rjarrell

Dave Copley , past president of River City Cycling Club in Elizabeth City NC, is working to connect nearby areas of North Carolina together and then ultimately to connect them to the East Coast Greenway , a traffic-free path linking East Coast cities from Maine to Florida. “The idea of being able to get on your bike and ride on a nonmotorized path from Florida to Maine is mind-boggling, for me,” Copley said. Copely brought his idea to about two dozen people at the Elizabeth City Area Chamber of Commerce on Thursday, with help from Russ Haddad , the chamber’s tourism director, and Bill Lane of the National Park Service. Lane, a landscape architect with the park service’s Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program , has been working with Perquimans County on its Greenway/Blueway Trail Plan , and is willing to help Pasquotank apply for assistance from the park service. The park service doesn’t provide funding, its Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program but does provide technical assistance and can offer help in finding grants to pay for conservation and recreation projects. In addition to protecting open space, greenways offer paths for walking and bike riding, promote health and wellness and have economic benefits such as increased tourism and higher property values. freepress

Rev.Chuck

Work is also being done to connect the greenway systems of Raleigh, Durham, Cary and Chapelhill.

timhines

now if we could just connect them to the western part of the state.....

KingFoo

at least we have progress... this is good news

PurpleK

I imagine the Appalachian Trail got its start in a similar fashion when hikers began to recognize the enormous potential of a continuous trail from Georgia to Maine.

While this type of system offers tremendous opportunity, it unfortunately takes a lot of time and energy to make progress. It is truly a shame how money and resources seem to always be found somewhere to build or expand highways, but things of this environmentally and economically positive nature require seeking "grant funding" and take many, many years to achieve.

tulip

Fantastic developments in my home state! The Tobacco Trail opened right when I moved away and it goes right by my old house to near where I worked. I'll keep an eye on things down there.