Everyone seems to enjoy walking or biking on our local trails, especially our rail trails. I certainly do, often with my pup getting some needed exercise. We have more trails in and surrounding Kingston than ever before, with more coming. But there’s one aspect regarding local trails that I’ve returned to a number of times in my columns – the lack of economic integration with the local business economy. Not just a casual and associative relationship, but one that’s intentional and meaningful. Economic benefits are not just a nice side effect of trails. Big returns are promised in almost every trail proposal, and referred to by trail advocates as they tout new studies showing presumed economic impact. This is about asking: Where are the jobs associated with rail trails? Where is the trail-related tax revenue coming from to compensate for lost property taxes and potential development? What are trails return in comparison to other potential civic investments?

The other week I featured in my column local business Overlook Bicycles and its newest store in Kingston. Located just off an entrance to the Kingston-Hurley Connector Rail Trail, the synergies between a bicycle business and trail are obvious for all to understand. Located next to Overlook Bicycles, the Blue Duck Brewery also invites trail users to drop by for a bite and beverage – with an al fresco option no less. This business similarly demonstrates clear economic connectivity. But they are the exception, not the rule. We often hear trail advocates claim how trails bring in tourists as a financial justification for them. (As if we really want more tourists … ) Therefore, trails’ mere existence in our landscape justifies their presence – they’re just another part of our local scenery for the public and visitors to enjoy. But unlike rocks, mountains, birds and trees, trails need to be built, maintained and funded. By whom? By you. Federal, state and local grants and taxes, and some tax-deductible donations cover these costs.

For many years trail champions have sought to portray their economic impact as substantial as a way to encourage their support and further development. But frankly, none of the numbers from studies presented thus far seem all that impressive. They amount to what I call a “snack economy” – the equivalent of a sandwich, chips and water, i.e. $20. And even that business is by happenstance, not because any trail leads or prompts you to a local business for those snacks.

Yes, there are other important benefits to trails besides economic – the joy of walking in the woods, health benefits and open space. But the fact is, trail advocates themselves keep trying to portray, sometimes defensively, the trails as economic engines. By doing so, they set expectations that they are some kind of economic solution, versus others that could be explored or invested in. The most recent economic snapshot on trails, the Empire State Rail Trail Study, was prepared by the official-sounding non-profit advocacy group Parks & Trails New York.

When you dig deeper into the data of the Empire State Rail Trail Study, it actually illustrates that we still have a long way to go before trails can be cited as a serious local economic development engine, on par with say the local arts and culture sector (estimated at $814 million/year by Ulster County government). For those less than familiar, the Empire State Trail (EST) path in Ulster County runs from the Walkway over the Hudson, through Highland, New Paltz, up into Rosendale, then into Midtown Kingston along Greenkill Avenue, down Broadway to Kingston Point, into the Hutton Brickyards and Sojourner Truth State Park. It then runs along Flatbush Avenue/Route 32 and over the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge into Dutchess County. It runs through a mix of urban and mostly rural country in Ulster.

This study claims the Empire State Trail's annual statewide economic impact totaled $1.87 billion supporting almost 10,000 jobs. Sounds impressive, but its impact on a $2 trillion state economy with over 12 million working people remains tiny. And most of it is heavily concentrated in urban cores, like New York City, Westchester, Albany. The report also claims that Ulster’s economic impact totaled $74 million, out of a total county economy of $10 billion, or less than 1 percent. For a tourism-dependent local economy promoting its great outdoors, you might expect that to be higher. But still, the $74 million EST impact, as a percent of the county’s $1.2 billion tourism industry, accounts for around 6 percent of the total county tourism spend. Now that sounds better. Except that the numbers used to calculate the impact are, to put it mildly, vague if not specious. For one, it doesn’t account for the ongoing loss of tax revenue trail property might otherwise be paying. But more importantly, it’s how those numbers were calculated that are most problematic.

The economic impact of the Empire State Trail is based on using a standard statewide formula: including businesses located within a quarter mile of the trail. In Ulster, the study notes there are apparently 874 businesses within a quarter mile of the 32 miles of EST trail. It is obvious, to me anyways, that 874 businesses didn’t just recently sprout up because of a new trail. When I asked Dylan Carey, the director of policy and planning for Parks & Trails New York, for clarification by sharing the list of those 874 businesses to see which ones match trail-related business activity and those that didn’t, I was told no such list was available.

Carey explained, “The quarter-mile buffer was used to identify businesses that are sufficiently proximate to the trail that they may make investments intended to attract or accommodate trail users at their storefronts. Examples of these types of investments include bicycle racks, water fountains, bicycle repair stations, improved outdoor amenities, or potentially higher rents associated with locations that benefit from increased pedestrian and bicycle traffic. BF The 874 businesses identified within one-quarter mile of the trail in Ulster County were therefore considered in this context as businesses that could potentially experience or make trail-related investments. (Emphasis mine.) This analysis represents a subset of the broader economic impact assessment.”

