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HOME > TRAIL TALK > CONNECTIONS NEWSLETTER
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In this issue . . .
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MAPS! MAPS! and MORE MAPS!
- SAFETY-LU EARMARKS FOR MRT!
- MISSISSIPPI RIVER TRAIL FUNDRAISING NEWS!
- MRT PEARL PROJECTS
- IOWA MRT SELECTS COUNTY CHAMPIONS!
- 2006 IOWA BICYCLE SUMMIT
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MAPS! MAPS! and MORE MAPS!
Yes! Finally, MRT, Inc. is developing a new series of more detailed maps. For those of you who have patiently waited until we could begin, the time has arrived!! Reggie McCloud, with Riverwise is in the process of creating a new mapping series for our website. Our plan is to create county road level and off-road trail detail maps divided in northern and southern sections of each state. Wisconsin and Mississippi maps have already been completed. Next in line will be the Iowa maps, followed closely by Minnesota. Check back frequently to watch our mapping progress. A huge THANK YOU to the folks at TREK and the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation for helping make our maps more user friendly!
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SAFETY-LU EARMARKS FOR MRT!
 One of the most profound impacts on Mississippi River Trail route development occurred with the passage of SAFETEA-LU or HR3, the Federal Highway Administration Transportation Enhancements Bill. Successful efforts on behalf of various river community projects and organizations helped secure $33.56 million dollars in five states for route development, planning, and MRT trail construction. These funds were part of a special appropriation category in HR3. Additional funds provided by the passage of this bill will be made available to state departments of transportation during the next three years. |
State |
Project |
Amount |
IL |
Cedar Creek Trail in Quincy, IL |
$400,000 |
IL |
Access improvements to Great Rivers Research and Education Center, Alton, IA |
$1.0 M |
IA |
4.2 mile multi-use trail in Muscatine, IA |
$510,00 |
IA |
MRT-Heritage Trail Dubuque Co., IA |
$1.68 M |
IA |
MRT bridge at Credit Island, Davenport, IA |
$2.0 M |
IA |
MRT Bettendorf, Leach Lake to Riverdale, IA |
$2.165 M |
IA |
MRT and related trails, Dubuque Co., IA |
$1.0 M |
IA |
MRT and related trails, Scott and Muscatine Counties, IA |
$1.0 M |
IA |
MRT in Allamakee County, IA |
$4.9 M |
IA |
Recreational trail from Camanche to Clinton, IA |
$2.1 M |
IA |
Improve Great River Road in Louisa County, IA |
$1.7 Mia |
IA |
Improve Great River Road in Montrose, IA |
$73,500 |
LA |
Planning and construction of MRT in New Orleans Regional Planning Commission Area, LA |
$1.52 M |
LA |
Construct MRT and bike path in New Orleans, LA |
$400,000 |
MN |
Great River Road in Aitkin Co., MN |
$5.568 M |
MN |
Paul Bunyan Trail (PBT) Walker to Bemidji, MN |
$1.12 M |
MN |
PBT Mississippi River to Crow Wing State Park, MN |
$775,000 |
MN |
PBT bridge at Baxter |
$1.5 M |
MN |
Cuyuna and Great River Road trails, MN |
$320,000 |
MN |
Cuyuna Lakes Trail, MN |
$1.2 M |
MN |
Bridge connecting Vento Sanctuary to River |
$1.2 M |
MN |
Cedar Lake Trail in Minneapolis, MN |
$3.0 M |
MO |
Old Chain of Rocks Bridge, St. Louis |
$640,000 |
MO |
Land acquisition for Riverfront Trail, St. Louis |
$560,000 |
| Five of 10 MRT states - 24 projects |
$36,331,500 |
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MISSISSIPPI RIVER TRAIL FUNDRAISING NEWS!
