Spend time outdoors on city trails

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BY MARY LOUISE SPEER/Lee Enterprises

Recreation trails are born out of peoples’ desire for places where they can safely walk, bike and enjoy the outdoors while staying fit.

Rails-to-Trails

Trains play a vital role in the U.S. transportation system, but what happens when a rail line shuts down a track? The Rails-to-Trails Conservancy is a national, nonprofit organization that helps communities recycle unused and abandoned rail corridors into trail systems.

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Joey Wright leads the way down the Holmes Dam Trail with his father, Marshall, and dog Curly last summer. (Heidi Hoffman)

Joey Wright leads the way down the Holmes Dam Trail with his father, Marshall, and dog Curly last summer. (Heidi Hoffman)

Trails in Lincoln

For a list of trails in Lincoln, log on to www.lincoln.ne.gov/city/parks/parks/trails/index.htm.

“We like to think of it as the ultimate recycling project,” said Katie Test, manager of public relations at the national headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Organized in 1986, the group sponsors a Web site with information on ways to convert unused tracks or access Traillink, a page where people can search for trails by ZIP code or key words.

From a recreational viewpoint, these paths are usually flat or located on a gradual grade that makes them user-friendly, said Ben Gettleman, manager of trail development for the western region Rails-to-Trails office.

In 1983, the U.S. Congress amended the National Trails System Act and introduced the concept of rail banking, where rail lines under consideration for abandonment can be preserved for future trail use.

For more information, go to railtrails.org.

American Discovery Trail and Congress

The U.S. Congress is considering legislation that would designate the American Discovery Trail as the first of a new category of national discovery trails. Signs are being installed along the route.

The 6,800-plus-mile route between Delaware and California connects five national scenic trails and 10 national historic trails, 34 national recreational trails and many other local and regional trails.

For more information about the trail and pending legislation, go to discoverytrail.org/news/issues.html.

League of American Bicyclists

Riding a bicycle to work is both practical and cost-effective in light of rising fuel prices, said Elizabeth Preston, director of communications for the League of American Bicyclists, headquartered in Washington, D.C.

“It’s a great way to get to work,” Preston said. “Fuel prices are about to hit $4. The obesity epidemic in America is continuing to grow.”

People put going to the gym on their list of things to do, but biking to the workplace fills that need and is less stressful than sitting in traffic. It isn’t necessary to purchase an expensive two-wheeler or dress from head to toe in latex, she said.

Statistically, most people commute five miles or less, and there isn’t that much of a time difference between driving in traffic and bicycling, she said. Individuals thinking of switching to a bike can talk to other cyclists in their community or develop their own rider-friendly route on back roads and neighborhood streets.

“Most people that bike love it and do it year-round,” she said.

For more information, go to bikeleague.org/about/index.php.

Reach Mary Louise Speer, correspondent for the Quad-City Times in Davenport, Iowa, at newsroom@qctimes.com.