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National Park Service Reaches Out to All Americans

"From a new water trail network in New York City to mountain biking trails in Anchorage, we are tremendously excited about the quality of this year's 231 new projects (by state)," says Rick Potts, Chief of NPS Conservation and Outdoor Recreation. "We know they will help to advance youth involvement in outdoor recreation and environmental stewardship, spark more community trails and greenways, support alternative transportation, and transform more brownfields to parks."

The Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program (RTCA) is the community assistance arm of the NPS. Our goal? To share the Park Service's mission of conservation and outdoor recreation with communities across America. In 2009, we're working on projects in almost every state (national project list).  Our work focuses on three national themes: engaging youth, promoting healthy recreation, and connecting parks to communities.
 

"Projects that partner with the Park Service get a critical jumpstart," says Jeff Ciabotti of the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy. "RTCA is an invaluable asset for communities in helping to build trails. We couldn't do many of these important projects without their assistance."



Learning from the Field: Trail Building with IMBA

"RTCA has been a great partner," says Mark Eller of the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA). In 2007, his organization collaborated with NPS RTCA staff on a program to teach sustainable trail building techniques in Hanover, New Hampshire. Through a combination of meetings with city officials and local residents, as well as a "trail care" day, support has deepened for local trails. And in Anchorage, Alaska---where IMBA is once again partnering with RTCA---groundbreaking began this summer on the city's first official system of sustainably built, singletrack mountain biking trails. By the end of 2009, a total of 8.5 miles of soft-surface trail will provide recreation opportunities, while retaining and reflecting the natural characteristics of the landscape.

Take a Kid Mountain Biking

RTCA is also a sponsor of Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day, an annual event in October which this year drew over 6000 young riders around the world and helped instill a love of the natural world.
mountain bikers
Catalysts: Getting Involved
Learn more about the RTCA program and publications that might be helpful, including information about funding sources. You can also read more about RTCA's collaboration with IMBA.

Links
National Park Service RTCA 2009 (Complete Project List)
National Park Service RTCA 2009 (Projects By State)
International Mountain Biking Association (IMBA)
Let's Work Together

Could your project benefit from 1-2 years of staff-time from a National Park Service specialist? If you're working on restoring a river, building a community trail, or making an urban park flourish, we'd love to talk with you about ways we could work together. Please call or email your regional representative today

NPS Conservation and Recreation Links

Challenge Cost Share Program | Partnership Wild and Scenic Rivers | Federal Lands to Parks

Hydropower Relicensing Program | National Trails System |  Urban Park and Recreation Recovery

Land and Water Conservation Fund | Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program

The Update informs Department of the Interior staff, organizational partners, and friends about the program successes and activities of the National Park Service Conservation and Outdoor Recreation Programs. For more details, please contact the staff person involved with each project.

This e-newsletter may be copied or redirected. Our staff would be pleased to assist your editor in adapting each story for your publication; for more information, please call (202) 354-6918 or e-mail [email protected].
Images courtesy National Park Service.