The team at Rails to Trails Conservancy is thrilled to team up with Special Olympics for a special Celebrate Trails Day session focused on strategies for creating outdoor spaces that foster inclusive opportunities for physical activity, recreation and everyday life. This webinar explored strategies to engage people with and without intellectual disabilities (ID) in trail […]

Join Rails to Trails’ Changemaker for Trails campaign for our February training, “Celebrate Trails Day: How to Engage in a Day of Joy and Action.” During this training, Changemakers learned how to use Celebrate Trails Day, taking place in April 2026, as a tool to advocate for trails and send a message to elected officials at […]

Relationship building is at the heart of every successful engagement strategy and is most successful when you start early and often. This year’s mid-term elections offer an opportunity to get ahead of building relationships with potential new leaders and showcase the power of trails in your community. During this session, attendees heard from Wade Johnston, […]

Bicycles are a useful mode of transportation for short trips (one to three miles) beyond walkable distance but accessible without an automobile. Municipalities across North America are developing strategies to facilitate biking as a mode of transportation with a place-based mix of on-street facilities and bike-friendly policies. As these same communities leverage public transit assets […]

HeartLands Conservancy was hired as the project consultant to prepare this Master Plan for a county-wide bicycle and pedestrian trail system in Madison County, Illinois known as MCT Trails. This trail system is operated by the Agency for Community Transit (ACT), the private non-profit organization is responsible for operating the Madison County Transit (MCT) public […]

Many states have made significant investments in trail and active transportation planning to guide and coordinate the development of their trail networks. When actively used, these plans can guide strategic investments, unlock funding opportunities, and foster cross-agency collaboration, turning vision into reality.  In this session, our presenters shared strategies for creating comprehensive plans, building partnerships, […]

Since early 2025, RTC has tracked and reported decisions made by the White House and the US Department of Transportation regarding active transportation and advised trails, walking and biking advocates as they have endured whiplash, grant cancellations, and ongoing uncertainties about frozen federal transportation grants. Congress rescinded $750 million in active transportation Neighborhood Access and Equity grants […]

Join Rails to Trails Conservancy to learn more about, “Innovative State Legislative Approaches: Addressing a Challenging Environment.” During this webinar, RTC policy staff and featured guests discussed best practices for building a state legislative agenda focused on achieving policy wins and funding for active transportation. The session touched on legislative basics and timelines before diving […]

Join Rails to Trails Conservancy to learn more about, “State DOT Engagement: Relationship-Building and Advocacy.” During this webinar, RTC policy staff and featured guests discussed the importance of building relationships with your state’s Department of Transportation (DOT) when advocating transportation policy change at the federal level. This session explored the connection between the work of […]