Greenways and Trails Program E-News
IN THIS ISSUE
Publications
Helpful Bike Maps
ATV Safety Contest
Water Trails in Virginia
Calendar
Youth Explore the Southeast Coast Paddling Trail
Construction Begins,,,
AT Community Program Grows!
Timely Training in Tight Times
Breaking Down the New Transportation Bill
Calculating Ecosystem Services
Connecting our Parks to the Community
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Upcoming Grants


Grants.gov is the federal funding site for 1000 grant programs offered by 26 agencies.

Publications 
 


Helpful Bike Maps
VDOT has released a 
set of maps that show Bicycling Level of Service and the Bicycle Compatibility Index for the roadways in each VDOT construction district.
 
A dynamic map of U.S. Bike Routes 1 and 76 in Virginia is also available online.
 
Click here for VDOT's online transportation information map.
 
To see a map of the East Coast Greenway in Virginia, click here.
 
ATV Safety Contest
Cash prizes are available to young riders (6-18) who create videos on ATV and dirt bike safety.  For complete contest rules, click here.

The "Do the Ride Thing" contest runs until Aug. 15, 2012.

 

Water Trails in Virginia
Virginia's water trails are of interest to many citizens and tourists, but limited access to rivers is a challenge for future water trail development. Successful efforts to develop these water trails are underway along the Upper James in Botetourt County, along the Upper Reach of the Roanoke River and along the Dan River.
 
The Scenic River Program brings recognition to the inherent characteristics of the river and recognizes supporting communities that care for the river. Many communities are developing water trails and are looking to get Scenic River designation to distinguish and promote the river's quality.  Several studies are underway this year including the Dan, Bannister and Meherrin Rivers. Click here for more information on the Scenic River Program.
2012 Calendar

 

  

September 8-11 

 

Wintergreen

 

September 29

National Public Lands Day

 

October 3

Walk to School Day

 

October 17-19

Rural Planning Caucus of VA

Mountain Lake 

 

Nov. 2-3

East Coast Greenway Alliance Annual Meeting

Richmond, VA

 

Nov. 6-7

World Town Planning Day

Online Conference

  

Youth Explore the Southeast Coast Paddling Trail
In June, Wild River Outfitters, Virginia Beach SPCA and local churches partnered with the NPS RTCA to get local youth out in kayaks for a 3-hour paddle trip.

RTCA is working with Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia to create an interstate paddling route along the southeast Atlantic Coast.

This paddle tour was a practical, community-based approach to address the growing health concerns of inadequate physical activity among youth, and is a good example of how to instill teamwork, confidence, self-esteem and civic pride in these kids.
 
DCR Trails Program Mission:  Provide assistance and education to encourage the development, maintenance and promotion of attractive, sustainable and connected trails throughout the state.
 
Jennifer Wampler
Trails Coordinator
Virginia Dept of Conservation & Recreation, Division of Planning and Recreation Resources

Issue: 16
Summer 2012 
   Welcome to the DCR Greenways and Trails Program News Group.  Scroll down for information on how to unsubscribe or update your profile.
Construction begins ...

Construction at Riveredge Park

Another link in the James River Heritage Trail is underway--Amherst County has broken ground on Riveredge Park,
 located across the James from the existing James River Heritage Trail in Lynchburg.  This park currently offers boating and fishing access to the James River; new construction will include a parking lot and a multi-purpose building. 

 

Construction at Powhatan State Park
A section of the James River Heritage Trail is also underway in Powhatan County.  Construction of Phase I facilities for the day-use park are 70 percent complete and include a park office, contact station, equestrian parking area, residences, picnic area, and James River access for boating.  There are 2.5 miles of roads and utilities underway as well.  Work on Phase I is expected to be completed by January 2013. Trail work will be initiated in a future phase.

 

A.T. Community Program Grows!
by Angie Sheldon

 

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy's A.T. Community program continues to grow in Virginia.  This spring, they celebrated the official designation of Bland County, Glasgow, Buena Vista, Waynesboro and Front Royal as A.T. Communities.  This program is designed to recognize communities that promote and protect the Appalachian Trail (A.T.). Communities along the A.T.'s corridor are considered assets by A.T. hikers and many of these places are good friends and neighbors to the Trail. The program serves to assist communities with sustainable economic development through tourism and outdoor recreation, while preserving and protecting the A.T.  There are now 27 official A.T. Communities along the A.T. and 11 of these communities are located along the 550 miles of trail in Virginia.  Upcoming designation ceremonies include, Abingdon on September 11th and Nelson County later this fall.  The Appalachian Trail Conservancy looks forward to working with its new Trail partners in Virginia.  Learn more about the A.T. Community Program here. 
Webinars:  Timely Training in Tight Times

 

 

Since many trail advocates and planners have no training budgets or time to attend conferences, webinars can help disseminate information on best practices and policies to keep us moving forward.  Many organizations are keeping these webinars archived, extending their value and accessibility.

