A county trails advisory committee wants to hear from local citizens about a multi-use trail system at a community meeting on Wednesday, March 21.

The meeting will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Flathead County Fairgrounds Expo Building.

The Flathead County PATHS (People, Athletics, Travel, Health and Safety) Advisory Committee led a collaborative effort to develop the initial trail plan in 2008 and now is in the throes of creating an interactive countywide map of trails in the Flathead Valley and updating the county’s 2010 trail plan.

More than two-dozen stakeholders have been meeting monthly since July 2017 to update and build on the plan that took shape a decade ago as directed in the county’s 2007 growth policy. The trail plan creates a continuous network of pathways that connect residential areas, schools, parks, public lands, commercial centers and community-event centers.

The county maintains about 22 miles of trail.

A goal for the plan update is to inventory existing trails and identify needs for future trails. But the update also will better define the nuances of trail maintenance, such as which trails need more care. Some trails, such as those that run in front of area schools, need more intensive maintenance such as snowplowing, according to Flathead County Parks Director Jed Fisher.

“Public input is critical to help direct future development of local trail systems, Kalispell Convention & Visitor Bureau Director Diane Medler said in a press release.

Medler told the Daily Inter Lake is an earlier interview that “through the tourism lens” a countywide trail system that offers connectivity is a drawing card for visitors.

“As Glacier [becomes more] overcrowded, this will be a great tool to get visitors beyond the park,” Medler said, noting the importance of a four-season trail system for multiple user groups.

In addition to the community meeting, residents are encouraged to provide input about how they use trails via an online survey at http://bit.ly/flatheadcountytrailsurvey.