Welcome to
The Trail Research Hub Digest |
|
|
A Note from Our Chair: Welcome to Volume 6 of Our Newsletter
Outreach: International Women's Mountain Bike Day Research Update: The Hydrocut Trails Economic Impact Study Outreach: Presentation in the ORCBC Webinar Series Education: Upcoming Partnered Course Delivery - Ruunaa Hiking Area (Finland) Research & Outreach:IGU Congress 2024 Special Session on Hiking Outreach: Upcoming Participations at the 2024 World Trails Conference Trail Research Hub Blog: Sharing Insights Between Newsletters |
|
|
A NOTE FROM OUR CHAIR
Welcome to Our New Subscribers! |
|
|
Kelsey Johansen, PhD Chair, the Trail Research Hub |
|
|
Hello and Welcome to the 6th Edition of the Trail Research Hub Digest, our bi-annual newsletter, where we share updates from across the Trail Research Hub's research, education, and outreach initiatives. Firstly, Happy #WomensMTB Day! Did you know that the first Saturday in May is International Women's Mountain Biking Day? You can learn more about it in the first part of this volume of our newsletter. Also in this volume, we discuss the launch of our latest research project 'The Hydrocut Trails Economic Impact Study', a multi-phase project underway in partnership with the Hydrocut Trails. Spoiler alert: we'd love your input Ontario Mountain Bikers (details on our survey below).
In case you missed our recent presentation as a co-panelist in the April 2024 Outdoor Recreation Council of British Columbia Webinar Series, we are pleased to share a brief summary, and link to the recording below. We wrap up the newsletter with an update on three upcoming education and outreach initiatives: a partnered university research project course being delivered in Fall 2024 with Ruunaa Hiking Area (Finland); the Special Session on Hiking in the Post-Pandemic Anthropocene at the 2024 IGU Congress (Dublin, August) and, our Community Liaisons' upcoming presentations at the 2024 World Trails Conference (Ottawa, September). At the end of the newsletter, please click on the link to share your thoughts about upcoming Blog posts and Blog post themes. Happy Trails, Kelsey |
|
|
OUTREACH
International Women's Mountain Biking Day! |
|
|
Kelsey Johansen, PhD
Chair, the Trail Research Hub |
|
|
Did you know that today is International Women's Mountain Biking Day?
International Women's Mountain Biking Day is celebrated annually on the first Saturday in May. It's a day for riders who identify as women to gather, experience, and share their stoke for mountain biking!
Women’s Mountain Biking Day originated from the 2018 IMBA UPRISING event— the International Mountain Biking Association (IMBA)'s first-ever women’s conference. Attendees were asked to share their best ideas for engaging more women in mountain biking. A day dedicated to women enjoying mountain biking with each other and encouraging fellow women to join them was dreamed up by Andree Sanders of Trips for Kids Metro New York. |
|
|
Women’s Mountain Biking Day is social media-driven. Organizations and individuals are encouraged to use the day as a catalyst for grassroots engagement, festivals, rides, awareness campaigns, and other activities to both celebrate and encourage women riding mountain bikes. You can participate in International Women's Mountain Biking Day events in your area, or by tagging your rides with #WomensMTBDay!
Find affiliated Women's Mountain Biking Day events in your area here. |
|
|
RESEARCH
The Hydrocut Trails Economic Impact Study |
|
|
Kelsey Johansen, PhD
Chair, the Trail Research Hub |
|
|
The Study's Partner Organizations |
|
|
The Hydrocut Trail system, located in Kitchener-Waterloo, is consistently ranked as the top mountain bike riding destination in Ontario (Singletracks.com, 2020). This free-to-use trail system is not only popular to local mountain bikers but is also recognized across Canada for its 35km of flowing singletrack trails that offer an incredible experience for a diverse range of riding interests and rider skills.