 

A free webinar on the Updated AASHTO BIke Guide is being offered by the Pedestrian and Bicycle Infomation Center on August 10.

 

On July 31 at 1 p.m., the Rails to Trails Conservancy is offering a webinar overview of the new transportation bill Transportation Alternatives Provisions of MAP-21 for Implementers.

 

The National Recreation and Parks Association offers an excellent series of archived Webinars, including one on Partnering Towards Healthy Communities and Moving Paths in the Right Direction.

 

American Trails and the National Trails Training Partnership offer the Advancing Trails Webinar series here.

 

ChangeLab Solutions offer a series of archived Webinars promoting public health, including one on Creating Pedestrian-Friendly Streets.

 

The American Public Health Association also has a Webinar Series: Health and Equity in Transportation: Promising Methods and Modes to Improve Health Outcomes.

 

Thanks to these organizations and others who are helping to keep us informed in tight times!

 

Breaking Down the New Transportation Bill

 

Under the new transportation bill, Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century, 9 activities are eligible for funding as transportation alternatives (down from 12 in the previous bill, SAFETEA-LU).  Activities that are no longer eligible include pedestrian and bicycle safety and educational programs, acquisition of scenic or historic easements and sites, scenic or historic highway programs including tourist and welcome centers, and establishment of transportation museums.  Some of the other eligible activities have been slightly changed; for example, providing safe routes for non-drivers has been added to the construction, planning and design of infrastructure-related projects. Construction, planning and design of on-road and off-road trail facilities for nonmotorized forms of transportation has been expanded to achieve ADA compliance.

 

Section 1509 no longer exempts transportation alternatives from the transferability clause, so state DOTs may transfer their half of the reserved funding anywhere in the state to other programs, and MPOs and states can agree to transfer their portion as well.  A state may opt out of the recreational trails program.

 

Most transportation alternative projects will now fall under the newly defined categorical exclusion in section 1317, which defines projects of "limited federal assistance" as those that a) receive less than $5 million in federal funds, or b) are estimated at no more than $30 million in total cost with less than 15 percent of federal funding.

 

Formerly 10 percent of each state's surface transportation program funds, transportation alternatives are now funded by a new formula that uses 2 percent of the Highway Trust Fund (other than the Mass Transit account) multiplied by an amount calculated on the ratio between the amount apportioned to Virginia in 2009 and the total amount of all Enhancement Funds apportioned to all states in 2009.

 

Calculating Ecosystem Services
The Department of Forestry calculates the ecosystem services of their forests using an online tool that is available for everyone.

 

The InFOREST application  measures the carbon sequestered in a forest stand, the nutrient and/or sediment runoff and the nutrient offset for the nutrient trading program.

 

For carbon sequestration, you have to locate the tree stand of interest (draw a polygon), and enter the following information on the tree stand:

1) Stand composition (hardwood, pine or mixed)

2) Basal area (the sum of the cross sectional area of the stems per unit area in square feet per acre (range 1-300)

3) Dominant height (average height in feet of the dominant and codominant trees (range 1-135)

 

The application then provides a report that you can download, so that you can share the good news about the value of your trees!

Connecting our Parks to the Community

 

Shenandoah River 
Raymond "Andy" Guest, Jr. State Park
This lovely riverfront park, which has been open to the public since 2001,  is located  in Warren County, eight miles south of Front Royal and just north of the town of Bentonville along Route 340. The park consists of approximately 1,619 acres and has over 5 miles of river frontage along the South Fork of the Shenandoah River. The Shenandoah River is highly prized for floating and fishing, and outfitters located nearby provide all the equipment needed for a wonderful day on the river. 
 
The park lies withing the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Heritage Area and is in close proximity to Skyline  Drive, Shenandoah National Park, the Cedar Grove & Belle Grove National Historic Park,  The Journey Through Hallowed Ground National Heritage Area, and the George  Washington and Jefferson National Forest (GWJNF).  
 
The park offers an array of facilities for day and overnight guests including 24 miles of hiking trails and seven miles of multi-use trails.
Recreational Trails Update
The Recreational Trails Program (RTP) Advisory Committee met in June to complete final scoring of the 2012 RTP grant cycle, with 16 projects selected for funding contingent upon findings associated with meeting the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Historic Preservation Act (HPA), Endangered Species Act (ESA), and Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA) compliance requirements. Forty-six applications were submitted for the 2012 RTP grant cycle requesting over $4.6 million in assistance.  The available funding for projects is $1.6 million.