A group of in-line skaters participate in the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy Ride, Stride, Glide
event in the Twin Cities on July 28. Photo by Ben Carter.Trails Trumpeted in the Twin Cities
Many causes for celebration at the annual conference of the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy
by Brett Larson The mood was upbeat at TrailLink 2005, the annual conference of the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy July 27-30. And why not? The nation's rail trails and other trail networks have been expanding at runaway speed over the last 20 years, and no place is better evidence of that than the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, where this year's conference was held.
Rory Robinson, Indiana projects manager with the National Park Service office in Indiana, who spoke at the kickoff celebration and founders dinner Wed. July 27, stated as much: "Minnesota and Wisconsin lead the nation," he said. "There's a recognition here that quality of life is very important."
Jeff Ciabotti, vice president of trail development for the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, agreed
wholeheartedly. "The Midwest is where it all started," he said, partly due to availability of abandoned rail corridors, but partly for the reasons Robinson stated. "It's evident here that they get it," Ciabotti said. "This is a tangible model of how it can work."
Part of Ciabotti's optimism has to do with the growing nationwide acceptance of the value of rail-trails. "It's
getting easier," he said. "Projects are not stagnating as much. There's less landowner opposition. The more miles you have, the easier it becomes. That's the result of 20 years of success."
The rail-trail movement has learned a lot in 20 years not just about funding rail trails, but also about working with the public. He said a lot of potential conflicts among competing groups can be planned for or avoided,
but the key is to get everyone involved early on. Ciabotti also cited numerous examples of local communities taxing themselves to pay for new trails.
Twin Cities' trails showcased
The 400 conference attendees had ample opportunity to explore the Twin Cities' network of trails during their four-day stay. On Thursday, they set off on a "Ride, Stride, Glide" event by biking, walking and in-line
skating the web of trails beginning at the University of Minnesota's Coffman Union. The trail walk was hosted by St. Paul Mayor Randy Kelly and the skating by Noelle Robichon, founder of Robichon's in-line skating school.
On Friday, a variety of "mobile workshops" took participants around the Twin Cities by bus, bike and on foot to view rail-trails and discuss issues like trail art, sharing trails with mountain bikes and horses,
commuting via rail-trail, and connecting trail corridors with natural resources.
In addition to those moving events, the conference also included the usual fare: workshops, round tables, luncheons, award ceremonies, and an exhibit hall featuring everything from sign, rack and bridge companies to sister organizations like the Trust for Public Land, the Parks and Trails Council of Minnesota, American Trails and the National Park Service.
Throughout the weekend the optimistic mood was infectious. "Inspiring," "fantastic," "wonderful" and "impressive" were some of the words participants used to describe both the conference and the Twin Cities trail network.
Charles Tracy of the National Park Service in Boston said, "It's nice to see an area where trails have been a
priority." On the East Coast, he said, the established infrastructure makes it more difficult to "retrofit" trails, though the movement is picking up steam in New England.
Tracy was also impressed with the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy's emphasis on health, a major theme of the conference. "I've been in this business for 17 years, and it's a real shift," he said.
Tracy and others pointed out that federal agencies beyond the Department of Transportation can provide assistance in building trails. Thursday's luncheon brought experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Housing and Urban Development together with the DOT to discuss their shared roles in trail development.
"They're right on target with this," Tracy concluded.
Urban and rural groups assisted
More evidence of the growing role of the health-care community in the trail movement were the 25 scholarships the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy awarded to trail groups from around the country. The scholarships, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, paid for each recipient's trip to the conference and also provided technical assistance from the Conservancy. Recipients came from around the
nation, including Atlanta, Detroit, Baltimore, Alameda, California; Clarksville, Texas; Jersey City, New Jersey; and Springfield, Massachusetts.
The upper Midwest region was represented by three groups: Isanti County Active Living in Cambridge and Isanti, Minnesota; the Bloomingdale Trail in Chicago; and the Hank Aaron State Trail in Milwaukee.
The Isanti project a proposed three-mile, multi-use corridor connecting the towns of Cambridge and Isanti
would serve two communities made up largely of low-income and elderly residents. The Hank Aaron and Bloomingdale trails serve diverse urban neighborhoods in Milwaukee and Chicago.
Many of the recipients included a health component in their proposals and were situated in inner cities and small towns, a major focus for the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, according to Ciabotti. "The new challenge is
to deliver trails where people have not been served," he said. "The suburbs have the infrastructure to deliver public facilities, and there are lots of long-distance rural trails where it's easy to build."
The other key word for Ciabotti and the Conservancy is "network." While numerous trails have been built connecting point A to point B, the challenge now is to feed them into networks for biking commuters and further expand recreational opportunities.
That's the reason why the Twin Cities were chosen for the 2005 conference. Urban planning and investment over the last 20 years has resulted in a comprehensive trail system throughout the metropolitan area.
Keith Laughlin, the Conservancy's president for the past four years, also sees the Midwest in general and the Twin Cities in particular as national models.
"In moving from single trails to trail systems, you see an increase in use and benefits economic benefits,
environmental benefits and health benefits," Laughlin said. "We're seeing a very exciting progression in the movement."
Calling Twin Cities network of trails stunning, he attributed it to "excellent planning. That's why we're here. It's a great place to spotlight."
Laughlin listed Washington, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New England and Florida as states where the trail
movement is going strong, and Washington, D.C., and Seattle as other urban communities with developing networks of trails.
The key challenge to keep the movement growing is financial. "The movement is growing, but the amounts of funding are not growing along with the need and costs," Laughlin said.
Laughlin, who worked in the Clinton White House for eight years prior to taking the helm at the
Conservancy, has the political connections and expertise to lead the movement into its next phase, and he's optimistic that Congress will come through with the necessary funding to continue the development of a national system.
Congress comes through with trail funding
During the conference, participants had an eye on what was happening in Washington, as Congress considered a bill that would extend the funding started by IS-TEA (Intersurface Transportation Efficiency
Act) in 1991 and extended with TEA-21 (Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century) in 1998 two acts that have funded many of the nation's trail projects.
The optimism at the conference turned out to be warranted. On July 29, the third day of the conference, Congress passed the awkwardly named Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act a Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU).
The bill, signed into law August 10 by President Bush, provides $3.5 billion for transportation enhancements over the next five years, including $612 million for the Safe Routes to School Program; $370 million for the Recreational Trails Program; and $100 million for 25 specific bike-pedestrian projects and nonmotorized pilot programs in four urban areas (Columbia, Missouri; Marin County, California; Minneapolis-St. Paul; and Sheboygan County, Wisconsin).
TrailLink 2005's closing session, "How Do You Take Your TEA?" on Saturday, July 30, celebrated passage of the act and included an appearance by Minnesota Rep. James Oberstar, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Transportation Committee and long known for his support for biking and trails.
Oberstar, who attended the signing of the bill, called it an example of "Congress at its best."
"It shows what can be accomplished by working together across party lines, between the House and Senate, and with the Executive Branch to address fundamental needs of our nation's society and economy," he said in a prepared statement.
Those interested in joining the 100,000 members of the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy can visit their Web site at www.railtrails.org. The next national TrailLink conference will take place in 2007 at a site yet to be
determined.
Brett Larson is a free-lance writer, journalism instructor, song writer, band leader, avid paddler and occasional runner based in Milaca, Minnesota.
|
