BY JANE MEGGITT
Staff Writer

COLTS NECK — Groups interested in establishing and strengthening trail systems need to think about "the big picture," a state official for Green Acres told the audience at the fourth annual Monmouth Conservation Foundation Greentable held recently.

The first step in establishing a trail is identifying trail needs and taking an inventory of the trail corridor, said Richard Osborn, the northwest team leader for the state Department of Environmental Protection’s Green Acres program.

The second step is enlisting public support and backing town officials and landowners, he said.

"Consult with other user groups," Osborn said. "There’s power in numbers."

Many trails are put together in partnership arrangements, with federal, state and local agencies, nonprofit land trusts, clubs and advocacy groups, he said.

There are various types of trail ownership, including fee simple — where the trail is owned outright — or easements, Osborn said.

Easements take several forms. Conservation easements preserve natural resources and prevent development. Farmland preservation protects farmland. Public access easements allow others onto the property, he said.

Easements may be granted in perpetuity, temporarily or as "floating." Floating easements allow public access to an area, though not necessarily to a specific area on the property, Osborn said.

It’s possible and even preferable for a trail to have multiple easements, he said.

The more easements on a trail, the less likely it is that all easement holders will someday give up their easement rights, said Osborn.

Municipalities may manage trail easements through their recreation commissions. Osborn recommended putting together volunteer groups for trail maintenance.

He also advised mapping out and marking the routes and connecting the trails to something when creating them.

Liability is often a major concern for landowners. The Landowners Liability Act works for both public and private owners, Osborn said.

The Millstone Trailblazers have already done much of what Osborn has recommended.

Trailblazers Chairman Rob Obusek said that his group has spent three years creating a trail system in their township.

The trail system has an equine focus, since most of the founding members were primarily interested in horseback riding. The Trailblazers are now looking at multiple uses on certain sections of their trails, he said.

"It’s a safe way to enjoy the natural beauty of the township, while supporting agriculture and recreation," Obusek said.

The group began by taking an inventory of key points of interest in the township, including the Assunpink Wildlife Management Area, the Charleston Spring Golf Course and the Wagner Farm Park, he said.

The overall goal was to create a trail linkage system between these points. The group also identified the largest tracts of privately owned land, as well as wetlands and viable routes. Horse properties were mapped out and the owners contacted, he said.

Then there were "endless meetings," recalls Obusek.

A trail system can make subdivisions into "farmettes" economically competitive with conventional development, he said.

"It attracts horse people with the trail connection," he said. "The value of the farmettes goes up."

The Trailblazers have incorporated for liability protections as a group and are in the process of getting their tax-deductible 501(c)(3) status, he said.

The Trailblazers have held several fund-raisers, including two dinner auctions that raised $22,000, Obusek said.

The group purchased markers and trail-clearing equipment with the money, added Obusek.

Creating trails is a "long-term process," he said.

"We’re not just preserving existing trails," said Trailblazers board member Audrey Ginolfi. "We’re making new ones as well."

Current and proposed trail systems in the state include the Capitol to Coast, the Crossroads of the American Revolution, the Highlands Trail, High Point to Cape May, and the Liberty State Park to the Water Gap Trail, Osborn said.