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Protecting Trails in 2018: Five Ways We Mobilized in Communities This Year

Posted 11/15/18 by Amy Kapp, Brandi Horton in America's Trails, Building Trails, Policy, Taking Action, Success Stories, Health and Wellness | Tagged with Baltimore Greenway Trails Coalition, BATC, Best Of, Case Studies, Community Events, Corridors and Railbanking, Demand for Trails, Disparities and Underserved Communities, Federal, Funding, Health and Active Living, IHTC, Legal Issues, Local Organizing, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rock Island, Route of the Badger, RTC in Action, State and Federal Programs, Success Stories, Tourism , Tourism and Economic Development, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Businesses, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, TrailNation, TrailsTransform, Transportation and Health, Urban Pathways, Walkability and Bikeability, Washington, Wisconsin

Baltimore, Maryland | Photo by Side A Photography

All across the country—from the great redwoods of California, to the trestles of Missouri, to the stream valleys and neighborhoods of Baltimore, Maryland—Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) and the national trail community put itself on the front lines to protect and defend trails in 2018. Here are five ways we mobilized in communities this year.

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Flint Hills Trail State Park | Photo courtesy Kansas Tourism

Kansas’ Flint Hills Trail State Park

Posted 11/13/18 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Demand for Trails, Federal, Funding, Health and Active Living, Heritage and Restoration, History Happened Here, Kansas, Local Organizing, RTC in Action, State and Federal Programs, Tourism , Tourism and Economic Development, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Businesses, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month, Walkability and Bikeability

Nestled into the gentle greens and golds of a vast prairie, rolling under leafy branches arched overhead like cathedral rooftops, and connecting small towns with friendly Midwestern charm, the Flint Hills Trail State Park proves there’s no place like Kansas.

Sharp and Stockholm Streets rendering | Courtesy Toole Design Group

Baltimore Greenway Trails Network Lands $250,000 Federal Grant to Close Key Trail Gap

Posted 10/04/18 by Jim Brown, Avery Harmon in America's Trails | Tagged with Baltimore Greenway Trails Coalition, Design Strategies, Federal, Funding, Maryland, Trail Communities, TrailNation, TrailsTransform, Urban Pathways

The Maryland Department of Transportation (DOT) announced that a total of more than $17 million will go toward improvements to bicycle and pedestrian safety and connectivity across the state. This is great news for Maryland and for Baltimore’s trail vision. Included in the announcement was a $250,000 grant awarded to the City of Baltimore DOT to support the development of a key segment of the Baltimore Greenway Trails Network, located along the Middle Branch of the Patapsco River between the Gwynns Falls Trail and Baltimore’s Inner Harbor!

2018 Doppelt Family Rail-Trail Champions Award ceremony | Photo by Hung Tran

Central Author of Historic Trail Legislation Named 2018 Doppelt Family Rail-Trail Champion

Posted 09/27/18 by Amy Kapp in America's Trails, Policy, Taking Action, Success Stories, Building Trails | Tagged with Champions, Demand for Trails, Federal, History Happened Here, Rail-Trail Champion

One of the most important moments in the history of the rail-trail movement happened behind the scenes, with little fanfare or notice, when National Park Service (NPS) staffer Peter Raynor drafted an invaluable piece of legislation in just a few words.

The Chief Ladiga Trail in Alabama travels along and over Terrapin Creek. | Photo by Tom Dulaney

The State of Funding for Trails, Walking and Biking: A Mixed Bag

Posted 09/13/18 by Leeann Sinpatanasakul in Policy, America's Trails | Tagged with Demand for Trails, Facts and FIgures, Federal, Funding

Since the program’s inception in 1991, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy has been monitoring how these funds have been invested and the projects that have been built. Each year, the results are published in RTC’s Transportation Alternatives Spending Report. The most recent report was just released, summarizing how states used Transportation Alternatives funding in 2017.

Rails-to-Trails State Policy Mid-Year Recap: What’s Happening

Posted 07/11/18 by Andrew Dupuy, Brian K. Housh in Policy, America's Trails | Tagged with Baltimore Greenway Trails Coalition, BATC, California, Capital Trails Coalition, Connected Systems, Florida, Funding, IHTC, Maryland, Miami LOOP, Minnesota, Ohio, State and Federal Programs, Trail Communities, TrailNation, TrailsTransform

With a majority of our states’ legislatures having adjourned for the year (or not meeting at all in 2018), let’s take a look at how Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) has recently supported trails, walking and biking through its work in America’s state capitols, particularly this past spring. The news is good: States continue to increase their commitments to connecting healthy, thriving communities through enhanced networks of safe trails, bike lanes and walking paths.

Maryland's WB&A Trail

Posted 06/13/18 by Laura Stark in America's Trails, Health and Wellness, Trail Use | Tagged with Best Of, Capital Trails Coalition, Connected Systems, District Of Columbia, Encouraging Trail Use, Federal, Funding, Local Organizing, Maryland, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month, TrailNation, Walkability and Bikeability

The stars seem aligned for Maryland’s WB&A Trail, a straightforward, 13-mile pathway—beautiful in its simplicity and surroundings—that is rapidly becoming a key connector in a growing movement to improve walking and biking options in the Mid-Atlantic region. Linking Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Annapolis by a continuous, safe and scenic trail system is not just a pipe dream—it’s actually happening, and the WB&A Trail has an important place in that vision.

