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What was, what is now, and what could one day be. It sounds like a philosophical mantra, or a visualization technique, but really it describes what the rail-trail "business" is all about. The before and after photo. The transformation. The potential. The undiscovered future. This past weekend, within the space of just a few hours, I found myself face to face with both the "before" and the "after" - one community trying to imagine a popular destination rail-trail in their area, and another already...

National Trails Day, June 1, is a many-splendored thing, because the trails it celebrates cover such a vast spectrum. Trails are long and short, urban and rural, for taking a gentle stroll through the wilderness and for picking up the groceries. Trails have become as diverse and varied as the American people they serve. As America has changed over the decades, so too has the humble trail evolved into an important part of everyday life for millions of people. National Trails Day is the perfect moment...

You mightn't think it, but writing about trails can be a pretty life-affirming experience. More often than not, the stories of how our trails get built are stories about community spirit, the volunteer ethic, neighbors helping neighbors and local people using plenty of elbow grease, ingenuity and determination to build something of long-lasting good. My story that we just launched at www.railstotrails.org on Connecticut's Shoreline Greenway Trail was like that. Interviewing the many local volunteers...

The Richmond Greenway is one of the great success stories of Rails-to-Trails Conservancy's (RTC) work in urban areas over the past decade. In the early part of the century, the Atchison-Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad (AT&SF) helped make the San Francisco Bay Area-community of Richmond a thriving hub of industry. But the decline of the railroad and the industries that supported it saw Richmond fall on hard times, and in recent decades the city has been beset by the familiar problems of crime, low...

Terrific news out of Holliston, Mass., this week, with the generous donation of a parcel of land to make possible the continued development of the Upper Charles Rail Trail . The Upper Charles Rail Trail is being developed in sections as the land and funding becomes available, driven by a strong local group of volunteers always willing to roll the sleeves up. When complete it will run through Sherborn, Holliston, Milford, Hopkinton and Ashland in eastern Massachusetts. According to this story at Metro...

We hope that Hurricane Sandy didn't wreak too much havoc on your community during the last few days. Though the dense urban areas of New York City and northern New Jersey were the most effected, the reality is that all through the Northeast people are now dealing with fallen trees, debris, collapsed fences and power lines that, in many instances, will be partially blocking or completely closing local trail systems. Now is the perfect time to roll up the sleeves and see what you can do help restore...

In Cleveland, Ohio, a local Rotary Club is demonstrating once again the remarkable creative and physical energy of America's volunteers working to improve their local surroundings. In 1977, the Rotary Club of Cleveland began a project to improve a 200-foot section of overgrown and neglected land beside the city's red line train tracks. Three decades later, Rotary's involvement in the project has grown, and thanks to their efforts local residents and visitors to Cleveland now enjoy a two-mile length...

These are difficult times for trail advocates, residents and businesspeople who need better biking and walking options in their communities. With dedicated funding for trails under threat at the federal and state level, our nation's trailblazers are having to work harder than ever. But Rails-to-Trails Conservancy's (RTC) new report, Community Built - Stories of Volunteers Creating and Caring For Their Trails , shows us how, in the face of adversity, they are still getting it done. If you are an advocate...