Rail Trail Newsletter 8-2020 #45 |
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Greetings!
Here we are in August and still in the Pandemic. Who'd have thunk this last winter. And who would have thought last winter that a feasibility study for the Mass Central Rail Trail would be complete--and still on stand-by.
And just last week the town of Clinton would be notified that they've been awarded a grant towards purchasing the former railroad AND the tunnel in town. Or that Belchertown would be granted a sizable award towards developing their section of the MCRT RoW. Some would call August the "doldrums of summer". I'd say anything but the doldrums.
And then I was contacted by Chronicle --an award-winning nightly show on Boston TV Channel 5 who wanted to do a story about rail trails around the state. I have 3 of those videos posted below.
Amazing. Keep enjoying the summer. Keep wearing a mask and keep your social distance.
I'll be like Diogenes. Instead of looking for an honest man, I'll be on the lookout for the MCRT Feasibility study. As soon as it appears, I'll get it off to everyone. Stay tuned.
Craig Della Penna, Exec. Director
Norwottuck Network
62 Chestnut St. Northampton, MA 01062
413 575 2277 CraigDP413@gmail.com
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In the GREEN area, news
about the Mass Central Rail Trail
and its connecting paths
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MCRT
In the News!
Updates About the Longest Developing Rail Trail Project in the Northeast U.S. (and Trails that Connect to it.)
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MASS TRAILS ANNOUNCES ANOTHER GRANT ROUND. SECTIONS OF THE MASS CENTRAL RAIL TRAIL GETS THREE AWARDS.
2 IN BELCHERTOWN
1 IN CLINTON
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CLINTON GREENWAY CONSERVATION TRUST GETS GRANT TO PURCHASE THE SECTIONS OF THE MCRT IN CLINTON. Read more.
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LETTER TO THE EDITOR ABOUT CLINTON'S EFFORT Just last Friday, we got some really great news to share: CLINTON GREENWAY CONSERVATION TRUST has been awarded a grant from MassTrails that will be used to purchase the Clinton portion of the Mass Central Rail Trail.. Read more.
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Communities on the
on the MCRT and their websites
Did you know that many communities (or groups like land trusts) on the MCRT alignment are working on their section of the trail?
Here are links to websites where you can learn who the contact person is, when these groups meet, when hearings are being planned and how to sign up to get notices sent to you directly.
Belmont: Link here to the town appointed committee.
Belmont: Link here to the Belmont Citizens Forum.
Belmont: Link here to the Friends of the Community Path Facebook group.
Somerville: Link here to the Friends of the Community Path Facebook group.
Waltham: Link here to the Waltham Land Trust's site.
Walham: Link here to the Waltham Bike Committee.
Waltham: Link here to the City's page about the MCRT.
Weston: Link here to the town's page about the MCRT
Weston: Link here to the history of both the RR and the advocacy to create the trail. Over 25 years of advocacy. It is now open.
Sudbury: Link here for the N-S intersecting trail--Bruce Freeman Rail Trail.
Hudson: Link here for the NE-SW intersecting trail--Assabet River Rail Trail.
Berlin-Hudson: Link here to the new FaceBook group.
Berlin: Link here goes to the town's Rail Trail Committee. They also have a pretty nice website with pictures of the existing dead RR corridor along other maps and images of a future trail. Link here.
Wayside segment of the MCRT: Link here to a history of DCR's efforts on this.
Clinton Greenway Conservation Trust: Link here.
Clinton Tunnel: Link here to a story on WBZ Boston TV about the tunnel.
Wachusett Greenways area: Link here.
East Quabbin Land Trust: Link here.
Palmer coming soon
Ware: Link here to the Facebook group about this segment of the MCRT'.
Belchertown: Link for the site for Friends of the Belchertown Greenway.
Amherst, Hadley on DCR's Norwottuck section of the MCRT: Link here.
Northampton area: Link here to the Friends of Northampton Trails website.
Northampton area: Link here to the Friends of Northampton Trails Facebook.
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AND IN THE WHITE AREA,
OTHER NEWS AROUND THE REGION
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This is the BEST series of Rail Trail videos on TV that I've seen in years! --CDP |
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WCVB, Boston Channel 5 has an award-winning show called Chronicle. This summer, they did an entire, half-hour program, all about Massachusetts Rail Trails all over the state. Amazing! |
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Creating rail trails in Massa-chusetts are a community effort
Rail trails have opened up scenic vistas once only viewed by railroad passengers. Today, every state has rail trails with more than 40,000 miles of multi-use trails now in use. See the video.
