Dec 21 2010

Great Allegheny Passage Business Network

It’s nice that we have non-profits like the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy.
It’s vital that we get a certain level of government support for building trails.
It’s important that individuals just like you and me get involved in the purchase and preservation of trail lands.

But it’s also essential that we get help from businesses from the mom & pop grocery store all the way up to the mega corporations. And it seems like that’s one of the goals of the Great Allegheny Passage Sustainable Business Network. It’s like a group of businesses banding together to support a local trail.

Great Allegheny Passage trail

It makes perfect sense. The GAP trail is good for business and business is good for the GAP trail. The trail brings customers to bed & breakfasts, hotels, stores, restaurants, bike shops, and so on. And when those businesses band together to support the trail, it’s a perfect symbiotic relationship.

I hope to see other great rail trails adopt this same model of support, encouragement, and cooperation. It’s good for trails and the people who use them.

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2010/12/21/great-allegheny-passage-business-network/

Dec 20 2010

recumbent bike mower

Check out the mowercycle.

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2010/12/20/recumbent-bike-mower/

Dec 20 2010

Connecting Rail Trails to make Super Rail-Trails

Super Rail-Trails

Rail trails are fantastic. But how do you turn an ordinary, every-day rail trail (if such a thing exists) into SUPER TRAIL!!!
 It’s really quite simple; you just connect two good trails and you get one great trail.  Here are some examples:

C & O Canal trail connects to the
  GAP trail, the Western Maryland Rail Trail,
and the Mount Vernon Trail.

So the next time you’re looking for a great rail trail; one you can plan a vacation around…
Check out which trails can be connected to make a super trail.

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2010/12/20/connecting-rail-trails-to-make-super-rail-trails/

Dec 18 2010

Rails to Trails Vision

The Rails-to-Trails Conservancy is one of the most important organizations out there. I like what they’ve done in the past, what they’re doing right now, and their vision for the future.

In their “Welcome” flyer, they have proposed the following “bold ideas:”

  • They want to, “…double the amount of funds that support trails…”
    • biker on the C & O Canal  Towpath Trail
  • They want to create a “True Nationwide Network [of trails] … to ensure that all Americans can enjoy the benefits and beauty of rail-trails.” More specifically, they have set a goal that by 2020, “90 percent of Americans will live within three miles of a local trail system.”
Those goals are noble, simply stated, and achievable. But they won’t necessarily be easy to achieve. They need our help. If you are interested to learn more about the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, visit their website and become involved in their mission. 

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2010/12/18/rails-to-trails-vision/

Dec 17 2010

McQueen’s Island Historic Trail & more

In a pamphlet I recently received from the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, they had brief descriptions of the following trails:

Here’s what I’d like to know:
Have any of you ridden any of these trails?
Is McQueen’s Island actually an island?
Is Lake Mineral Wells Trailway the best rail trail in Texas?

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2010/12/17/mcqueens-island-historic-trail-more/

Dec 16 2010

Why not use unemployed to build trails?

I know it sounds simplistic, but we can always use more trails and there are thousands of people unemployed, so why not utilize an underutilized work force?

We are already paying unemployment benefits, so it wouldn’t cost much more than what we’re already paying. It just seems to make so much sense to employ those same people to build and improve our network of trails.

A little trail goes a long ways.

Let’s look at the possible benefits:

  • It would provide employment.
  • It would give us more and better trails.
  • It would improve the self esteem of the unemployed.
  • It might encourage some to find other work.
  • It would promote alternative transportation.
  • It would introduce more people to our incredible national trail system.
  • It would promote active lifestyles.
  • It would help unemployed people to get out and network and learn new skills.
As I write this list, I realize I could go on much longer, but I’ll stop there and close by giving a quick look at the facts:
  • We have legions of people who are unemployed and receiving unemployment benefits/income.
  • We have land currently available for trail building. (federal land, open space, abandoned rail corridors, etc.)
  • Trail building does not require highly skilled/specialized labor (for most trail corridors).
  • Most segments of trail do not require costly or sophisticated tools, machinery, or supplies. (Certain trail segments need bridges, asphalt, & concrete, but even those segments can benefit from a certain amount of good old sweat equity to lay the foundation.)
Just think what we could accomplish if all the players/entities worked together: government, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, American Trails, National Park Service, cities, towns, states, individuals, corporations
Just like the Conservation Corps from the past, we could build a legacy that could be enjoyed by millions  right now and for generations in the future.

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2010/12/16/why-not-use-unemployed-to-build-trails/