February 13, 2025

Your Trail, Your Forests, and the Future of Federal Funding

 

Dear CFPA Community,

We want to update you on recent government actions and how they affect the places you love—our trails, forests, outdoor education programs, and the land we manage.

As a nonprofit partner of the National Park Service (NPS) and U.S. Forest Service (USFS), CFPA receives Federal funding support to care for the trails and forests you love. These funds support essential work—maintaining trails, training volunteers, providing safety equipment, building bridges, and educating future stewards of our natural world.

While it’s been reported that the federal funding freeze has been lifted, our funding from these programs remains uncertain.

Why does this matter?

Funding supports essential staff at the NPS and the USFS who administer grants that are critical to key initiatives at CFPA, including the New England National Scenic Trail (NET), the Master Woodland Manager program, and Project Learning Tree educator workshops. If these agencies are cut, it will jeopardize both these programs and the land they protect.

What’s at stake?

  • New England Trail (NET): CFPA manages and maintains 137 miles of the National Scenic Trail in CT, ensuring safe, healthy, and accessible outdoor experiences for all.
  • Master Woodland Manager (MWM) Program: This award-winning program has helped protect over 61,000 acres of wild spaces in CT by training landowners and managers to make informed decisions that benefit forests, wildlife, and communities.
  • Project Learning Tree (PLT): An internationally acclaimed environmental education program helping students explore nature through forests and trees, offering educators hands-on activities, lesson plans, and resources for meaningful outdoor experiences.

These initiatives unite people from all walks of life and have long been a bipartisan priority. But we cannot afford to wait—our forests, trails, and outdoor education programs depend on it. Please stand with us now to protect these critical programs.

More updates and action steps to come soon.

Together for Connecticut’s outdoors,

Laurie Giannotti, CFPA Board President
Andy Bicking, Executive Director