Coalition for Recreational Trails 2016 ANNUAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS

Americantrails.org

Award-winning trail projects and programs funded through the Recreational Trails Program of the Federal Highway Administration

Winners have been announced for the 2016 Annual Achievement Awards in recognition of outstanding use of Recreational Trails Program (RTP) funds. The awards ceremony hosted by the Coalition for Recreational Trails was held in Washington, DC on June 8, 2016 at U.S. House of Representatives offices. Representing CRT were Marianne Fowler, Co-Chair, and Duane Taylor, Vice Chair and Awards Committee Chair. We were also honored by the assistance of Barbara McCann, Director of the Office of Safety, Energy, and Environment in the Policy Office of the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The awards are part of annual efforts by national trails and outdoor recreation organizations to promote the importance of RTP funding to States across America.

The trail programs and project sponsors honored for 2016 are listed below by category of award:



Cochran Mill Park Trail - Georgia

Maintenance and Rehabilitation

Project funded construction of a 2.5 mile interpretive trail, trail-building machinery, maps and markers, information kiosk, and an equestrian mounting block to improve accessibility.

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Kanab Creek OHV Bridge - Utah

Construction and Design

Replacement of an often-flooded stream crossing with a new bridge built from a recycled 60-foot overhead crane beam to access many miles of trails for off-highway vehicle recreationists as well as nonmotorized trail users.

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Gypsum City Off-Highway Vehicle Park - Iowa

Public-Private Partnerships Enhancing Public Lands Access and Use

Development of an 800-acre riding area for recreational vehicles including campground construction, park and trail signs, habitat restoration, and landscape plantings.

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Ash to Kings Trail - Nevada

Community Linkage

RTP-funded projects included bridge installation and trail construction using Nevada Conservation Corps work crews, as well as trail construction tools for volunteers.

photo of workers on steep slope

NevaDA Conservation Corps crew on the Ash to Kings trail

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Great Trails: Providing Quality OHV Trails and Experiences Guidebook - National

Education and Communication

Development of a major resource for planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and managing OHV recreational trails and trail systems.

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Dolan Springs Trail - Arizona

Multiple-Use Management and Corridor Sharing

Installation of a vault toilet and wayside benches, relocation of an eroded portion of the trail, plus signs to improve safety, trail maps and brochures, and “Leave No Trace” educational materials.

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Graber Pond Accessible Trail - Wisconsin

Accessibility Enhancement

Accessible trail in the city of Middleton along a pond and wetlands includes boardwalks, a fishing pier, and an accessible launch facility for kayaks and canoes.

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Rock Creek Park Bridge Project - District of Columbia

Youth Conservation/Service Corps and Community Outreach

Student Conservation Association worked with the National Park Service to build four trail bridges at Rock Creek Park in Washington, DC.

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Utah Conservation Corps Bike Crew - Utah

Youth Conservation/Service Corps and Community Outreach

The trail crew used bicycles as their only transportation in improving trails at Utah State Parks site.

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Eureka Trail - Tennessee

Engaging Public-Sector Partners

RTP funding enabled the acquisition of 4.3 miles of abandoned CSX rail line from Athens to Englewood, which has since been developed as a multiuse trail.

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Trails Advisory Board - Indiana

Outstanding State Recreational Trails Advisory Committee

The Indiana Trails Advisory Board includes both motorized and nonmotorized users who represent their constituents, not industry or agency, interests in trails to the board as well as sharing important trail information to them.



The Recreational Trails Program

The Recreational Trails Program (RTP) of the Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration provides funds to the States to develop and maintain recreational trails and trail-related facilities for both nonmotorized and motorized recreational trail uses. RTP funds come from the Federal Highway Trust Fund, and represent a portion of the motor fuel excise tax collected from nonhighway recreational fuel use. Since 1991, more than 20,000 RTP-funded projects have been fuunded nationwide and are documented on the RTP database: www.recreationaltrailsinfo.org. The RTP leverages hundreds of millions of dollars of additional support from other sources for trails, encourages productive cooperation among trail users, and facilitates healthy outdoor recreation and economic activity across America.

For more information on each of these trails, see
http://www.americantrails.org/awards/CRT16awards/index.html