TrailBlog Page 88

Photo © Blossom Trail Photography

Community Buy-In Builds Beautiful Parkway in California

Posted 10/18/12 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in Building Trails | Tagged with California, Corridors and Railbanking, Local Organizing, Maintenance and Volunteers, State and Federal Programs

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy's report, Community Built: Stories of Volunteers Creating and Caring for Their Trails, contains inspiring examples of everyday Americans across the country using their community strength to create incredible trails. It gives trail champions a reason to take heart, because across the country, stories abound of trails getting developed, extended and cared for with minimal resources.

Photo © Metro Transit - St. Louis

Outside St. Louis, Rail-With-Trail Boosts Capacity of Transit System

Posted 10/17/12 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in Trail Use, Building Trails | Tagged with Connected Systems, Missouri, Rail-with-Trail, Urban Pathways

In St. Clair County, Ill., on the outskirts of St. Louis, Mo., the county transit district continues to extend its heralded MetroBikeLink Trail, a paved, multi-use trail that provides a fast and efficient connection from local neighborhoods to the metro stations.

Photo of Fred Meijer Heartland Trail © Rails-to-Trails Conservancy

Michigan Communities Eager to Support Planned Rail-Trail

Posted 10/15/12 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in America's Trails, Building Trails | Tagged with Champions, Michigan, Private Fundraising, State and Federal Programs

In 1994, Michigan businessman Fred Meijer funded the purchase of the first rail-trail right-of-way in the state. That purchase became the Fred Meijer Heartland Trail, and since then, the philanthropy of the Meijer family has made possible one of the best trail networks in America.

Photo of the Adirondack Scenic Railroad corridor © Rails-to-Trails Conservancy/Carl Knoch

Adirondack Corridor - America's Next Great Rail-Trail

Posted 10/10/12 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in Building Trails | Tagged with Case Studies, Facts and FIgures, New York, Tourism and Economic Stimulus

Though there are more than 1,700 rail-trails across America, covering all different shapes and sizes, a small handful stand out as true superstars of the rail-trail movement. On this list are trails such as the Route of the Hiawatha in Idaho, the Katy Trail State Park in Missouri, and Vermont's Island Line. Right now, plans are afoot for the conversion of former rail corridor that, when completed, will immediately force its way into that elite company.

Photo © Pinellas County

Florida's Rail-Trail Champion Continues to Give

Posted 10/02/12 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in Building Trails, Taking Action | Tagged with Champions, Florida, Signage and Amenities

When Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) named Florida's Brian Smith one of the 25 inaugural Doppelt Family Rail-Trail Champions, it was in recognition of the years of labor and expertise he had given to the creation and expansion of the Fred Marquis Pinellas Trail, one of Florida's most popular and unique urban pathways.

How To: Attract Trail Traffic to Your Business

Posted 09/27/12 by Jake Lynch in Building Trails | Tagged with How-to

This past summer, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy's 2012 Greenway Sojourn along the Great Allegheny Passage and C&O Canal towpath was a great opportunity to talk with local business owners about just how much the trail traffic helps their business, and things they have been able to do to attract more bikers and hikers off the trail and into their stores.

RTC Study of California DOT Reveals Need to Improve Bike/Ped Culture

Posted 09/27/12 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in Building Trails, Policy | Tagged with California, Design Strategies, State and Federal Programs

How prepared are the planners, designers, engineers and work crews of our state departments of transportation to deliver this active transportation infrastructure? Aware of the critical role of these staff in facilitating walking and biking, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) recently led a study of the California Department of Transportation's (Caltrans) bicycle- and pedestrian-related technical training for its staff.