The Legislature further finds that, with the cooperation of private landowners, there is an opportunity to provide trail-oriented recreation facilities primarily on private property in the Ohio River valley terrain of western counties in West Virginia and the northern panhandle of West Virginia and that the facilities will provide significant economic and recreational benefits to the state and to the communities in the Ohio River valley terrain of western counties in West Virginia and the northern panhandle of West Virginia through increased tourism in the same manner as whitewater rafting, snow skiing, and utility terrain motor vehicle riding benefit the state and communities surrounding those activities.

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The Legislature further finds that the creation and empowering of a joint development entity to work with the landowners, county officials and community leaders, state and federal government agencies, recreational user groups, adjacent neighboring states and counties, and other interested parties to enable and facilitate the implementation of the facilities will greatly assist in the realization of these potential benefits.

The purpose of this article is to provide additional opportunities and regulatory authorization for recreational trail networks and to provide for increased access to recreational areas, including, but not limited to, creating a contiguous trail system that connects to the Mountaineer Trail Network Recreation Authority and any other trails in adjacent neighboring states that can be feasibly connected.