The Georgetown Trails Foundation’s Mission to Connect Community and Nature
Q&A with Aaron Zandler, vice-president of the Georgetown Trails Foundation
What inspired the founding of the Georgetown Trails Foundation?
We were founded by several citizens who saw the potential for natural surface trails in the many green spaces around the city. Most of us are mountain bikers, hikers, and trail runners, and we saw the possibilities in unused areas as we used the existing paved path system all around the city. We have traveled to other cities that have robust trail systems and realized building this in conjunction with an established paved system is a win for all. Fun Fact: We were officially founded around a fire pit in the backyard of a member’s backyard.
What need ARE You addressing in the community?
Getting more people outside! Not only do we address the need for more easily accessible physical activities, there is also a notable impact on mental health and overall accessibility of the community. Our goal is to connect the city’s sidewalks, parks and other areas via natural surface trails. There is also a low cost of entry to use trails — nothing more than a pair of shoes to go for a hike!
What impact DO YOU FEEL the foundation HAS had?
We’ve significantly enhanced previously neglected or unused areas in town. Not only do we do trash/debris pickup in those spaces, we remove invasives and do ongoing maintenance to ensure safety. As mentioned above, the most positive impact is more people outside enjoying our beautiful rivers and green spaces.
What is your favorite part about being involved?
Personally, I like the part of taking something new and seeing it grow. This isn’t just about building dirt paths in the woods. It takes significant community buy-in and planning on our part. I appreciate that aspect as much as I enjoy being in the woods and seeing a trail take shape due to sweat equity. They are equally rewarding.
We started with a blank slate and now have more than 10 miles of fresh single track all over town. Users are coming in from other cities and states to use them and seeing how far we can take this has been beyond rewarding. Plus, a national trail running race was held on trails we built and the feedback from everyone using them has been extremely positive.
Could you talk about your community involvement?
We work closely with the City of Georgetown, Southwestern University, Georgetown Health Foundation and other entities. We host community work days to help build and maintain the trails and have also hosted volunteer days for SU students and corporations looking to get involved in our efforts.
Our board members participate on the local Parks and Rec committee and we have also hosted free skills clinics for NICA mountain bike teams. Plus, we have weekly rides for riders at levels where we attempt to get more people on bikes on our trails.
ANY upcoming projects OR volunteer opportunities?
We have community work days coming up on the first Sunday November and December. More info can be found on our website or Instagram page.
How can people get involved and learn more?
Visit our website GTXTrails.org and sign up for our newsletter or check us out on Instagram @gtxtrails.