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The magazine of Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC), a
nonprofit organization dedicated to creating a nationwide
network of trails from former rail lines and connecting
corridors to build healthier places for healthier people.
PRESIDENT
Keith Laughlin
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Charles N. Marshall, chair; Richard W. Angle Jr.;
Mary Bandura; Kathy Blaha; Robert M. Campbell, Jr.;
Matthew Cohen; Kenneth V. Cockrel, Jr; David Ingemie; M.
Katherine Kraft; Gail M. Lipstein; Krishna Murthy;
John Rathbone; Guy O. Williams
MAGAZINE STAFF
Editor-in-Chief
Karl Wirsing
Senior Editor
Mark Cheater
Editorial Consultant
Wendy Jordan
Design/Production
TMG
Art Director
Josh Coleman/TMG
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy was incorporated in 1985 as a
nonprofit charitable organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the
Internal Revenue Code and is a publicly supported organization
as defined in Sections 170(b)(1)(A)(vi) and 509(a)(1). A copy
of the current financial statement, or annual report, and state
registration filed by RTC may be obtained by contacting RTC
at the address listed below. Donations to RTC are tax-deductible.
RAILS-TO-TRAILS CONSERVANCY
Headquarters
2121 Ward Court, NW, 5th Floor
Washington, DC 20037-1213
Phone
202.331.9696
Fax
202.223.9257
Web site
www.railstotrails.org
Field and Regional offices:
Midwest
Canal Winchester, OH
614.837.6782, midwest@railstotrails.org
Northeast
Camp Hill, PA
717.238.1717, northeast@railstotrails.org
Western
San Francisco, CA
415.814.1100, western@railstotrails.org
Florida
Tallahassee, FL
850.942.2379, rtcflorida@railstot rails.org
Rails to Trails
is a benefit of membership in Rails-to-Trails
Conservancy. Regular membership is $18 a year, $5 of which
supports the magazine. In addition to the magazine, members
receive discounts on RTC gifts and publications.
Rails to Trails
is published four times a year—three in print, one digital—
by RTC, a nonprofit charitable organization. Copyright 2012
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy. ISSN 1523-4126. Printed in U.S.A.
POSTMASTER
Send address changes to
Rails to Trails
, 2121
Ward Court, NW, 5th Floor, Washington, D.C. 20037-1213.
What Kind of Legacy?
In small towns and cities across the country, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy’s (RTC)
mission has never been more popular. People love their trails, and they want more
of them. And why wouldn’t they? For a relatively modest investment, we have
helped build more than 20,000 miles of rail-trail that are used by tens of millions of
Americans every year.
People at the local level understand these trails bring tangible benefits to their
communities. Their quality of life improves, their property values go up, their green
space is protected and they have access to safe places to lead active lives. All of this is
accomplished on the cheap, requiring less than
two cents of every federal surface transporta-
tion dollar. For people at the community level,
these are the most popular programs at the
U.S. Department of Transportation.
But as I write this, both houses of the U.S.
Congress are weighing legislation that threatens
to wipe out the programs that have fueled our
progress during the past 20 years. Not a penny
of these deep cuts would reduce the deficit;
rather, trail investment would be eliminated
and then added—like drops in a bucket—to
the billions we already spend on highways.
That’s just nonsense to me.
My personal perspective on this situation
has deepened in recent days. I just became
a grandfather for the first time. My brand-
new granddaughter lives one block from the
Southwest Path in Madison, Wis. She will
enjoy her first experience on a rail-trail this
spring while being pushed in a stroller. She will learn to ride a bike on this trail a
few springs after that.
My granddaughter’s trail was built using the funding that is now under attack.
Without that federal support, it likely wouldn’t exist. That’s caused me to think long
and hard about the legacy we will leave our children and grandchildren. Will there
be safe places for them to walk and bike? Or will our legacy be limited to providing
our children an additional on-ramp to the interstate?
In the weeks and months ahead, we will be fighting mightily to ensure the fed-
eral government continues to support local efforts to build a nationwide system of
trails. But we will need your help and may call on you to reach out to your elected
representatives. Help them understand what we all know so clearly—that trails aren’t
afterthoughts, to be funded only with budget crumbs. They’re essential features of
healthy and active communities, and we’ll do everything in our power to keep the
programs alive that fund trail development across the country.
Happy Trails,
Keith Laughlin, President
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy
National Transportation Enhancements Clearinghouse/www.enhancements.org
Southwest Path
in Madison,Wis.