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Dedham voters reject 2-mile rail trail proposal
Rail trails don't just happen, they don't just get built like houses or highways. We don't need them, as much as we need to want them. Even then, it takes endless advocacy and patience to make rail trails happen See the video.
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CHRONICLE Producer and Host, Ted Reinstein shares his experience with the Minuteman Bikeway and the Upper Charles Trails
Over the past 30 years, Ted Reinstein has lived in only two towns and both opened a rail trail while he was a resident. See the video.
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Boston area Conservation Commission Approves Bike Path Extension (and you thought building a bike-ped path was easy. CDP)
The Everett Conservation Commission will now allow work to being on the final connection of the Northern Strand Bike Path in Everett. The project has been in limbo since 2017 and for a three-quarter mile bike path extension, has taken extraordinary time, money and effort to get done. That said, it is a top priority for Mayor Carlo DeMaria and many businesses along the path – including Encore. Read more.
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'Two roads diverged': Robert Frost's words greet Derry rail trail travelers
DERRY — A famed poet with strong connections to a simple, rustic farm will have his words honored permanently on pavement.
The Robert Frost poem “The Road Not Taken” is now a fixture on portions of Derry’s rail trail system, paying tribute to the poet that once called the town home. Read more.
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Northern New England's Longest Rail Trail is now funded to be finished.
Dear LVRT Supporter, We have some very exciting news for you! The Vermont legislature has just passed a capital bill, signed by Governor Phil Scott, to totally fund construction to completion of the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail, in as little as three years
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Open Space Institute buying dead RR in NJ from Norfolk Southern Railroad
A New York-based nonprofit is working toward creating a nearly nine-mile linear park that would connect Essex and Hudson Counties running from Jersey City to Montclair.
On July 30, the Open Space Institute (OSI) announced it has reached a preliminary purchase and sale agreement with Norfolk Southern Railway Company for its abandoned rail lines, setting the stage for future recreation opportunities for walkers, bikers, birders, and other nature lovers while improving transportation options for area residents. Read more. And here's another story about this event. Read more here.
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Eagle Scout + Birdhouses
When Adam Arthur, a member of BSA Troop 32 Acton, Mass started planning for his Eagle Scout Project back in April, he knew he wanted to do a service project related to nature. His grandfather suggested he install birdhouses along the Bruce Freeman Trail and since Arthur bikes the trail often, the idea made perfect sense. Read more.
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Rail trail proponents hard at work, creating a 93-mile-long state park
By Anne Wallace Allen
Aug 9 2020, 3:00 PM
While many recreational activities have ground to a halt because of Covid-19, plans to fix up the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail in VT are still rolling forward.
An original $2.8 million in state funds – proposed by the Scott administration before the Covid crisis emerged – has been approved as part of this year’s Capital Bill, and this summer crews are working on a section of the trail in Hardwick and another between Sheldon and Swanton. Read more.
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AND IN THE ORANGE AREA
Interesting and Pertinent Stories From Around the Country and Sometimes Beyond.
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Trails Blend Health and History
By Thomas P. Caldwell
Outdoor recreation remains among the healthiest activities to pursue, and one of the best offerings in the Lakes Region is the series of walking, hiking, and biking trails that are being developed alongside the lakes and rivers, many of them utilizing old railroad beds. Read more.
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New report calls for a 425-mile protected bikeway that would connect NYC’s five boroughs
When the coronavirus pandemic hit New York City earlier this year, many New Yorkers swapped the subway for cycling as a more socially distant way to commute. The Regional Plan Association (RPA) on recently released a report that details plans for a 425-mile bikeway that could be constructed over the next five years and provide a continuous, safe connection between the boroughs. Read more.
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Two-Wheel Traffic Up on Bridges, But Cash-Strapped City Can’t Expand Crowded Bike Lanes
“It can get pretty tight up there at times,” Andre Figueroa, 19, of Astoria, said before riding into Manhattan over the Queensboro Bridge’s shared cyclist and pedestrian path. “Ever since the start of this pandemic, you’ve seen a real change when it comes to people bicycling.” Read more.
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One page bio
of what I do
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Amazingly, Constant Contact alerted Tiffany Lyman-Olszewski, the editor here, that this newsletter is in the top 10% of all of Constant Contact's newsletters, worldwide, in terms of readership engagement.
Imagine that!
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