TrailBlog Page 98

Glacial Drumlin State Trail, Wisconsin

Posted 09/01/12 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month, Wisconsin

Wisconsin's 52-mile Glacial Drumlin State Trail follows the corridor of a former passenger railroad that some speculate was built by the Chicago and Northwestern Railway purely for political convenience. Completed in 1882, the Milwaukee and Madison Air Line provided a straight shot through rural countryside and several small communities to connect two of the state's most important cities—but very little in-between.

Photo of Iowa Heritage trail flood damage © Dubuque County Conservation Board

Bouncing Back: After Big Storms, Trail Groups Respond

Posted 08/27/12 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in Building Trails | Tagged with Local Organizing, Maintenance and Volunteers

It's been a wild 18 months, weather-wise, on America's rail-trails. From snowstorms in Vermont to flooding in Iowa (right) and tornados in Alabama, severe weather events across the country wrought havoc on trails, bridges, woodlands and watersheds, and stretched to the limit the resources and resilience of the people who manage and maintain them.

Community Mapping Helps Detroit Take Back the Neighborhoods

Posted 08/23/12 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in America's Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Champions, Mapping and Technology, Michigan, Urban Pathways

In addition to his work running an Earn-a-Bike program in the Osborn neighborhood (funded by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy's Metropolitan Grants Program - a partnership with The Coca Cola Foundation), Scott has been busy using Google's open source platform to make a comprehensive map of bike friendly routes across Detroit.

Photo © Friends of the Weiser River Trail

With Little Backing From Municipalities, Volunteers Build Stunning Rail-Trail in Idaho

Posted 08/15/12 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in Building Trails, Success Stories | Tagged with Corridors and Railbanking, Idaho, Local Organizing, State and Federal Programs

In rural Idaho, Friends of the Weiser River Trail (FWRT) has been able to build and maintain an 85-mile rail-trail with no significant municipal or county backing. FWRT did all of the hard work themselves, encountering opposition from both county governments and private property owners along the way, several of whom filed lawsuits against the friends group.

Photo © San Antonio Express-News/Lisa Krantz

All Across Texas, Cities Boost Bike-ability

Posted 08/09/12 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in Trail Use, Success Stories | Tagged with State and Federal Programs, Texas, Urban Pathways, Walkability and Bikeability

The times are a'changing in Texas. In centers like Denton, San Antonio, Austin, Houston and Fort Worth, planners are recognizing the importance of bike (and pedestrian) infrastructure, and as a result, ridership and bike-inspired initiatives are on the up.