Local Organizing Page 7

Chomping at the Bit, Tennessee Community Finds Ways to Make Rail-Trail Happen Faster

Posted 10/26/12 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in Building Trails | Tagged with Demand for Trails, Local Organizing, Maintenance and Volunteers, State and Federal Programs, Tennessee

Photo © TCHRT's facebook page

The people of Putnam County in central Tennessee are getting impatient. The money is lined up and the plans have been drawn--like a child on Christmas morning, they can see the gift under the tree but have to wait a few more excruciating moments to unwrap it.

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Photo © Bike to the Sea, Inc.

20 Years Later, Massachusetts Advocates Break Through on Pathway to the Sea

Posted 10/23/12 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in Building Trails | Tagged with Local Organizing, Maintenance and Volunteers, Massachusetts, State and Federal Programs

Since 1993 the Massachusetts nonprofit, Bike to the Sea, Inc., has been a solid voice for the creation of a nine-mile bike and pedestrian trail, known as the Northern Strand Community Trail, from Malden to the beaches of Lynn and Revere on the shores of Broad Sound and Nahant Bay. While the state has long recognized that a trail to the sea along the unused Saugus Branch rail line is feasible, the task of raising support, awareness and funds for the project has been left to local advocates.

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 © phillyburbs.com

Just Outside Philadelphia, Energy Grows to Recycle Former Rail Line

Posted 09/19/12 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in Building Trails | Tagged with Local Organizing, Pennsylvania, Rail-with-Trail, State and Federal Programs

"Build Our Trail - A Rail Trails Initiative," is advocating for the now unused Fox Chase-Newtown line (right) owned by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority (SEPTA), to be developed into a shared-use trail that would connect to the established Pennypack Trail as well as the proposed Neshaminy Creek Trail.

Photo © FRTTI

'Be A Good Neighbor' - Ohio Trail Group Shares Secrets of Success

Posted 09/06/12 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in Building Trails | Tagged with Local Organizing, Ohio, Overcoming Opposition

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy's (RTC) new report, Community Built - Stories of Volunteers Creating and Caring For Their Trails, shows us how, in the face of adversity, they are still getting it done. If you are an advocate or volunteer for a trail in your area, this report will be a terrific resource, and an inspiration to keep you going when times are tough.

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.

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.

A Head for Business Pays Dividends for Danvers Rail Trail, Mass.

Posted 08/01/12 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in Building Trails | Tagged with Local Organizing, Massachusetts, Private Fundraising

Last year we wrote about the tremendous grassroots effort out of northeast Massachusetts to develop the Danvers Rail Trail. The Danvers Rail Trail Advisory Committee rallied the town's business community to support the extension of this popular community asset through a mile-marker sponsorship program, generating thousands of dollars for trail maintenance and creating a strong trail community in the process.