Champions Page 3

Illinois Prairie Path | Trail photo courtesy David Wilson | CC by 2.0 | Photo of Watts by Isabel Wasson

How May T. Watts Inspired the Illinois Prairie Path and U.S. Rail-Trail Movement

Posted 03/14/16 by Amy Kapp in Success Stories, Taking Action | Tagged with Celebrating 30 Years, Champions, Demand for Trails, History Happened Here, Illinois

May Theilgaard Watts was a writer, illustrator, naturalist, scientist and teacher. Her determination that Americans stay connected to their natural landscape in a time of increasing urbanization was the catalyst that led to the formation of the Illinois Prairie Path,

“La bicycliste et caricature, 1897” by Montorgueil, Georges, 1857-1933 (creator) Somm, Henry, 1844-1907 (illustrator) – This image is available from the Brown University Library under the digital ID 1123259547400435. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.

Three Women Who Changed the Course of History On Bicycles

Posted 10/19/15 by Momentum Mag in Success Stories | Tagged with Biking, Champions, History Happened Here

Susan B. Anthony, famed suffragette leader and women’s rights reformer, once said of the bicycle, “I think it has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world. It gives women a feeling of freedom and self-reliance.”

2015 Youth Sojourn participants on the Circuit Trails network in Philadelphia | Photo courtesy Cy Maramangalam

Trails + Watersheds Get Philadelphia Youth Engaged on the Circuit Trails

Posted 09/24/15 by Katie Harris in Building Trails, Success Stories | Tagged with Circuit Trails, Ecology and Environment, Pennsylvania, Walkability and Bikeability, Young Champions

Pennsylvania and New Jersey residents are beginning to appreciate the importance of the regional connections made possible by the Circuit, a 750-mile in-progress trail network. Arguably no group understands that more than a handful of youth in Philadelphia, a dedicated crew of avid bicyclists, teammates and young minds called the Cadence Youth Cycling All-Stars.

Photo courtesy Girls in Gear

Bike-Savvy Middle Schoolers Help Reclaim—and Redesign—Columbus Streets

Posted 02/03/15 by Katie Harris in Success Stories, Taking Action | Tagged with Biking, Ohio, Schools and Young People, Young Champions

A formidable group of young women travels the streets of Columbus. Helmet clad, they roll through town on their bikes, searching for sidewalks and bike lanes and assessing street lighting. They know the names of the city council members who represent them, and you may find them behind a microphone at a town hall meeting advocating for the local bicycling movement. They also help cyclists themselves; they can fix a flat bike tire without giving it a second thought. They are an impressive group. Oh, and they’re in middle school!

Peter Mulvey | Photo by Jonathan Ryder

Musician-Bicyclist Peter Mulvey to Play for Trails on Jan. 25

Posted 01/20/15 by Amy Kapp in America's Trails | Tagged with Champions, Community Events, Wisconsin

Vetern singer-songwriter and passionate cyclist Peter Mulvey will be performing a 12-hour online concert on Jan. 25, 2015—and dedicating the 11th hour to Rails-to-Trails Conservancy! The concert will be streamed online live from the Café Carpe in Fort Atkinson, Wis., and we encourage you to tune in!

On the Walkway Over the Hudson: RTC staff members Orhan Belding and Katie Harris with Fred Schaeffer, Bill Steinhaus and a group of RTC Trailblazers. | Photo by Fred Schaeffer

RTC's Trailblazer Society: Experiencing the Impact of Trails

Posted 12/11/14 by Orhan Belding in Building Trails | Tagged with Champions, New York, RTC in Action, Success Stories

It’s a fall Sunday morning, and the sunlight is sifting through the clouds and hills above the Hudson River in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. My colleague and I are standing with several members of RTC’s TrailBlazer Society, listening to 2013 Rail-Trail Champion Fred Schaeffer give a rich history of the now famous Walkway Over the Hudson...

A section of the Allegheny River Trail near Emlenton, Pa. | Photo by Tom Bilcze

Teacher Provides a Lesson in Trail Building

Posted 09/25/14 by Laura Stark in Building Trails | Tagged with Champions, Connected Systems, Pennsylvania, Success Stories

Personable, kind, decisive: These traits made Jim Holden both a good teacher and a trail visionary. While a professor of computer science at Clarion University of Pennsylvania more than two decades ago, he recognized the importance of preserving disused rail corridors for public use.

Photo credit Tom Bilcze

Pennsylvania's Allegheny River Trail

Posted 09/16/14 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Champions, Pennsylvania, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month, Wild and Wonderful

The 32-mile Allegheny River Trailin northwestern Pennsylvania seemingly has it all for a perfect getaway. And it's on the cusp of being even better; peak fall colors are expected to arrive in early to mid-October; the trail, lined with oaks, maples, elms and other tree varieties will be spectacular.

Photo CC Five Rivers MetroParks via Flickr

Don't Take the Road Toward Health This Summer. Take the Trail!

Posted 07/23/14 by Elissa Southward in Health and Wellness | Tagged with Champions, Encouraging Trail Use, State and Federal Programs, Tennessee

Walking is a great (and free!) way to get outdoors and get some exercise! Walking is associated with reductions in risk of dementia, type 2 diabetes, obesity, cancer (breast and colon in particular) and cardiovascular disease. Furthermore, being outdoors and around greenery can help with concentration and stress recovery, and sunlight on the skin leads to vitamin D production, which helps fight off cancer, osteoporosis and heart attacks.

Photos © Melissa Turley

Bike Advocacy: Why Teton County Commissioner Melissa Turley Is Truly Inspired

Posted 06/04/14 by Katie Harris in Taking Action | Tagged with Champions, Local Organizing, Wyoming

The trail world is filled with inspiring people. Some are folks that use and celebrate the pathways in their community on a daily basis. Others are champions, enacting change and making decisions that help the trails movement. And some, like Teton County, Wyo.’s Commissioner Melissa Turley, are both.