"Most people think that folklore is the property of the old, the poor, the rural, and/or the ethnic folks who are our neighbors, but aren't us. Folklore is owned by 'others' who are exoticized and made different from 'normal' people like we are. In fact, folklore is carried within each of us as the knowledge that we value the most, the part of our heritage that we choose to pass on. Most often, this knowledge is so ingrained that we don't even recognize it. Contrary to popular notions of folklore as amusing and benign traditions (crafts, stories, foodways) passed down through the ages, folklore informs all of our decisions and thinking while it remains largely invisible."

Similarly, Peggy finds that we tend "to equate authenticity with an idealized past that somehow has been passed on intact to be revered in today's multi-cultural and chaotic society. We think of authentic community culture as being mono-cultural, unchanging and reflective of the historical antecedents that predate our challenging present. In fact, being authentic is to be uncontrolled and 'real'. Reality is messy, it is dangerous, it is unpredictable. This is the exact opposite of the Disney ideal - where all experience is controlled and 'safe'. An authentic experience will be an adventure, but it will never be predictable. As Floridians attempt to define the state's authentic culture, we need to embrace the reality of our population today and embrace the many cultural assets that exist within our 21st century communities."

And "community sustainability?" More than simply about environment. Peggy asks, "What are we trying to sustain? What is a community without quality education? Without cultural enrichment? Without healthcare? Without a support system for all citizens - from the most vulnerable to the most powerful? True sustainability in Florida communities will depend on Floridians who are willing to function as a community in all aspects of life - economic, social, cultural, political. This demands compromise, cultural connectivity and personal growth. We can't anymore wall ourselves off in gated communities than we can in fantasy."

(Adapted from Herb's remarks at the official March 6 opening of a 30-mile paved section of the East Coast Greenway through south Miami-Dade County.)

Today marks more than the closing of a gap on a trail between downtown Miami and Florida City. More importantly, closing the gap signals where Florida transportation is heading.

For the first time, commuters, recreationists and tourists can board Tri-Rail with their bikes in West Palm Beach, transfer to Metrorail, then ride anywhere along 30 miles of paved off-road trail.

This summer, when the Miami Intermodal Center opens at Miami International Airport, passengers with bikes can board Metrorail and do the same as South Florida residents. Even better, those without bikes will be able to reserve the bike of their choice, have it delivered to a convenient M-Path station south of downtown or a convenient Tri-Rail station in Palm Beach County, and ride off from there.

Trails are good for the economy.

* People start businesses along trails, for example the new Westin Hotel alongside the Seminole-Wekiva Trail in Lake Mary.

* Trails have altogether revived downtown Winter Garden in metro Orlando, and Dunedin in metro St. Pete.

* Everywhere except where NIMBY attitudes prevail, houses alongside trails earn a value premium of five percent and more.

* Visit Florida, our state's leading economic generator, since 2010 has maintained a comprehensive trails website used by people from around the world.

* Driving these outcomes is that young people and families want to live near trails. So do seniors, who make up more than half the 40,000 people a month who bike the Withlacoochee State Trail through Pasco, Hernando, and Citrus counties.

* The rising cost of gas will put many new people on bikes looking for trails and the trail-train connection

* Mid-decade, when the Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail opens its entire 107 miles, this will immediately become a top national ride.

* Miami is now becoming the first region in the South where these sane pollution-cutting, congestion-cutting, fitness-inducing ways of getting around will become standard, will quickly grow, and will add to the cosmopolitan Miami-Miami Beach brand.

Trails are absolutely no frill. They are newly crucial for urban and inter-urban transportation.