POINT OF VIEW
Protecting Our Essential Infrastructure
Rails to Trails is the magazine of Rails to Trails Conservancy (RTC), a nonprofit organization
dedicated to creating a future where everyone has safe spaces to walk, bike and be active outdoors. RTC 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 is a benefit of membership in RTC. Regular membership is $18 a year, $5 of which supports the magazine. Members also receive discounts on RTC gifts and publications. Rails to Trails is published four times a year—three in print, one digital—by RTC. Copyright 2025 Rails to Trails Conservancy. ISSN 1523-4126. Printed in the U.S.A.
A LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT
For decades, places of all types—from large cities to small towns and outdoor recreation destinations—have had something in common. They’ve made trails their superpower. They’re leveraging former railroad corridors so that their communities are safer and easier to navigate by walking and biking. They’re transforming their regions into destinations, the types of places you want to visit and, more importantly, where you want to live. And they’re organizing for a future where trails connect everyone, and everyone benefits from improved economic opportunity, mobility and quality of life. This transformation of America’s landscape has been possible because public funding—local, state and federal—and federal laws like railbanking have aligned with the bold vision of civic leaders and passionate citizens. The Transportation Alternatives (TA) program, the country’s largest source of dedi- cated funding for trails, walking and biking, has provided nearly $25 billion for projects since 1991, establishing a foundation for the nation’s trail and active transportation system. The TA program has contributed to 42,000+ miles of multiuse trails, thousands of projects that improved streets for walking and biking, and hundreds of developing trail networks reaching every state. In recent years, unprecedented federal investments in this infrastructure have taken bold visions even further, supporting ambitious proj- ects that cross regional boundaries and surmount complex planning challenges—just the kinds of visionary projects that federal programs are meant to support. Projects like the Flint Hills Trail State Park in Kansas (p. 27), RTC’s most recent Hall of Fame inductee with ties to the important history of the Kaw Nation in the region, have leveraged TA dollars with local and state funding and large federal grants like RAISE (now the BUILD program)—which supports large-scale transportation infrastructure projects. The corridor for Nebraska’s Cowboy Trail (cover story, p. 8)— the longest rail-rail conversion in the country and a critical part of the state’s tourism and conservation strategies, as well as a segment of the cross-country Great American Rail-Trail ® —was railbanked by RTC in the 1990s and then donated to the state. Right now, these vital programs are under threat, while Congress and the adminis- tration are pursuing claw backs of previously awarded funding. Congress is considering actions that could seriously weaken TA, and railbanking is under attack in a bill that would render the tool useless (Rail-Trail Report, p. 3). With the reauthorization of the country’s surface transportation bill fast approaching in 2026, RTC is working diligent- ly to protect the federal programs that make it possible for the country to create, con- nect and maintain its trails. Our federal policy vision outlines smart strategies for investment and policy reforms to ensure that there is the funding needed to accelerate progress of the nation’s trail system and that every dollar invested is maximized (railstotrails.org/reauthorization). Our passionate national coalition of partner organizations, local governments, members and advocates are here to carry an important message: Trails are essential. Trails are a common thread bringing communities together, and the demand for trails is ubiquitous—building upon decades of proven impact. Now is the time to put that impact on full display and protect the federal funds and policies necessary to connect everyone, everywhere.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS Edward Chang, Chair; Noel Kegel, Vice Chair; Doug Monieson, Treasurer; Ayesha McGowan, Secretary; Ajoa Abrokwa; Balaji Bondili; James Brainard, Jon Cofsky; Mark A. Filippell,
PRESIDENT Ryan Chao
MAGAZINE STAFF VP OF COMMUNICATIONS Brandi Horton EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Amy Kapp SENIOR EDITOR Laura Stark CONTRIBUTOR Cory Matteson COPY EDITOR Sharon Congdon DESIGN/ PRODUCTION Outright; Kathy Keller
J.D.; Catharine Sloss Jones; M.
Katherine Kraft, Ph.D.; Elizabeth Lynn; Andy McCormick; Tom Petri; Marvin Plakut; Juliette Rizzo; Daniel A. Rodríguez, Ph.D.; James F. Sallis, Ph.D.
RAILS TO TRAILS CONSERVANCY
HEADQUARTERS 2445 M St., NW, Suite 650
Washington, DC 20037 PHONE 202.331.9696 EMAIL magazine@railstotrails.org
WEBSITES railstotrails.org, TrailLink.com MIDWEST Yellow Springs, OH 614.837.6782 midwest@railstotrails.org NORTHEAST Philadelphia, PA 267.332.4267 northeast@railstotrails.org WESTERN Oakland, CA 510.992.4662 western@railstotrails.org FLORIDA Tallahassee, FL 866.202.9788 rtcflorida@railstotrails.org BALTIMORE Baltimore, MD 410.207.2445 MILWAUKEE Milwaukee, WI 414.688.4367
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With gratitude,
POSTMASTER SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO info@railstotrails.org
Ryan Chao, President, Rails to Trails Conservancy
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