 Part of our vision in navigating toward a successful future for the Mississippi River Trail, Inc. (MRT) is building a broad financial base for the organization that will provide ongoing support for its future growth and development. Since the MRT was founded in 1996, financial support for the MRT has come from a limited number of sources, which included donors and foundations. The Board of Directors recognized that in order for the MRT to be sustainable and have the ability to grow in the future, there was a need for a strategic fund-raising plan. The Board created a specific Fund-Raising Committee to develop such a plan. The strategic fund-raising plan anticipated by this Committee will focus on membership, donor/sponsor and endowment programs. The first priority will be to continue to expand the donor/sponsor programs, since this is the funding source that will sustain the MRT in the near future. One of the ways we anticipate that the donor/sponsor program will be expanded is through an effort to involve all 10 states in fund-raising initiatives. The Committee is reviewing a number of different possibilities for events that can be held up and down the river to inform potential donors about the MRT.
Such an event was held last Summer on a sternwheeler named the John
Theodore D. This fund-raising event for the MRT in the Twin Cities was possible through the generous donation by owners of the boat, Howard and Lois Dahlgren. The riverboat excursion provided the beautiful scenery of the Mississippi, while the guests enjoyed dinner and learned about the vision and mission of the MRT. The setting, along with a verbal presentation and two continuous PowerPoint presentations exhibiting the beauty, natural heritage and viability of the Mississippi River as a trail destination, presented an excellent opportunity to create excitement and interest for new donors to join in the support of the MRT. It was a very successful event and we continue to look for additional possibilities of using the Mississippi River, with its seductive beauty, as our focus around fund-raising events for the MRT.
The Committee also recognizes that another reliable financial base for the MRT will be the establishment of a strong membership program. The task of building a membership foundation for the MRT will begin this year. We will soon have wristbands available for individuals that sign up to be a member of the MRT. It is anticipated that these bands will become our signature piece and advertise to the world our vision and mission of building a recreational trail the entire length of the Mississippi River. Working together we will all be able to watch this dream develop and be able to leave a legacy for future generations. For more information on how to become a member of the MRT go to www.mississippirivertrail.org or call the Mississippi River Trail Executive Director, 479-236-0938.
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MRT PEARL PROJECTS
Submission of a successful technical assistance grant application to the National Park Service resulted in establishment of a partnership with the Midwest and Southeast Regions of the Rivers Trails Conservation Assistance Program in 2005. This project has allowed MRT, Inc. to expand its route development capacity through creation of a “String of Pearls” projects. The series of projects will bring state and national attention to the corridor and promote the development of new opportunities based on conservation, health, and economic development. This project engages MRT staff, members of the National Park Service, and local community advocates the process of developing and designating MRT routes.
The first series of projects in the “String of Pearls” include:
- New Orleans, Louisiana – Hurricane Katrina site – Trail system and green infrastructure redevelopment project.
- Vicksburg, Mississippi – trail expansion to include a loop citywide system and reopening of a Mississippi River vehicular bridge for pedestrian/bicycle use only.
- Helena, Arkansas – Connecting downtown Helena/West Helena to the Arkansas Delta Heritage Trail (ADH). The ADH is a conservation-oriented 70 mile trail through environmentally significant wildlife areas. Serving as an illustration conservation-oriented trail use, this project is also designed to provide a link from downtown Helena to the long-distance trail attraction thus encouraging economic development of support businesses and eco-tourism opportunities. This project also serves as part of an effort to create a loop route from Memphis, Tennessee south through Tunica, then west to Helena and finally, north the West Memphis and Memphis! This route will be a great weekend ride opportunity when completed.
- Memphis – Creation of a tour route through the urban area that connects various historic museums and cultural sites. MRT, Inc. and Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation have expanded their partnership to support development of the Mississippi River Natural Heritage Corridor project as well as the Shelby Farms trails development project, the Wolf River trails project, and the CNX rail to trail conversion.
- Clinton, Iowa – Partnership with the city of Clinton, Iowa is helping facilitate trail development and linkages to parks and historic areas through the city based on a special trail construction appropriation received from Congressional Bill
HR 3.
