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The Gateway Guide is a quarterly newsletter all about Florida Trail Gateway Communities! You are receiving this email as a partner member of the Gateway Community program.
The Gateway Community Program invites hikers off the Florida Trail and into communities and community members onto the Trail. We are helping communities leverage the Trail as an economic and recreational resource all over the state.
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Save the date! This year the Florida Trail Association is very pleased to host the Partnership for the National Trail System (PNTS) Annual Workshop. We hope you will join us this year at the Florida Hotel and Conference Center in Orlando, Florida November 7-9, 2023.
We are working with PNTS and Host Committee Volunteers to plan three days of learning and collaboration to address succession planning, resiliency planning on trails, designing more inclusive trails, addressing trail gaps and land acquisition planning and partnerships, gateway communities, youth engagement, fundraising, tribal engagement, and more!
Planning for a full day of trail town/ gateway community sessions including guest speakers, workshops, and a field trip to nearby Gateway Community Oviedo is well underway.
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Help us recognize the amazing communities who particpate in the Gateway Community Program. This quarter we welcome a new community, Glades County and distributed the first ever Gateway Community Logo signage! | |
Glades County Commissioners and FTA Members at the Glades BOCC Meeting on June 26, 2023. From left to right are: FTA Gateway Community Coordinator, Hailey Dansby; FTA Glades/Hendry Chapter Chair, Margaret England; Glades County Commissioner, Donna Storter-Long; Glades County Commissioner, Tony Whidden; FTA Glades/Hendry Chapter member, Betty Loomis; Glades Board of County Commissioners Chair, Tim Stanley; Glades County Commissioner, Hattie Taylor; Glades County Commissioner, Jerry “Gator” Sapp; FTA Glades/Hendry Chapter member, Darlene Evans. Photo courtesy of Kate Adams, FTA Glades Hendry/ Chapter Trail Coordinator. | |
We welcome our newest Gateway Community, Glades County! Glades County encompasses 56 miles of the Florida Trail as it runs past the communities of Moore Haven, Lakeport, and Buckhead Ridge on the western side of Lake Okeechobee. Glades County is home to the serene and biodiverse Fisheating Creek, the only water source that flows freely into Lake Okeechobee. The county sponsors Chalo Nitka, one of Florida’s oldest annual festivals which celebrates local heritage and culture of the Seminole Tribe. Other annual festivals include the Honey Festival, Cane Grinding Festival, Sour Orange Festival, Catfish Festival, Brighton Field Days & Rodeo in the Seminole Reservation and Art in the Park in Moore Haven. Glades County is a vibrant and supportive Gateway Community for long distance and day hikers alike with several lodging, dining, and resupply options. We look forward to working with Glades County to establish passport stamps and install a Florida Trail kiosk! | |
Clewiston
In June, we distributed the first ever Gateway Community logo road sgn to the City of Clewiston. We joined FTA chapter members of Glades/ Hendry County along with Clewiston City Manager Randy Martin and Clewiston Museum Director Leah Woodham to display the sign at the city entrance. Stay tuned as we install more Gateway Community road signs throughout the state!
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This quarter we welcomed three new passport stamps to the Florida Trail Passport Program! Get ready for the cooler weather hiking season by purchasing your Florida Trail Passport from our online storefront. | |
The Santa Rosa County Tourist Development Office in Navarre Beach now hosts a Passport stamp. The visitor center is right on the water and surrounded by scenic Navarre Park. Restrooms, water fountains and picnic tables are open to the public. Stop by to learn more about attractions in Santa Rosa County. | |
Azalea City Brewing Company has joined the program and is officially Palatka's first Passport stamp. Enjoy some refreshing and unique beverages brewed locally in Palatka. Azalea City Brewing is a long time supporter of outdoor recreation in North Florida and we're excited to work with them! | |
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Bo-Lynn’s Grocery in St. Mark's has reopened after a two year hiatus! The store is hosting their very own Passport stamp. If you missed them last year, be sure to stop by this season for resupply, a quick homemade bite, and of course, to get your Passport stamped.
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Delight on Trail
Trail town practitioner Amy Camp speaks of economic and safety benefits from trail town and gateway community programs across the country, but she also reminds us to see the benefits that are harder to measure on the trail: delight. Let us meet here to reflect on a source of delight within the Gateway Communities program each quarter.
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I recently paid a visit to a Central Florida Gateway Community to meet with partners, circulate outreach materials, check on passport stamps and recruit new partners. Oviedo, pronounced Oh-vee-dough, sits on the outskirts of Orlando near Little Big Econ State Park. Here the Florida Trail follows along the edge of Oviedo, making it a great stop to grab some food and resupply. It is known for historic houses and buildings, as well as its population of chickens that roam the downtown area.
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The Seminole County Public Library East Branch is just a few steps away from the scenic Solary Park (which hosts Oviedo's Gateway Community Kiosk). Their outdoor space has a lovely resting place with benches, colorful stepping stones, and a kindness rock garden all under a lush canopy of oak trees. | |
After grabbing a gyro at Santorini Restaurant, I explored the antique malls in the Oviedo Shopping center and was greeted by the famous free range Oviedo chickens! The shopping center hosts a post office and is right off the Florida Trail as it joins the Cross Seminole Trail. | |
Strolling up Central Ave off the Trail, I had to check out the Artistic Hand, a quirky and welcoming shop filled to the brim with local art. The entire shop has so much character and is the perfect place to pick up a keepsake. They also offer art classes! Oviedo is welcoming and walkable community with so many delightful features. | |
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If you have a story about Florida Trail delight to share in the next newsletter, please get in touch!
Thanks for reading,
Hailey Dansby, FTA Gateway Community Coordinator
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