RTC’s Doppelt Fund Helps Move the Needle on Six Rail-Trails in 2017

JUN 5 2017

Posted 05/31/17 by Eli Griffen in Building Trails

Ashton-Tetonia Trail in Idaho, part of the Greater Yellowstone Trail system | Photo by Camrin Dengel

Today, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) announced the recipients of the 2017 Doppelt Family Trail Development Fund grant program, awarding more than $100,000 to enhance or complete multiuse trail projects in six communities across the United States.

This year’s projects, which aim to fill gaps in existing trail systems, support expansion and maintenance needs, and measure economic impact, were chosen from a pool of applications totaling $5 million in asks (an increase of nearly $1 million from last year alone)—speaking to the growing demand for trails nationwide.

The 2017 Doppelt Fund recipients include the following:

Colorado Springs Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Services , receiving $35,000 to complete Phase 1 of the Legacy Loop, a comprehensive multiuse trail project that will improve connectivity and accessibility for over 120,000 families living within 2 miles of the project in the heart of Colorado Springs

Tillamook Forest Heritage Trust (Oregon) , receiving $30,000 to support analysis of the social-economic benefits associated with the Salmonberry Trail

Wyoming Pathways (Idaho, Montana and Wyoming) , receiving $20,000 to support the opening of the Greater Yellowstone Trail, a 180-mile pathway and rail-trail route that connects Jackson Hole, Wyoming, to West Yellowstone, Montana, via small towns in eastern Idaho
National Road Heritage Corridor (Pennsylvania), receiving $7,500 for the construction of the Marion Segment of the Sheepskin Trail, which will close an existing gap in the Industrial Heartland Trails Coalition’s Parkersburg-to-Pittsburgh corridor

Detroit Greenways Coalition (Michigan) , receiving $5,000 to support the Inner Circle Greenway in Highland Park, the largest urban trail project within the state of Michigan

Cowboy Trail West, Inc. (Nebraska) , receiving $5,000 to support a 15-mile expansion of the Cowboy Trail from Gordon to Rushville

Read full article at RTC website.