To support the development of mountain biking and cycle tourism in Kitchener-Waterloo, including innovation within the Hydrocut Trails, a greater understanding of the existing local and non-local demand for mountain biking in the Waterloo Region is needed, as is an understanding of the current local and non-local rider profiles and associated market segments, and their economic impacts, as well as the economic impacts generated by trail building, and maintenance by the Hydrocut Trails Committee. This Hydrocut Trail Economic Impact Study and Trail User Research Project will therefore: Define the current local versus non-local Hydrocut Ridership profiles, riding and spending patterns, and market segments through the development and implementation of a trail user survey and by analyzing trail count data for a five-year period; Foster an understanding the trail tourism destination development needs of its market segments based on information gathered from the trail user survey and secondary data sources; and, Determine the current and projected future economic impacts of the Hydrocut trail system for the Waterloo Region.
The project's phases and timeline is detailed below. |
|
|
As a key part of this study, on May 1st, 2024 we launched our Hydrocut Trail User Survey. If you are 18 years of age or older and either a) a regular Hydrocut Trail user, or b) a Mountain bikers living in Southern Ontario, Canada, please consider taking our survey. When you complete the Hydrocut Trails Mountain Biking Survey, you can choose to provide your email address and be entered into a the draw for a chance to win 1 of 3 $100 Hydrocut Merchandise Gift Certificates. We appreciate your time and input! |
|
|
If you're a mountain biker in Ontario, particularly in Waterloo Region,
please click on the image above to take our survey! |
|
|
If you're interested in staying up to date on this project, please visit our Project Webpage where we will be posting project updates, including infographics, and summaries of our project's findings. |
|
|
OUTREACH
The Trail Research Hub presents in the Outdoor Recreation Council of BC's April Webinar |
|
|
Kelsey Johansen, PhD
Chair, the Trail Research Hub |
|
|
ORCBC Webinar Series Event Poster |
|
|
While building off of those two publications, the webinar focused on how volunteer organizations working in partnership with staff from private land owners, parks and various levels of government power recreation in B.C. The three-part panel focused on applying new science to create more productive partnerships between volunteers and land managers.
Danish recreation researcher Dr. Evald Bundgaard Iversen, Associate Professor Sport Management and Sports Policy, University of Southern Denmark, presented the results of his co-authored study into the motivations of volunteer trail builders and their interactions with land managers; Dr. Kelsey Johansen, Chair of the Trail Research Hub, and Postdoctoral Research at the University of Eastern Finland, put the research into a Canadian context and provided takeaways for land managers and volunteer groups; and, Kevin Eskelin, Regional Recreation Manager, Southern Interior East Region for Recreation Sites and Trails BC (RSTBC) shared about the extent that RSTBC works with volunteer groups, how it manages its partnerships and the importance and role of those partnerships to RSTBC.
|
|
|
If you missed the webinar, you can watch the recording here. Additionally, if you are looking for additional resources, you can check out several of our related Blog Posts on 'The Value of Research for Trails' , 'Trails, Social Enterprise, and Collective Impact: Insights from the Literature', 'Performance Measurement: How to Collect Data that Matters!', 'Recreation Ready or Tourism Ready: What Carrying Capacity Has to Do With It' or 'Transformative Placemaking, Regenerative Tourism, and Trails' or you are welcome to submit a specialized information request through our Contact Us form. |
|
|
EDUCATION
Upcoming Partnered Course Delivery -
Ruunaa Hiking Area (Finland) |
|
|
Kelsey Johansen Chair, the Trail Research Hub |
|
|
