Tennessee

State Policy Snapshot: A Look at Trail Funding and Advocacy in 2017 and Beyond

Posted 03/01/18 by Andrew Dupuy in Policy, Success Stories | Tagged with BATC, California, Circuit Trails, Demand for Trails, Facts and FIgures, Florida, Funding, IHTC, Local Organizing, LowerRioGrande, Miami LOOP, New York, Ohio, State and Federal Programs, Success Stories, Tennessee, TrailNation, TrailsTransform

Hudson River Valley Greenway, a segment of the developing Empire State Trail in New York | Photo by Scott Stark

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy monitors state legislative houses across the country to look for opportunities to advocate for new and innovative funding programs—as well defend and support trail funding under attack. And in 2017, RTC helped pass more than $103 million in recurring funding and more than $238 million in one-time funds for trails, walking and biking in states around the country.

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Photo courtesy Mac H (media601) | CC BY-SA 2.0

Rail-Trail Community Fixes an Eye on Statewide Trail Programs

Posted 02/15/17 by Andrew Dupuy in Policy | Tagged with California, Florida, Funding, Minnesota, RTC in Action, State and Federal Programs, Tennessee

While much attention has been focused on Washington, D.C. in the past month, our nation’s state capitals have been busy, as well. Forty-eight state legislatures are already in session, and all but one will be in session in the coming weeks. States are important sources of funding for trails, walking and biking—as well as occasional threats.

Running and biking on the popular Shelby Farms Greenline | Photo courtesy Shelby Farms Park Conservancy

Tennessee's Shelby Farms Greenline

Posted 05/16/16 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Celebrating 30 Years, Tennessee, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month

Memphis is singing a new song to the tune of a bike bell. The Home of the Blues, once settling near the bottom of lists ranking pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly cities, is climbing its way up thanks largely to an explosion of demand sparked by the Shelby Farms Greenline, one of the city’s most popular multi-use trails. Just last year, the city earned a Bronze-Level Bicycle Friendly Community designation, an honor that just a few years ago would have seemed unlikely if not downright impossible.

View of John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge and Nashville, Tennessee, skyline | Photo courtesy C.T. Thongklin | CC by 2.0

Trail Users Help Kill Anti-Bike/Ped Bill in Tennessee

Posted 04/21/16 by Andrew Dupuy in Policy, Success Stories | Tagged with Funding, Local Organizing, RTC in Action, State and Federal Programs, Tennessee, Walkability and Bikeability

Thanks to the grassroots mobilization of thousands of cyclists and trail users this spring, legislation that could have had negative repercussions for active transportation around the country officially died this week with the close of the Tennessee General Assembly’s annual session.

View from the Walkway Over the Hudson rail-trail in New York | Photo by Aaron Schmidt

5 Amazing Rail-Trail Destinations for Your Bucket List

Posted 04/12/16 by Laura Stark in Trail Use, America's Trails | Tagged with Celebrating 30 Years, Colorado, Featured Magazine Articles, Hall of Fame, New York, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Trail Destinations

In recognition of this year’s 30th anniversary of Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, RTC is conducting a public vote for the 30th addition to our Rail-Trail Hall of Fame. We thought that it was the perfect opportunity to share with you why this year's nominees are also amazing destinations you won't want to miss. Here's a little more info for you, plus travel and bike rental info!

Walnut Street Bridge in Chattanooga | Photo courtesy The Trust for Public Land

Transforming Chattanooga: How Rail-with-Trail Is Shaping the City's Future

Posted 06/26/15 by Katie Harris in Building Trails, Success Stories | Tagged with Demand for Trails, Rail-with-Trail, Tennessee

Dubbed the "Dirtiest City in America" in 1969, the Chattanooga of today is leaps and bounds away from that bleak vision. The "Scenic City" now boasts a flourishing outdoor culture and can proudly consider itself a healthy place for recreation, green space and living a full and healthy life.

Avid cyclists and 80-somethings Jack and Jeannette Ralston of Tennessee | Photo courtesy Jack and Jeannette Ralston

“They Think We’re Nuts”: Being in Their 80s Won’t Stop This Biking Duo

Posted 04/27/15 by Katie Harris in Trail Use, Success Stories | Tagged with Encouraging Trail Use, Tennessee

Remember Jack and Jeannette Ralston, the amazing couple who recently achieved a 70-years-plus dream of riding their bikes in every state (their story was originally featured in a 2013 issue of Rails to Trails)? They are still going strong! The Ralstons just took a trip to the Tweetsie Trail, a recently completed and stunningly beautiful rail-trail outside of Johnson City, Tennessee.

Ruby Falls | Photo by Kelly Winstrom

Stewards of Lookout Mountain: Preserving a Tennessee Legacy

Posted 12/08/14 by Katie Harris in America's Trails, Success Stories | Tagged with Cross-Sector Collaboration, Ecology and Environment, Tennessee

A unique partnership is being forged on a Tennessee mountain, both above and below ground. The Lookout Mountain Conservancy, a nonprofit land trust based just outside of Chattanooga, and Ruby Falls, a commercial business, are teaming up to celebrate and preserve the natural area they both call home.

Photo CC Roadside Bandit via Flickr

Notice: Upcoming Railroad Abandonment in Knox County, Tenn.

Posted 09/22/14 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in Taking Action | Tagged with Abandonment Notices, Corridors and Railbanking, Tennessee

On or about Sept. 16, 2014, CSX Transportation, Inc. filed for the abandonment of 1.18 miles of track within Knoxville in Knox County, Tenn. We are providing this information because it presents an opportunity to develop a real regional asset: a multi-use trail that can accommodate hikers, bikers, equestrians and other appropriate uses.

All photos © Tweetsie Trail

Here Comes the Tweetsie Trail! Local Tenacity Built Tennessee’s Newest Rail-Trail

Posted 08/14/14 by Kristen Martin in Building Trails | Tagged with Corridors and Railbanking, Local Organizing, Tennessee

The 10-mile stretch of corridor between Johnson City and Elizabethton—located on the historic East Tennessee & Western North Carolina (ET & WNC) line—had not had any rail traffic since 2003. The line was no longer profitable, and its owner, Genesee & Wyoming, Inc., began to weigh its options.

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.