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point of view
Recycled Paper
to rails trails
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
Guy O. Williams, Chair; M. Katherine Kraft; Gail Lipstein;
John P. Rathbone; John D. Aiken Jr.; Chip Angle;
Mike Cannon; Kenneth V. Cockrel Jr.; Matthew Cohen;
Rose M.Z. Gowen, M.D.; Myron F. Floyd; David Ingemie;
Rue Mapp; Frank Mulvey; Charles N. Marshall;
Doug Monieson; Tim Noel; T. Rowe Price; Tom Petri
MAGAZINE STAFF
Editor-in-Chief Amy Kapp
Staff Writers Laura Stark, Katie Harris
Editorial Consultants Wendy Jordan, Sharon Congdon
Timeline Design Contributor Joe LaCroix
Design/Production Manifest LLC
Art Director Jeffrey Kibler
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
Email
Websites
Field and Regional Offices:
Midwest Yellow Springs, Ohio
614.837.6782,
Northeast Camp Hill, Pa.
717.238.1717,
Western Oakland, Calif.
510.992.4662,
Florida Tallahassee, Fla.
866.202.9788,
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 2016
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy. ISSN 1523-4126. Printed in U.S.A.
POSTMASTER Send address changes toRails to Trails, 2121
Ward Court, NW, 5th Floor, Washington, D.C. 20037-1213.
WOh, How Far We’ve Come
When Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) opened its doors in 1986, we were aware of
250 miles of open rail-trail in America. Today, there are more than 22,000 miles enjoyed
by tens of millions of Americans every year. As we celebrate our 30th anniversary in
2016, I have had cause to ponder the reasons for the success of America’s rail-trail
movement.
A major catalyst for rail-trail development can be traced to 1980, when Congress
deregulated the U.S. railroad industry, permitting the discontinuation of unprofitable
routes. As a result, tens of thousands of miles of excess rail corridor were removed from
service in the ensuing decades. In 1983, Congress expressed concern about permanently
losing thousands of miles of rail corridor by creating “rail banking,” a policy tool to pre-
serve inactive corridors for future rail use, while permitting interim trail use.
From our founding, RTC’s program work has
focused on two related activities: policy advocacy and
trail development. This dual role has defined RTC
from the beginning, giving us the unique identity of a
Washington-based national organization that also has
capacity to work at the local level.
Our initial policy work focused on influencing the
implementation of the new railbanking statute. Those
efforts expanded in 1991 when the federal transportation
bill provided significant funding for trail development for
the first time through creation of the Transportation Enhancements and the Recreational
Trails programs. For the last 25 years, RTC has been a steadfast defender of this funding,
which has been critical to the success of our movement.
With regard to trail development, in our first decade, RTC acquired inactive cor-
ridors. The concept was so new that if we didn’t do it, it wouldn’t have happened. With
the passage of time and the growing visibility of successful rail-trails, our primary role
shifted to responding to growing demand for technical assistance from local pioneers
seeking to navigate the rail-trail conversion process. This shift has been critical to the
growth of our movement because it permitted us to be catalysts in hundreds of commu-
nities, rather than narrowly focusing on just a few.
In the early years, most rail-trails were in rural areas, and the primary benefits were
thought to be corridor preservation, recreation and protection of open space. Today, rail-
trails traverse the American landscape, providing benefits to rural, suburban and urban
communities. And those benefits have expanded to include transportation, economic
development, public health and high quality of life.
With thousands of miles of trails on the ground, the most exciting opportunity in the
coming years is connecting individual trails into regional trail networks. But, as that rich
topic is worthy of more than a final paragraph, I will return to it in the next issue of the
magazine.
In closing, I must state the obvious. The amazing success that we have enjoyed over
the last 30 years would not have been possible without the steadfast support of our
members and the hard work of local partners. Together, we can celebrate both past suc-
cesses and a bright future.
Happy trails!
Keith Laughlin, President
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy
LAURA PEDRICK/AP IMAGES