Elizabeth River Trail | Photo by TrailLink user krmurphy

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy Reflects on Its 32nd Year As America’s Voice for Trails

Posted 06/12/18 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in America's Trails, Building Trails, Success Stories | Tagged with Baltimore Greenway Trails Coalition, Best Of, Celebrating 30 Years, Connected Systems, Facts and FIgures, Florida, Funding, Hall of Fame, History Happened Here, IHTC, Louisiana, LowerRioGrande, Miami LOOP, Missouri, Nebraska, Rock Island, Route of the Badger, RTC in Action, State and Federal Programs, Success Stories, Texas, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, TrailNation, TrailsTransform, Walkability and Bikeability, Why Use Trails?, Wisconsin

Here’s just a quick snapshot of our successes in 2017. To learn more about our work, download our FY 2017 Annual Report.

Left to Right: Senators Sean O’Brien and Steve Wilson | Photo by Brian Housh

Ohio Senators Steve Wilson and Sean O’Brien on Creating a Statewide Trail System

Posted 05/11/18 by Amy Kapp in Policy, America's Trails | Tagged with IHTC, Ohio, State and Federal Programs, Trail Communities, TrailNation, TrailsTransform, Walkability and Bikeability, Why Use Trails?

In Spring 2017, Ohio launched the Ohio Legislative Trails Caucus, a bipartisan group of state-elected officials committed to connecting Ohioans via a statewide trails network. RTC recently chatted with Sens. Wilson and O’Brien about their passion for walking and biking, their goals for the caucus and their vision to improve the quality of life for all citizens.

2017 Opening Day for Trails celebration on the Circuit Trails | Photo by Lauren Lenko

Exit the TIGER, Enter BUILD: What Does It Mean for Trails?

Posted 04/24/18 by Kevin Mills in Policy | Tagged with Facts and FIgures, Federal, Funding, Government Agencies, Partnership for Active Transportation, State and Federal Programs, TrailNation, TrailsTransform

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) announced a new program, BUILD (Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development), which replaces the wildly popular TIGER program and also seeks to pursue many of the principles in the White House infrastructure plan on a small scale. Here’s what these changes mean for trails and the future of walking and biking investment.

San Francisco Bay Trail in Fort Mason, California | Photo by Cindy Barks

How California’s “Prop. 68” Could Be a Big Win for Trails, Walking and Biking

Posted 04/16/18 by Andrew Dupuy in Policy, Building Trails | Tagged with BATC, California, Connected Systems, Demand for Trails, Ecology and Environment, Facts and FIgures, Funding, Local Organizing, RTC in Action, State and Federal Programs, Tourism , Tourism and Economic Development, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Businesses, Trail Communities

The Parks, Environment and Water Bond, on this June's statewide ballot as Proposition 68, or “Prop. 68,” includes major funding opportunities for trails, biking and walking. We’re encouraging all California voters to get out and vote yes in June on this long overdue $4 billion investment in parks, trails and clean, safe water.

White River State Trail | Photo by Traillink user dj123_45

Moms Blazing A Trail: Connecting the Route of the Badger in Union Grove, Wisconsin

Posted 03/14/18 by Katie Newcomb, Willie Karidis in Building Trails, America's Trails | Tagged with Demand for Trails, Funding, Health and Active Living, Local Organizing, Maintenance and Volunteers, Route of the Badger, State and Federal Programs, Tourism and Economic Development, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, TrailNation, TrailsTransform, Wisconsin

Two moms balancing work, family and the urge to reconnect with nature, Petrick and Gallagher have dedicated themselves to establishing and raising awareness for the Union Grove Rails to Trails movement—an initiative to convert the Canadian Pacific Railway Corridor, an 11-mile abandoned rail corridor between Vandenboom Road and Sturtevant, into a hiking and biking trail. The new trail would extend the White River State Trail in Burlington to trails very close to Racine and to Lake Michigan.

Hudson River Valley Greenway, a segment of the developing Empire State Trail in New York | Photo by Scott Stark

State Policy Snapshot: A Look at Trail Funding and Advocacy in 2017 and Beyond

Posted 03/01/18 by Andrew Dupuy in Policy, Success Stories | Tagged with BATC, California, Circuit Trails, Demand for Trails, Facts and FIgures, Florida, Funding, IHTC, Local Organizing, LowerRioGrande, Miami LOOP, New York, Ohio, State and Federal Programs, Success Stories, Tennessee, TrailNation, TrailsTransform

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy monitors state legislative houses across the country to look for opportunities to advocate for new and innovative funding programs—as well defend and support trail funding under attack. And in 2017, RTC helped pass more than $103 million in recurring funding and more than $238 million in one-time funds for trails, walking and biking in states around the country.

A Prescription for Congress: Invest in Transportation That Meets Americans' Needs

Posted 02/13/18 by Patrick Wojahn, Kevin Mills in Policy, Building Trails | Tagged with Demand for Trails, Facts and FIgures, Federal, Funding, Government Agencies, Mode Shift, Partnership for Active Transportation, Private Fundraising, State and Federal Programs, Tourism , Tourism and Economic Development, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Transportation and Health, Walkability and Bikeability

President Trump released his proposal for federal policy to build—and rebuild—our nation’s infrastructure. More infrastructure investment could be great for America, but only if it is invested in a balanced transportation system that meets the evolving needs of 21st-century America. Balanced transportation means investing in maintenance for our roads and bridges. It means investing in public transit and rail systems.

Trail Geek Terminology (A Cheat-Sheet to Satisfy Your Inner Wonk)

Posted 01/29/18 by Amy Kapp in Policy, Building Trails | Tagged with Corridors and Railbanking, Design Strategies, Facts and FIgures, Federal, Government Agencies, History Happened Here, Legal Issues, Mode Shift, TrailsTransform, Walkability and Bikeability

RTC's put together this little trail-geek cheat sheet so that we can all bone up on our trail and active-transportation policy speak.

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