{"id":511,"date":"2011-11-16T16:00:00","date_gmt":"2011-11-16T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wabikes.org\/2011\/11\/16\/tips-for-trail-advocates\/"},"modified":"2013-01-05T20:59:20","modified_gmt":"2013-01-05T20:59:20","slug":"tips-for-trail-advocates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wabikes.org\/index.php\/2011\/11\/16\/tips-for-trail-advocates\/","title":{"rendered":"Tips for Trail Advocates"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n
I was the keynote speaker earlier this month at <\/span>Forever Green Council\u2019s<\/span><\/a> Pierce County Trails Conference.\u00a0 Around sixty trail supporters turned out for this event to network, learn from each other, and celebrate trails.<\/span> <\/span><\/div>\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
Before I assumed my current mantle of Outreach and Communications Manager for the Bicycle Alliance, I worked with trail advocates around our state and helped organize support for a variety of trail projects. I drew from that experience to prepare my presentation and assembled some tips to share with conference attendees.\u00a0 I think they\u2019re worth sharing with you as well.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
You\u2019re in it for the long haul.<\/u><\/b><\/span><\/div>\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
It can take years to build a trail.\u00a0 The rail corridor that is today the Burke Gilman Trail in Seattle, was abandoned as a railroad in 1971.\u00a0 The first segment of trail was not dedicated for public use until 1978.\u00a0 Although additional segments have continued to be built, forty years after abandonment the trail still has a missing link.\u00a0 You can read a more detailed <\/span>history of the Burke Gilman Trail<\/span><\/a> here.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
It takes a coalition to build a trail.<\/u><\/b><\/span><\/div>\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
Behind every successful trail is a determined group of citizens who made it happen.\u00a0 The coalition often begins with a few folks who envision the trail and they get others to buy into their vision.\u00a0 Successful coalitions build a broad-based constituency that includes individuals, trail user groups, business organizations, government agencies, community groups, and other influential partner organizations.\u00a0 The <\/span>Friends of Centennial Trail<\/span><\/a> (Spokane), <\/span>Yakima Greenway Foundation<\/span><\/a>, and <\/span>Peninsula Trails Coalition<\/span><\/a> are a few examples from Washington State.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
Make your vision tangible to others.<\/u><\/b><\/span><\/div>\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
Do you hope to convert an old railroad bed, a river corridor, or a greenbelt into a trail?\u00a0 Invite people to walk it with you so they can visualize what the trail could be.\u00a0 Touching it, seeing it and experiencing it can help make the trail real for others.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
Plan and prioritize your work.<\/u><\/b><\/span><\/div>\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
Develop a plan for your trail and get it formally adopted.\u00a0 Having your trail plan approved by\u00a0 your City Council, or incorporated into local and regional plans gives it credibility and makes it eligible for certain types of funding.\u00a0 Trails are frequently built in phases, so it\u2019s important to prioritize your work.\u00a0 Pick \u201clow hanging fruit\u201d and aim for impact.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
Celebrate the milestones.<\/u><\/b><\/span><\/div>\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n
Since it can take many years to complete a trail, it\u2019s important to celebrate the milestones along the way.\u00a0 Hold a groundbreaking ceremony when you\u2019re ready to build your first phase of trail or invite the community to a celebratory ribbon-cutting when you open a new segment of trail.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
Cultivate the next generation.<\/u><\/b><\/span><\/div>\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
Life throws us curve balls.\u00a0 You and your fellow trail advocates may not always have the time to serve with the coalition.\u00a0 It\u2019s really important to recruit and mentor new advocates if you want your coalition\u2019s work to continue.<\/span><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I was the keynote speaker earlier this month at Forever Green Council\u2019s Pierce County Trails […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[18,14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-511","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-advocacy","category-trails"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nTips for Trail Advocates - Washington Bikes<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/wabikes.org\/index.php\/2011\/11\/16\/tips-for-trail-advocates\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Tips for Trail Advocates - 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