About the Conference

The health and happiness of people across Massachusetts depend on the accessibility and quality of our green infrastructure – our natural resources, recreational facilities, and great historic landscapes.

The Massachusetts Trails Conference is hosted by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) in partnership with the Massachusetts Recreational Trails Advisory Board (MARTAB) with funding provided by the Recreational Trails Program. 
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The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), an agency of the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, oversees 450,000 acres of parks and forests, beaches, watersheds, dams, and parkways, including over 3,500 miles for woodland trails, and over 200 miles of paved multi-use paths and rail trails. Led by Commissioner Leo Roy, the agency’s mission is to protect, promote, and enhance our common wealth of natural, cultural, and recreational resources for the well-being of all. To learn more about DCR, our facilities, and our programs, please visit www.mass.gov/dcr. Contact us at mass.park@state.ma.us.
 
The Massachusetts Recreational Trail Advisory Board (MARTAB) is a volunteer board, appointed by the DCR Commissioner through the Director of DCR’s Recreational Trails Program. As an independent entity, it provides advice to DCR staff on issues and projects of importance to the trail community. It represents every major trail user group from motorized users to on-motorized users and seeks to promote a cooperative, practical approach to solving trail issues. It’s most important function is to make recommendations to the Commissioner on the distribution of the federal Recreational Trails Program (RTP) funds that come to each state form the US Department of Transportation. MARTAB also sponsors educational workshops and the Massachusetts Statewide Trail Conference to improve the skills, experience and networking of the many individuals working to enhance our trail network within the Commonwealth.