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JOHNSON CITY, TN - Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation’s Greenways and Trails program will hold its annual forum at East Tennessee State University April 2 – 4, 2009, which will be hosted by Johnson City and the Commissioner’s Council on Greenways and Trails.

The three-day networking and skill-building conference, titled “Connect with Tennessee,” will be held at ETSU’s D. P. Culp Center in Johnson City and will feature expert presenters from across the country in addition to a variety of diverse field trips and educational sessions.  Educational sessions will include topics such as, improving community health through greenways and trails, the economic impact of greenways and trails on local communities, Off-Highway Vehicle park development, funding and technical resources, historic trails, and long-range planning utilizing the new Greenways and Trails statewide plan. 
 
Dan Burden, founder of Walkable Communities, Inc., will serve as the keynote speaker on April 3.  Nationally recognized as the authority on the development and promotion of alternative transportation and sustainable communities, Burden has thirty years’ experience as a civic innovator and is recognized for his efforts to create better places to live, work and play. 
 
The registration fee will remain at $75 for full access to the event, including educational sessions, one of three exciting field trips, a Thursday evening reception at the Tipton Haynes Historic Site, and lunch on Friday and Saturday. 
 
More information on the “Connect with Tennessee” forum, including a list of speakers, an official event brochure, event sponsors and registration forms is available at: www.tn.gov/environment/recreation/#gtforum.  A program schedule is attached for your review. 
 
The annual forum also kicks off Greenways and Trails statewide “Connect with Tennessee” marketing campaign, designed to promote the use of Tennessee’s outstanding greenways and trails.  To access the Greenways and Trails Web site and the new statewide plan, please visit: www.tn.gov/environment/recreation/greentrails.shtml.