Park Visitors

As visitors stroll (or ski!) across the bridge at the entrance to Mills Riverside Park (MRP), beautiful scenery, paths through open meadows and trails through the woods await. The 216 acres of parkland are made possible through funding from the towns of Jericho and Underhill, the Jericho Underhill Land Trust, private donations and funding grants. Grant funding applications require usage data, and that is one of several reasons why Mills Riverside Park counts visitors.  

In early 2025, the Park District replaced an aging people counter at our bridge entrance with improved technology that is more accurate and reliable, and provides better visibility to trends and patterns in park visits. In addition the Board added more counter coverage to gain insight into trail usage within the park.

WHY does Mills Riverside Park use people counters?

Actual park usage data is critical to our grant-writing and park funding efforts. Convincing State and Federal Government agencies to invest in the future of our park is a competitive process, and counter data feeds metrics-based decision-making. The Park District has won funding grants through ARPA and through the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation using visitor count data to demonstrate the impact of the funding. Those grants fund trail maintenance projects and infrastructure improvements. The new counters also help the Park District’s Board of Trustees to identify trends in use, which can help to inform park priorities.

WHAT are the counters?

MRP uses TRAFx Infrared Trail Counters and DataNet reporting software. This counter detects and counts people (hikers, joggers, cyclists, horseback riders, skiers and snowshoers) on trails. It continually monitors the amount of infrared energy within its field of view and when there is a significant change from the ambient amount, it records a count. This system is in use from Alaska to Australia, and these counters are built for our weather extremes: -40C (-40F) to +55C (131F). They have very low operating costs and maintenance requirements - batteries can last up to 10 years - and a large storage capacity, holding millions of counts. What the counter is NOT:  It is not a camera, it is simply tracking changes in infrared energy.

HOW does the Park District use the data from our counters?

In addition to applying for grants, park and trail usage data demonstrate the importance of MRP to our community, improving health through the many outdoor recreation activities available, environmental stewardship of our Riparian/Agricultural zone and the Forest/Trails/Wildlife zone, and providing educational opportunities for schools and organizations in our neighborhoods. Many park visitors come from other towns, states and even other countries, bringing additional economic activity to our community as well.

In summary, the people counters at Mills Riverside Park are a durable, reliable and low-maintenance source of actual park usage data that assist the Park District Board of Trustees in securing funding to sustain and improve our park. The associated DataNet reporting software helps us to answer questions like:

• What is the busiest day of the week at the park?
• What are the busiest times of day?
• What are the best days and times for scheduling maintenance at the park?

More Questions? Please reach out to the Park District Board of Trustees.