While working in Finland on her Postdoctoral Research Project, our Chair Kelsey will be collaborating on the development and delivery of a Project Course with colleagues at the University of Eastern Finland's Tourism Business Research Group and our industry partners at Metsähallitus | Parks & Wildlife Finland. This course will be delivered in Fall 2024 to students enrolled in the Master's Degree Programme in Tourism Marketing and Management. The Project Work in Tourism - Metsähallitus: Ruunaa Hiking Area Course will run from October to December 2024 and will be delivered using a combination of on-site learning, field trips, and remote instruction via MS Teams. The course will provide students with an opportunity to work in small peer groups to explore the strategies and considerations involved in enhancing the attractiveness of the Ruunaa Hiking Area, a small nature-based tourism destination, for potential investors. |
|
|
Project Work in Tourism - Metsähallitus: Ruunaa Hiking Area Course Partners |
|
|
Located in Lieksa, North Karelia, Finland, Ruunaa Hiking Area was established in 1987 and is a 32 km² area managed Metsähallitus | Parks & Wildlife Finland, the Finnish state-owned enterprise that manages and protects state-owned land and water areas in Finland sustainably while reconciling the different goals of owners, customers and other stakeholders under the auspices of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. The trails in Ruunaa Hiking Area are a dream come true to hikers and mountain bikers. The trail network in the area covers almost 60 km of well-marked trails. Nature trail Närelenkki (2 km) at Neitikoski and the short Siikakoski trails (3 and 5 km) are suitable for families. Visitors looking for more of a challenge can opt for the Vastuuniemi Trail (11 km), Neitijärvi Trail (22 km), or the Koskikierros Trail (31 km). Ruunaa’s trails connect to the Karhunpolku Trail, which runs from Patvinsuo National Park to the Kuhmo border in Teljo. |
|
|
Map of Ruunaa Hiking Area, including Trails and Other Supporting Infrastructure
© Metsähallitus 2023 |
|
|
By examining the unique challenges and opportunities faced by such destinations, students in the Project Work in Tourism - Metsähallitus: Ruunaa Hiking Area Course will gain insights into the factors that contribute to successful investment in the context of sustainable nature-based tourism.Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to: Understand and explain the procedures of a project, from planning to final reporting, Utilize basic project management tools, plan, schedule, implement, report, and monitor a business-related project, Adjust to challenges of strict schedules while engaging in collaborative problem solving with peers, and Take and share responsibilities.
In turn, our partners at Metsähallitus | Parks & Wildlife Finland will benefit from being able to customize the course work deliverables to meet the orgnaization's research needs. This course parallel's the design and delivery of our Ontario Trails ICD Projects completed in 2021 by students enrolled in the undergraduate Introduction to Tourism and Advanced Tourism Development courses at the University of Waterloo.
|
|
|
If you're interested in staying up to date on this course and its' assoicated project outputs, please visit our Course Webpage where we will be posting updates, including infographics, and summaries of our collaborate research project's findings. |
|
|
RESEARCH AND OUTREACH
IGU Congress 2024 Special Session on
Hiking in the Post-Pandemic Anthropocene |
|
|
Kelsey Johansen, PhD Chair, The Trail Research Hub |
|
|
As a part of the 2024 International Geographic Union Congress being held between August 24th and 30th in Dublin, our Chair Kelsey Johansen is leading the coordination of a Special Session on 'The Geographies and Mobilities of Hiking in the Post-Pandemic Anthropocene' along with Dr. Tim Harms, Prof. Dr. Markus Pillmayer, Prof. Dr. Marius Mayer and Christian Eilzer. The session is sponsored by the IGU Commission on Tourism, Leisure and Global Change and presenters will have the opportunity to convert their presentations into either a reearch note, or (conceptual or applied) research paper for inclusion in a forthcoming special issue of the Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism. |
|
|
We have had a wonderful response to our ealier call for papers, and the Special Session will be comprised of 9 presentations on topics ranging from: |
|
|
human-nature connections and hiking, connecting to the more-than-human world through hiking; embodied hiking experiences; hiking experiences and destination development and marketing; innovative technology in trail tourism and recreation product development and marketing, including AR and VR experiences; technology enhanced wayfinding systems; and, using technology to document visitor behaviour and crowding and support risk management and visitor safety.
