Local Organizing Page 9

Photo trail user traffic along the C&O Canal Towpath © Rails-to-Trails Conservancy

Local Businesses Rejoice Reopening of C&O Towpath

Posted 04/18/13 by Jake Lynch in Building Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Local Organizing, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Tourism and Economic Stimulus

When a rock slide forced the closure of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park (C&O Canal Towpath) at mile 155 near the Paw Paw Tunnel in western Maryland, it was bad news for the local and interstate trail users.

Photo © Rails-to-Trails Conservancy

Microfinancing, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy style

Posted 03/26/13 by Pat Tomes in Building Trails | Tagged with Local Organizing, Pennsylvania, Private Fundraising

That's why we started the Pennsylvania Mini-Grants Program, which is supported by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources - to assist local organizations that need to make small repairs and improvements to their trail, below the amounts typically requested in larger state and federal grants.

Pennsylvania: A Tale of Two Cities

Posted 03/14/13 by Laura Stark in Building Trails | Tagged with Connected Systems, IHTC, Local Organizing, Pennsylvania

There's no doubt about it: Pennsylvanians love their rail-trails. The Keystone State has more Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) members than any other by far. In 1999, Pennsylvania opened its 100th rail-trail—the first in the nation to reach that milestone—and continues to be in the top echelon of states for open rail-trails. It's no surprise then that its two largest cities, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, have expansive trail systems that are shining models for others to follow.

In Connecticut, Shoreline Greenway a Story of Local Spirit and Generosity

Posted 03/13/13 by Laura Stark in America's Trails, Building Trails | Tagged with Connecticut, Local Organizing, Trail Communities

You mightn't think it, but writing about trails can be a pretty life-affirming experience. More often than not, the stories of how our trails get built are stories about community spirit, the volunteer ethic, neighbors helping neighbors and local people using plenty of elbow grease, ingenuity and determination to build something of long-lasting good.

Northern Rail Trail in New Hampshire | Photo by Suzanne Matyas

Northern Rail Trail, New Hampshire

Posted 03/01/13 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Local Organizing, New Hampshire, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month, Wild and Wonderful

Daniel Webster, the famed orator and New Hampshire native, was a featured speaker at the 1847 ribbon cutting for Boston and Maine Railroad's Northern Line. At the ceremony in Lebanon, before a crowd of more than a thousand, he said of the railroad, "It is the spirit and influence of free labor, it is the indomitable industry of a free people, that has done all this."

Map image © wassonway.org

Wasson Way Rail-Trail a Key to Cincinnati's Future

Posted 02/26/13 by Eric Oberg in Building Trails | Tagged with Local Organizing, Ohio, Statements of Support, Urban Pathways, Walkability and Bikeability

There was terrific news for the people and businesses of Cincinnati last week with city manager Milton Dohoney Jr. unveiling a proposal to fund a number of innovative and much-needed development projects in the city by raising downtown car parking rates, currently among the lowest in the country.

Pretty in Pink: Connecticut's Shoreline Greenway Trail

Posted 02/25/13 by Laura Stark in Building Trails | Tagged with Connecticut, Design Strategies, Local Organizing

Like the fabled road to Oz, Connecticut's Shoreline Greenway Trail, will have an unusual and distinctive color: pink. The source of that delicate hue, crushed granite from the local Stony Creek quarry, was once used for the base of the Statue of Liberty, fitting given that each of the four towns that the trail traverses—East Haven, Branford, Guilford and Madison—have representatives in the trail's governing body in a system that was designed to be both democratic and inclusive from the outset.

Photo © Mountain Watershed Association

A Few Hundred Dollars or a Few Grand, Mini-Grants Program Helps Pennsylvania Rail-Trails

Posted 01/22/13 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in Building Trails | Tagged with Local Organizing, Pennsylvania, Private Fundraising

Many projects were made possible by the Trail Mini-Grant Program for Pennsylvania Rail-Trails. Managed by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC), this funding source helps trail organizations or municipalities in Pennsylvania that need to make small repairs or improvements to their trail, for dollar amounts typically well below that requested in major grants.

Photo © Rails-to-Trails Conservancy

And There Was Light - Genesis Moment Good News for Met Branch Trail

Posted 01/11/13 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in Building Trails | Tagged with District Of Columbia, Local Organizing, Safety and Law Enforcement, Signage and Amenities, Urban Pathways

Thanks to public pressure from trail users and supporters, including Greater Greater Washington blogger Geoff Hatchard and the District Department of Transportation's Bicycle Program Specialist and Trail Planner, Heather Deutsch, DDOT management has committed to better maintaining trailside lighting in order to ensure the trail remains lit at night.