Friends Of The Chautauqua Greenway

In 2012, the Chautauqua County Department of Planning and Economic Development, along with dozens of stakeholders, developed a comprehensive Greenway Plan to expand trail and greenway development within the county. While some of the planned projects have been completed, others are still in the works.

The Sheldon Foundation awarded the Partnership for Economic Growth with a $25,000 grant to support the development of an organizational plan for the Friends of the Chautauqua County Greenways. In early 2022, Camoin Associates was hired and conducted several workshops and stakeholder interviews over the spring and summer months. The goal was to create an organizational structure for multiple recreational user groups to collaborate for the purpose of cooperation and leveraging financial resources, as well as create a sustainable organization that could continue developing the county’s trail system for years to come.

In late 2022, stakeholders, with support from the Chautauqua County Partnership for Economic Growth and Chautauqua Region Economic Development Corporation, launched the “Friends of Chautauqua County Greenways," (FCCG) as a collaborative group of dozens of individual groups working to advance trail development, recreation, and conservation efforts in Chautauqua County.  The “Friends” group will be working to achieve a unified approach for the purpose of cooperation, outreach, and fundraising to build upon Chautauqua County’s incredible trail and outdoor recreation assets. 

The Partnership for Economic Growth recently hired Jacob Bodway as Trails Coordinator to advance this effort, which will lead to further implementation of the County’s Greenway Plan and to further develop Chautauqua County as a mecca for outdoor recreation and active living. 

You can reach Jacob via email at BodwayJ.CTR@chqgov.com