintenance programs based on data. The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Recreational Trails Program funds the project, and partners include UConn’s Center for Land Use Education and Research, the Connecticut Greenways Council and the Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments. More information includ- ing volunteer information, interactive maps, and data can be found on at the program website: cttrailcensus.uconn.edu. “Many users walk or bike on the trail often enough to realize health benefits by reducing incidents of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer.” Photos courtesy of Aaron Budris, Naugatuck Valley Greenways. (also photo, page 2) 2016 HIGHLIGHTS OF EXTENSION 17 TOOLS & TRAINING