|
|
|
As mentioned above, presenters in this Special Session have beene invited to submit full manuscripts to be published in a Special Issue of the Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism being coordinated by Dr. Kelsey Johansen, Dr. Tim Harms, Prof. Dr. Markus Pillmayer, Prof. Dr. Marius Mayer and Christian Eilzer. |
|
|
Cover of the Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism |
|
|
This Special Issue will be published Open Access, with the release scheduled for World Take a Hike Day in November 2025. |
|
|
OUTREACH SUMMARY
The Members of the Trail Research Hub to
participate in the World Trails Conference 2024 |
|
|
Kirsten Spence Researcher / Community Liaison (Ontario) with the Trail Research Hub |
|
|
Jane McCulloch Researcher / Community Liaison (Atlantic Canada) with the Trail Research Hub |
|
|
This Fall, our Community Liaisons Kirsten Spence (Ontario) and Jane Mc Culloch (Atlantic Canada), will be presenting at the 2024 World Trails Conference which will be held September 30th to October 3rd, 2024 in Ottawa. The 2024 World Trails Conference will focus on connecting people, places and the planet with the aim of exploring the profound bonds that link humanity to the natural world and develop a new understanding of how our trails impact the environment, communities and each other. The World Trails Conference is a global gathering of trail experts, trail managers and builders, trail destinations, enthusiasts and academics, who meet every two years to share knowledge, network and ensure the benefits trails offer society continue to be sustainable and supported around the world. |
|
|
The World Trails Conference is Coming to Ottawa September 30th to October 3rd 2024 |
|
|
This year's theme of connecting people, places and the planet encourages a holistic perspective and celebrates the intricate web of connections that shape our trails. The conference program will offer three thematic tracks:
Climate and Nature: Delve into the essential intersection of human activity and the environment, addressing the pressing concerns of climate change, biodiversity loss, and the imperative for sustainable practices.
Regenerative Tourism: Uncover the transformative potential of tourism as a catalyst for positive change, focusing on revitalizing communities, nurturing art and culture, and harnessing technology to enhance the visitor experience.
Resilient Trails Sector: Explore how diverse participation, community collaboration and innovative operational models contribute to a thriving trail sector, with a strong emphasis on education, inclusion and knowledge sharing. |
|
|
Our Community Liaisons, Kirsten Spence (Ontario) and Jane McCulloch (Atlantic Canada) will be at the 2024 World Trails Conference, representing the Group of Seven Lake Superior Trail and the Canadian Trails Federation / Terminus Consulting, respectively. Kirsten will be a co-panelist on the 'Explore the Trails of Canada' General Session sstarting at 4pm on October 2nd, 2024. Jane will be leading a pre-conference best practice trail journey and will be presenting with alongside the trail tourism task team as a part of the Break Out Session on 'Revenue Generation and Collaborative Impact Models, Discussing the intersections of Tourism and Trails' from 10:30am on October 2nd, 2024. If you are interested in attending the 2024 World Trails Conference, you can check out evolving program here, or register here. |
|
|
TRAIL RESEARCH HUB BLOG
Sharing Insights between Newsletters |
|
|
Kelsey Johansen, PhD Chair, The Trail Research Hub |
|
|
We publish our newsletter twice yearly, in November and May, roughly marking the transition between the winter trail season and non-winter trail seasons in the Northern Hemisphere.
Between newsletters, we publish posts on our Blog at https://www.trailresearchhub.com/hub-blog. Blog Posts span a range of topics range, and include two ongoing Blog Posts Series 'The Value of Research for Trails' and 'Article Breakdowns' as well as summaries of our in-progress research, education, and outreach work, and discussions of emerging issues relevant to trails professionals.
In our Blog Post Series on The Value of Research for Trails', we discuss how to leverage research to support evidence-based decision making in non-profit trail organizations, regional, provincial / territorial and federal trail advocacy groups, and government departments with trails mandates. In our 'Article Breakdown' Blog Series, we breakdown academic trail studies and dicuss how their findings can be applied to the development and delivery of trails in Canada. We also have an archive of our past Blog Posts, Newsletters, Publications, and Media where you can read our curated collection of thematic posts, as well as posts on trail towns, COVID-19 impacts on trails, trail planning, trail tourism development, community and industry engagement, read previous newsletters, access copies of our publications and other outputs, view past media and webinar appearances, and more... To help us have the widest impact, and generate the greatest benefit, we are also looking for your insights into topics of interest to members of the Canada trail community. If there is a Blog topic you would like us to cover, please click on the link below to submit your suggestion(s) or email us at info@trailresearchhub.com. |
|
|
|
|
