WEST WINDSOR — The Vermont Outdoor Recreation Economic Collaborative last week announced 24 recipients of VOREC grants. Upper Valley towns including Bethel, Randolph and Windsor will have hundreds of thousands of dollars at their disposal to improve outdoor recreation resources and access.
Ascutney Outdoors and West Windsor were awarded $262,088 to provide free equipment rentals for its children’s ski program, build a trail between the village and the mountain and construct new mountain bike trails in the ski area.
Randolph and the Vermont Huts Association, a nonprofit that works to build “a cohesive network of backcountry accommodations,” won $141,488 to complete a master planning process for the Velomont Trail. The proposed mountain-biking trail and hut-to-hut network would stretch from Canada to the state’s southern border.
The Vermont River Conservancy and the White River Partnership, a Royalton-based nonprofit, won $293,478 to improve access to whitewater on rivers in towns including Sharon.
Bethel was awarded $331,809 to plan and build a network of parks, greenways and multi-use trails.
The town will also upgrade trails and signage to improve accessibility.
Gov. Phil Scott established the VOREC Steering Committee by executive order in 2017 to both steward the state’s recreation assets and market recreation for economic growth.
In 2020, outdoor recreation contributed 3.7% to the state’s gross domestic product, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.
The state saw record-breaking participation in outdoor activities during the COVID-19 pandemic.