State revising water and land trails maps

By Deborah Buckhalter

Published: July 2, 2008

Florida is updating the maps that guide visitors to ecotourism opportunities in the state, and on Wednesday the Department of Environmental Protection hosted a meeting in Jackson County to get some local input on the changes. With only five such meetings planned across the state, officials from several other surrounding counties were in attendance as well as representatives of the immediate local community.
DEP representatives had met earlier this year with county officials, like Jackson County Parks and Recreation Director Chuck Hatcher, for more formal talks about what in Jackson County should be included on the paddling trail opportunity map for canoists and other low-impact boaters, and what should be included on the multi-use opportunity map for hikers and others traveling on land.
With gasoline prices escalating, the multi-use trails may become more important routes for alternatives forms of transportation like bicycles, state representatives said, and there is keen interest in making these sites more visible for the benefit of the general traveling public in a given region as well as for ecotourism.
Inclusion on the recreational trail maps can help make a site eligible for state funding for development of recreational facilities like boat ramps or docks, and other amenities that make the areas more user-friendly.
Some changes to the Jackson County portion of the map were suggested in the earlier talks, and more may be forthcoming, Hatcher said.
Few specific changes were discussed at the meeting Wednesday, but one suggestion made by resident Chad Taylor got positive feedback from Hatcher and the DEP representatives.
Taylor said he’d like to see the upper Chipola River included on the map, and specifically a large an area currently managed by the Northwest Florida Water Management District.
See more on the trails story in an upcoming edition of the Floridan.