- Minneapolis, Minnesota – Development of a Minnesota State Committee for MRT, Inc. to spearhead trail designation in a state with over 800 miles of the MRT.
NEW PEARL SITES
- Muscatine, Iowa – site of a comprehensive trail redevelopment and realignment project designed to enhance Muscatine’s trail system and provide great new ride opportunities!
- Lake City, Minnesota – home of Lake Pepin and one of the most scenic areas in southern Minnesota. Lake City is working on development of trail spurs through the city to enhance cyclist opportunities to “see the sites.” Click on the Lake City logo on our partner’s page to find out more about this MRT “jewel.”
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IOWA MRT SELECTS COUNTY CHAMPIONS!
In 2005, the Iowa Mississippi River Trail Executive Committee established an MRT County champion program and selected 10 volunteers representing each of the ten counties through which the Mississippi River Trail traverse to serve as trail champions. This program has met with stunning success and has led to greater involvement at the state level. The champions are responsible for route determination, project coordination, identifying routes ready for signing, and selecting sites for day trips on the Mississippi River Trail.
This premiere effort will serve as a guideline for the development of other state executive committees. Congratulations to Iowa for its leadership and dedication to trail development!
Iowa’s MRT County Champions!
Allamakee County
Rachelle Howe
Allamakee County Economic Development
areadvlp@acegroup.cc
Clayton County
Darla Kelchen
Clayton County Development Group
ccdg@alpinecom.net
Dubuque County
Doug Cheever
jean-dougcheever@highstream.net
Jackson County
Lowell Carlson
Bellevue Herald-Leader
lcarlson@bellevueheraldleader.com
Clinton County
Clyde Bradley
cbradley@clinton.net
Scott County
Brian Fellows
River Action Inc.
brian@riveraction.org
Muscatine County
Sarah Lande
Muscatine Trails
slande@machlink.com
Louisa County
Mallory Smith
Louisa Development Group
loudevgr@louisacomm.net
Des Moines County
Andrea Chase
Southeast Iowa Regional Planning Commission
achase@seirpc.com
Lee County
Tom Buckley
Lee County Conservation Board
tbuckley@leecounty.org |
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2006 IOWA BICYCLE SUMMIT
 Complete Streets a success at the Iowa Bicycle Summit!
The second annual Iowa Bicycle Summit was held on February 2-3, 2006 in Des Moines. The Summit included a new workshop on bicycle facility design and sessions for bicycle advocates. The conference was jointly sponsored by the Iowa Bicycle Coalition and the Iowa Department of Transportation.
“People want our roadways to be bike friendly,” said Mark Wyatt, executive director of the Iowa Bicycle Coalition, “so we gave the people building the roads the tools and knowledge to build complete streets.”
The bicycle facility design workshop was led by Michael Ronkin, a bicycle and pedestrian program manager from Oregon. Oregon has been designing complete streets and bicycle friendly communities since 1971. Ronkin's lessons touched on bicycle parking to bicycle boulevard planning.
The overall theme related to completing the streets for all transportation users. "In particular one point that stood out to me was how we currently measure the effectiveness of our streets by the Average Daily Traffic Count (ADT),” said Lisa Hein of the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation. “However, this measurement only counts cars and does not take into account total movement of people and overall quality of the street." Ronkin gave examples in San Francisco that actually resulted in a more effective street, because more people on bicycles were using the roadway in addition to vehicles
Kathy Ridnour of the Iowa DOT noted, "The most bikeable communities have both on-street and off-street facilities for bicyclists, not just one or the other."
The Iowa Bicycle Coalition is a member-supported bicycle advocacy group promoting Iowa bicycling as safe and enjoyable recreation and transportation. More information is available at www.iowabicyclecoalition.org or by calling 319-626-6017.
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Don’t miss the 2008 National Trails Symposium
Nov. 15-18, 2008, Little Rock, Ark.
For more information go to www.AmericanTrails.org/2008. |
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Mississippi River Trail, Inc.
858 North Jackson
Fayetteville, AR 72701
479-236-0938
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