Posts by Mary Ellen Koontz

Florida's Pinellas Trail in Dunedin | Photo courtesy Pinellas County Marketing and Communications

New TrailNation Collaborative Community to Escalate Trail Network Development Nationwide

Posted 11/16/22 by Mary Ellen Koontz, Heather Irish in Building Trails | Tagged with Connected Systems, Demand for Trails, Funding, TrailNation, Why Use Trails?

RTC is bringing together its expertise and network of thousands of partners nationwide to launch the TrailNation Collaborative—a learning community where advocates, public leaders and professionals can come together to share their experiences, their challenges and their strategies for accelerating the pace of connecting trails and active transportation infrastructure.

Atlantic Greenway South Beach Trail, part of the Miami LOOP | Photo by Lee Smith

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy Awards $300,000+ to Support Inclusive Trail Projects Across the Nation

Posted 11/14/22 by Mary Ellen Koontz in Building Trails | Tagged with Baltimore Greenway Trails Coalition, BATC, Capital Trails Coalition, Circuit Trails, Funding, Great American Rail-Trail, IHTC, Miami LOOP, Route of the Badger, RTC in Action

RTC has awarded a combined $300,000+ in grants to 25 organizations working in rural, suburban and urban communities across the country as part of the 2022 Trail Grants program.

Herring Run Trail | Side A Photography

New Guidance for Transportation Alternatives: Transformative Funding for Trails, Walking and Biking

Posted 04/07/22 by Mary Ellen Koontz in Policy, Building Trails | Tagged with Connected Systems, Federal, Funding, Recreational Trails Program, State and Federal Programs, Transportation Alternatives

Last week, the federal officials released new guidance on the Transportation Alternatives (TA) Set-Aside. This guidance instructs state departments of transportation (DOTs) on how to implement the TA funding in alignment with policy changes included in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

Washington's Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail in part of the Great American Rail-Trail | Photo by TrailLink user scfroehlich

2021 RTC Fall Trail Grants Supporting Equitable Trail Access Around the Nation

Posted 11/17/21 by Mary Ellen Koontz in America's Trails, Building Trails | Tagged with Baltimore Greenway Trails Coalition, Capital Trails Coalition, Caracara, Connected Systems, Funding, Great American Rail-Trail, IHTC, Miami LOOP, Route of the Badger, TrailNation

On Nov. 17, RTC announced the recipients of over $300,000 in grants as part of the 2021 Trail Grants Program. These grants were given to 45 organizations around the country to advance trail projects in their communities as part of TrailNation™ networks and along the preferred route of the Great American Rail-Trail™.

Heartland Trail in Ohio | Courtesy Rails-to-Trails of Wayne County

2021 Trail Grants Awardees Support Community Connections On and Off Trails

Posted 03/15/21 by Mary Ellen Koontz in Building Trails | Tagged with Funding, Great American Rail-Trail, Iowa, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Washington

RTC has announced the recipients of its 2021 Trail Grants Program, awarding a total of $145,000 to support 11 trail projects across the country that have been strategically designed to support local and regional economic, health, social, environmental and active transportation goals.

COVID-19 Emergency Relief Act of 2020 Makes Funding Available for Transportation

Posted 01/25/21 by Mary Ellen Koontz in Policy, Building Trails | Tagged with Federal, Funding, TrailsTransform, Transportation Alternatives

The 116th Congress passed the $900 billion COVID-19 Emergency Relief Act of 2020, a wide-ranging economic stimulus package that includes support for transportation systems impacted by the ongoing pandemic. The package contains $14 billion for transit and $10 billion in flexible transportation funding for states and regions to support projects, maintenance, operations, personnel and debt service payments. The Federal Highway Administration must allocate the stimulus dollars to states by Jan. 27, 2020

Metropolitan Branch Trail in Washington, D.C., and Maryland | Photo by India Kea

New Year Presents New Opportunities for Trails, Walking and Biking in Washington

Posted 12/16/20 by Mary Ellen Koontz in Policy, Building Trails | Tagged with Federal, Great American Rail-Trail, Recreational Trails Program, RTC in Action, Tourism and Economic Development, TrailsTransform, Transportation Alternatives

We have an unprecedented opportunity to work with federal policymakers to put Americans to work building the strategic connections that enable healthy and resource-saving habits, unlocking billions of dollars for the U.S. economy.

C&O Canal in Georgetown, Washington, D.C. | Photo by Danielle Taylor

Great American Outdoors Act Will Boost Trails on Public Lands

Posted 08/06/20 by Mary Ellen Koontz in Policy | Tagged with Federal, Great American Rail-Trail, Recreational Trails Program

On Tuesday, Aug. 4—President Trump signed into law the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA)—a bi-partisan bill passed by the Senate and House of Representatives last month that’s regarded as one of the most impactful bills for parks and the outdoors in decades.

Rock Island Spur of Katy Trail State Park in Missouri | Photo by TrailLink user chia57

RTC’s 2020 Doppelt Trail Fund Helps Fill Critical Funding, Gaps in Six Communities

Posted 02/03/20 by Mary Ellen Koontz in Building Trails | Tagged with Florida, Funding, Louisiana, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Rock Island, RTC in Action

Today, in anticipation of the 2020 spring trail season, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) announced the recipients of the 2020 Doppelt Family Trail Development Fund grant program, awarding a total of $100,000 to six impactful trail projects across the United States.