RAILS TO TRAILS CONSERVANCY

TRAIL DEVELOPMENT: SINCE ITS INCEPTION, RTC HAS WORKED TO REIMAGINE PUBLIC CORRIDORS AND RIGHTS OF WAY FOR PEOPLE TO WALK, BIKE AND BE ACTIVE OUTSIDE CREATING VIBRANT PUBLIC SPACES THAT ENGAGE, INSPIRE AND EMPOWER COMMUNITIES FROM COAST TO COAST. THIS WORK EMBODIES BEST PRACTICES AND LEADING-EDGE INITIATIVES TO GUIDE TRAIL DEVELOPMENT IN WAYS THAT PROMOTE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, BRING INNOVATION TO TRAIL DEVELOPMENT AND PLANNING, AND PRIORITIZE TRAIL NETWORKS AND THE CONNECTIONS THAT TRAILS CAN DELIVER BETWEEN PEOPLE AND PLACES.THROUGH OUR TRAILNATION PORTFOLIO OF PROJECTS, RTCS CREATING NATIONAL MODELS THAT SHOWCASE THE OUTSIZED BENEFITS THAT CONNECTED TRAILS AND ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION ROUTES CAN DELIVER - LOCALLY, REGIONALLY AND NATIONALLY. THE PORTFOLIO IS FOCUSED ON NINE PLACES ACROSS THE COUNTRY THAT ARE DIVERSE IN THEIR GEOGRAPHY, CULTURE, SIZE, AND SCOPE - SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN, THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA, THE INDUSTRIAL HEARTLAND (WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA, WEST VIRGINIA, OHIO AND NEW YORK STATE), GREATER PHILADELPHIA, MARYLAND, WASHINGTON, D.C., MIAMI, NORTHERN NEW JERSEY AND NEW ENGLAND. THE LESSONS FROM TRAIL NATION ARE SHARED AMONG RTC'S TRAIL NATION COLLABORATIVE, A NATIONWIDE PEER LEARNING COMMUNITY THAT BRINGS TOGETHER ADVOCATES, LEADERS, AND PROFESSIONALS FROM ACROSS DISCIPLINES TO ESTABLISH AND ACCELERATE TRAIL NETWORKS ACROSS AMERICA. THE COLLABORATIVE PROVIDES PROVEN TOOLS, METHODS, AND RESOURCES, COMBINED WITH RTC'S EXPERTISE AND NETWORK OF PARTNERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY, TO ACCELERATE THE DEVELOPMENT OF CONNECTED TRAIL SYSTEMS. THE GREAT AMERICAN RAIL TRAIL IS A FLAGSHIP TRAIL DEVELOPMENT PROJECT. IT WILL BE THE NATION'S FIRST CROSS-COUNTRY MULTIUSE TRAIL, STRETCHING MORE THAN 3,700 MILES BETWEEN WASHINGTON, D.C., AND WASHINGTON STATE. THIS TRAIL IS AN ICONIC PIECE OF AMERICAN INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WILL CONNECT THOUSANDS OF MILES OF RAIL-TRAILS AND OTHER MULTIUSE TRAILS, SERVING TENS OF MILLIONS OF PEOPLE LIVING ALONG THE ROUTE AS WELL AS THOSE WHO VISIT THE TRAIL FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY AND THE WORLD. RTC PROVIDES THE NATIONAL LEADERSHIP AND ON THE GROUND SUPPORT - THE WORK TO ORGANIZE PEOPLE, PLANS, AND IDEAS; TRAIL PLANNING AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT; AND THE ADVOCACY AND MARKETING TO EVENTUALLY COMPLETE THE GREAT AMERICAN RAIL TRAIL. RTC CONTINUES TO SUPPORT TRAIL BUILDERS NATIONWIDE IN SEVERAL WAYS, INCLUDING MANAGING AN EARLY WARNING SYSTEM TO NOTIFY STAKEHOLDERS OF UPCOMING RAILWAY ABANDONMENTS; CREATING STATEWIDE TRAIL INVENTORIES AND DEVELOPMENT PLANS; PROVIDING TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND GRANTS FOR LOCAL TRAIL DEVELOPMENT AND MANAGEMENT PROJECTS; AND PROVIDING BEST PRACTICES TRAINING AND EDUCATION.

PUBLIC INFORMATION/EVENTS: RTC SERVES AS THE VOICE OF THE TRAIL'S MOVEMENT, SPEAKING OUT ABOUT THE TRANSFORMATIVE POWER OF TRAILS, ENCOURAGING THEIR USE, AND GENERATING DEMAND FOR TRAILS NATIONWIDE. RTC'S FLAGSHIP INITIATIVE, TRAILLINK.COM SERVED MILLIONS OF VISITORS IN 2025 PROVIDING ACCESS TO MORE THAN 5,300 TRAILS REPRESENTING 41,000 MILES THROUGH ITS WEBSITE AND FIVE-STAR RATED APPS. THIS TRAIL CONTENT IS ALSO OFFERED IN A SERIES OF PRINT GUIDEBOOKS. THROUGH STORYTELLING AND DIRECT ENGAGEMENT, RTC SHARES INFORMATION ABOUT TRAILS ACROSS A VARIETY OF PUBLIC CHANNELS THAT COLLECTIVELY REACH MILLIONS OF PEOPLE, INCLUDING ITS MAGAZINE, MONTHLY NEWS, SOCIAL MEDIA, WEBSITE, NEWS MEDIA AND PUBLICATIONS. RTC ALSO SPEARHEADS TRAIL USE CAMPAIGNS AND EVENTS DESIGNED TO ENGAGE AND INSPIRE THE PUBLIC TO USE TRAILS, INCLUDING OUR CELEBRATE TRAILS DAY EVENT, TRAIL MOMENTS CAMPAIGN AND SHARE THE TRAIL CAMPAIGN.