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rails
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support. I started out wanting to create
trails that I could use for training, but
once I became a trails advocate, there
just wasn’t enough time to put in the
hours to be competitive.
What were the biggest obstacles
you faced in creating rail-trails?
Initially, it was a perception of inviting
criminals into people’s backyards. Also,
there’s a perception that once the rail-
road pulls up stakes, the property reverts
to the adjacent landowners. Or, even
if people liked the idea of rail-trails in
their community, they would say, “Not
in my backyard!” Another challenge was
getting money to build the trails. It was
hard enough getting funds for construc-
tion—when it comes to government
transportation money, we’re viewed as
the poor cousin that’s annoying. But you
also need money for legal support—to
run title searches, defend yourself against
lawsuits and the like—and it isn’t sexy to
raise money for legal work.
How did you overcome the
opposition?
One way was networking. I started out
asking my friends to introduce me to
key people who lived along the railroad
corridor. I was able to talk to them one-
on-one. Then I would ask these people
if they would mind hosting a meeting
for their neighbors, and I offered to
bring the refreshments. I made so many
cookies, muffins and cakes, you wouldn’t
believe! By talking to small groups of
people and letting them ask questions,
I was able to build support. You have
to listen to people because they have
legitimate concerns. I also had the parks
director introduce me to the other coun-
ty officials, so we were able to educate
them. It’s like a campaign—you have to
think all of it out ahead of time.
What kept you going?
I was a trained endurance athlete—I was
always running or biking or horseback
riding. I would ride horses up to 100
miles a week when I was training. And
my friends and I would think nothing of
going out for a 65-mile bike ride. Other
people would ask me, “What are you
training for?” Well, after being involved
in all these trail projects, I discovered
that’s what I was training for. I had the
stamina to keep going—I just wouldn’t
give up.
What accomplishments are you
most proud of?
The Ghost Town Trail was one of
the first projects built with federal
Transportation Enhancements money
in Pennsylvania—to me, that was key.
When I see how many people use the
trail today, and how they take owner-
ship of it, I just have to smile. Because
when I first started talking to people
about it, they reacted like I was telling
them, “Let’s build a landing field for
alien spaceships!” Now it’s part of our
community. I was the mother and I gave
birth to this—but it took so many other
people. RTC got me started and gave me
the tools to bring along others.
What advice would you give to
those working to build rail-trails
in their communities?
You have to look at the end, when that
project is finished. Who’s going to own
it? Who’s going to maintain it? Who’s
going to be liable for it? The answers to
those questions are going to help point
you where you need to go, whom you
have to network with, what contacts you
need to make. There are absolutely no
shortcuts. If you want results in a mat-
ter of months or a year, it isn’t going to
happen. It’s a series of doors—you need
to have a childlike excitement about
what’s behind the next door. You never
really come to that final door where you
can say, “This is it”—unless maybe it’s
death’s door! If that’s the kind of person-
ality you have, then rail-trails are
for you.
Mark Cheater is senior editor of
Rails to Trails
.
On the day we were first scheduled
to talk, Lafontaine had to beg off: One
of her three horses, a thoroughbred, was
lame from an abscess on its hoof, and a
blacksmith was coming over to dress the
wound. For this long-time equestrian,
the health of her horses is paramount.
That’s perfectly understandable—after
all, it was her search for safe places to
horseback ride (and cycle and run) that
got Lafontaine into the rail-trail move-
ment to begin with, and the endurance
she developed from her outdoor endeav-
ors that contributed to her success.
How did you get involved in the
rail-trail movement?
I received a brochure from Rails-to-
Trails Conservancy (RTC) in the mail
in the late 1980s that talked about the
disappearance of active rail lines. I was
a competitive long-distance horseback
rider at the time, and you need large
chunks of trails to train for that. I
thought rail-trails would be perfect—
whether you want to ride a horse or ride
a bike or run or walk. So I contacted
RTC’s offices, got some more informa-
tion and talked to the then-state direc-
tor. Then I started looking around my
own backyard here in Indiana, and I saw
there were some abandoned rail lines,
and I began looking into how to turn
them into rail-trails.
What happened next?
I talked to the director of our county
parks department, and he offered to
help but said I would have to join the
local parks board. Then I found out I
needed to become active on the state
and national level to bring elected offi-
cials on board, so I went to meetings
about a federal program called America’s
Industrial Heritage, and I became chair
of the trails committee of that group. I
felt like Alice in Wonderland—I opened
one door, thinking, “This is going to
be it,” and there was another door, and
then another door! I was constantly net-
working and gathering information and