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I SUPPORT
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy
Name:
Deborah Hoyer
Home:
Bethesda, Md.
Birthplace:
Charleston, W.Va.
Age:
31
What I do:
I’m a service fellow at the Office of Disease
Prevention and Health Promotion.
I am:
Someone who loves the outdoors and loves being around
family, friends and my husband.
Latest or greatest accomplishment:
Getting my master’s degree thesis published.
How did you first get involved with rail-trails?
A few of my
brothers are keen mountain bikers and hikers, and growing up
in West Virginia I was always hearing about all the different
trails they would go off and explore on weekends and sum-
mer vacations. When I got a little older, I wanted to tag along,
and I guess that’s where it began for me. I didn’t think much
about it at the time, but looking back now, many of those
trails were rail-trails—the East Fork and West Fork trails in the
Monongahela National Forest, and the North Bend Rail Trail.
Is there a rail-trail you regularly use for fun or transportation?
Yes, we live just a few blocks from the Capital Crescent Trail.
My husband uses it to commute to work in downtown D.C.
every day, and it’s where I run after work. I love it. For my last
birthday, in addition to a delicious Thai dinner, the one thing I
wanted to do was take a long walk on the trail. It was lovely.
What role do you believe trails can play in helping people be
more physically active and healthy?
I see it in my everyday
life—that having easy access to a flat, paved, enjoyable trail
has a huge impact on how much I exercise each week. The
trail makes getting a little regular activity more fun, [and the
workout is] low impact and free. I hate to admit it, but if the
Capital Crescent wasn’t there, I know I’d be choosing to stay
home more often.
How does the built environment, in general, influence physical
inactivity and related health crises such as diabetes and obe-
sity?
It’s kind of the mantra in public health these days that it
only takes 30 minutes or so of gentle activity each day to make
improvements in your health. That sounds easy enough. But if
you live and work somewhere where it’s all car parks and strip
malls and freeways—and a lot of America is built like that—
where are you actually going to do that activity? There have to
be accessible venues for physical exercise. And the way I see it,
building sidewalks and trails is a cheaper and better alternative
to buying every person a gym membership and
a treadmill.
Are there economic benefits to improving health through
active living?
Absolutely. The economic cost comes on two
fronts. One is the direct cost to our health care system of reactive
treatment for people whose unhealthy lifestyles lead to serious
illnesses and disabilities. Both personally and for the nation, that
cost far exceeds what it costs in preventative measures to keep
people fit and well in the first place. The second is the cost to
business. An ill, lethargic, stressed workforce is not a productive
workforce, and that is something that forward-thinking business
owners and executives are figuring out themselves. That’s why
we’re seeing businesses subsidizing bike-share memberships for
their employees, putting showers and bike racks in their office
spaces, organizing wellness committees, and in some cases even
building trails around campuses. It’s terrific.
Why I support
Rails-to-Trails
Conservancy:
I support RTC
because I love
the breadth of its
mission. As a West
Virginian, I’ve seen
how important rail-
trails are to the rural
communities in terms
of tourism and economic
impact. But I am also
a massive fan of the
urban work RTC
is doing in New
Orleans, D.C. and
California, espe-
cially focusing on
getting kids more
active. That’s
the future right
there—that’s
exactly where
our public
health goals
and the
goals
of trail
building
meet.
FORREST M
ac
CORMACK