Groton – State and local officials will participate in a public forum Monday organized by a group working to create a 14-mile trail connecting Bluff Point State Park in Groton to Preston.

The panel discussion on "Reservoirs and Recreation: the Challenges and Opportunities in Developing Public Trails on Reservoir Lands" will take place at 7 p.m. at the Groton Senior Center on Route 117.

Panelists will include Paul Yatcko, director at Groton Utilities, which owns reservoir property through which the proposed trail would pass; Laurie Giannotti, trails and greenways coordinator for the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection; Eric Hammerling, executive director of the Connecticut Forest & Park Association, which oversees some 700 miles of blue-blazed recreational trails in the state; and Lori Mathieu, who heads the state Department of Public Health Drinking Water Section.

The association recently learned that the Federal Highway Administration, with the recommendation of he Connecticut Recreational Trails Advisory Committee, has approved the Town of Ledyard's application for a $128,000 grant that will help plan the trail and secure rights of way.

The trail would connect 4,000 acres of state and local open space, requiring only seven road crossings. Some 40 percent of the trail already exists, so the group just needs to obtain access from about 10 additional property owners.

For more information, visit www.tritowntrail.com.