Based on that logic, for example, Rondout Savings Bank, whose HQ resides next to the Greenline, could contribute to the economic impact of the trail because it might install an outdoor bench on its property, or even a bike rack. This is claimed as having an “economic impact.” To me, this is grasping at straws to justify an outcome.

One really important point that Carey mentions above is how trails encourage economic investment leading to “potentially higher rent.” Yes, you heard that right. The subjects of local affordability and trails are interconnected. It’s an insight all local real estate brokers know – rail trails, and trails in general are natural rural and urban gentrifiers. Brokers love them, and nearby trails are often highlighted in any house listing. Trails can really pump-up property values – by 3 to 23 percent nationally – and by extension, rents. It’s another nice thing that simultaneously pushes too many right out the door. This only makes the need for a better community return on trail investments all the more important. If they gentrify, they should work harder to uplift the economic potential for locals. But sadly, our local trail community seems to have little interest in such mundane matters as economic impact and integration.

From my brief online audit of local trail conservancy websites, I found almost no information to engage local business services into rail trail networks. While organizations like the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail and Kingston Greenline accept event inquiries, there is nothing obvious that directs the local business community on opportunities to connect with trail organizations or local municipalities. You want to set up a food truck at a trailhead? Good luck. Most trail organizations, like the Ashokan Rail Trail, flat out reject any business activities on their premises, and offer no guidance beyond their borders, such as where to get refreshment or find lodging.

It seems that for local trail managers, it’s all about a light-touch communion with nature, on par with a state park, minus the amenities. Most trails don’t have bathrooms, water fountains, bike racks, refreshments or eats. There are no signs for nearby lodging, restaurants or trail amenities. Some don’t even have signage on the street in order to find them (!), such as the truly “hidden gem” in Kingston, Red Fox Ravine trail in Wilbur. And forget WiFi or basic connectivity on many trails – “you WILL NOT get distracted from nature!” Visiting these trails is the opposite of Burger King’s slogan: You must “have it our way.” It seems as if non-profit trail conservancies can’t be seen shilling for local businesses. The appearance of association must be “too icky” for them. Yet they are happy to ask for business donations.

None of this is especially surprising since those involved in trail advocacy tend to be born out of enthusiasm for preservation and environmentalism, not local economic considerations. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Many rail trails around the nation actively interconnect local business with trails. Examples include the Winter Garden Florida trail that helped to revitalize an entire town, the Great Allegheny Passage in Pennsylvania and Maryland bringing fresh attention to an economically down-and-out region, and the Elroy-Sparta State Trail in Wisconsin, which fosters business life along its tunnels and trails. And the daddy of them all, the New York City High Line, has turbocharged the massive redevelopment of the entire Midtown Manhattan’s West Side and become the city’s top tourist attraction. Here in Ulster, I’d just be happy for a food truck at a trailhead.

Now that Ulster County has all these trails in place, it’s time to have a more balanced approach to leveraging these assets so they can finally generate those promised economic benefits. For example, the county government has a Trails Advisory Committee. As a major responsibility of the Committee, it “reviews the economic development, tourism and recreation benefits for Ulster County and communities along various [trail] routes.” But strangely, there is no business perspective included in the mandatory makeup of the committee. Not one. Its charter mandates having county legislators, hiking and biking advocates, trail community members, historical community representation, representatives from New York City and state agencies, other “local government officials,” etc. But nothing from a business perspective, such as a Chamber of Commerce representative. That should change, immediately. And this is just one local example of how our trail advocates seem to be operating in their own echo-chamber.

In addition to including some business-friendly perspectives into trail oversight, other ideas to build up our trail’s economic impact include: building trail-to-town spurs that provide safe connector paths linking the main trail directly to commercial business districts; enhancing wayfinding signage to include nearby food, lodging and repair shops; incorporating end-of-trail amenities such as bike racks, fix-it stands, water stations and public restrooms near business areas; introducing business engagement programs such as giving window decals or certifications to shops offering bike pumps, water refills or outdoor seating; partnering with local chambers of commerce to educate owners on trail-user demographics and spending habits; organize cooperative marketing by featuring local businesses on official trail maps, digital apps and interactive community websites; and filling service gaps by encouraging new or existing entrepreneurs to provide high-demand needs like bike rentals, cafes and lodging.

It's time our local trail organizations and community kick up their step in engaging with local business to pursue mutually beneficial ways that improve and augment these wonderful amenities. This doesn’t mean creating “South of the Border”-type roadside entertainments, but thoughtful, integrated, localized services that provide jobs, revenue and added opportunity that balance out any gentrifying effects.

Engaging with business isn’t about selling out. It’s simply a smarter way to help fund these fine assets. This will demonstrate that outdoor recreation isn’t just about being healthy and environmentally conscious, but makes smart economic sense as a sustainable long-term investment.