BY PHILL BARNETT
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
The First Frontier Appalachian Trails board of directors met Thursday to discuss progress toward establishing a public riding trail system throughout eastern Kentucky.
Known officially as the Kentucky Mountain Regional Recreation Authority and created by the Kentucky Legislature in 2017, the authority comprises 19 Kentucky counties.
The group began signing land agreements with private owners last fall.
“We continue to press forward,” said FFAT Executive Director Scott Smith. “We knew from the get-go that obtaining the agreements would probably be the most difficult thing we would have to deal with. Which it is.”
Smith says folks are skeptical of having strangers on their property and of trusting FFAT, a relatively new organization.
Despite hesitations, Smith and other board members say they are in the final stages of securing numerous agreements throughout the 19 counties.
Private landowners in Johnson and Floyd counties have already signed agreements. The Floyd and Clay County fiscal courts have agreed to let FFAT establish and reestablish trails on unused public land.
The FFAT board consists of community representatives from the constituent counties, who have seen increases in local business related to private trail advancements as the FFAT has been gearing up.
“And this is before we’re even selling permits,” said Smith, referring to rider permits, which will be sold to tourists to raise funds for the trail system.
FFAT plans to sell permits once the trail system has been more thoroughly developed.
“It’s hard to put a timeframe right now, but when we have 250 trails mapped and ready in the area, we’ll begin selling permits,” said Smith. “Counties that have trail clubs and things like that have been very helpful to us with maps. We probably have close to 1,000 miles mapped.”
Residents should expect riding trails in the area to be improved and developed as FFAT continues to press onward. According to Smith, the team will begin by renovating those trails entering the system already being used more heavily.
The board meets every fourth Thursday. They plan to hold the April meeting in Magoffin County and the May meeting in Martin County.