Seven trail projects have been chosen by the Coalition for Recreational Trails (CRT) as recipients of its tenth Annual Achievement Awards in recognition of their outstanding use of Recreational Trails Program (RTP) funds. These national awards will be presented at a special Capitol Hill ceremony in Washington, D.C. on June 12, 2008 as part of the celebration of Great Outdoors Week 2008.
The trail projects honored by the CRT and their award categories are:
Storms’ Crossing -- Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Trail (South Dakota) - Maintenance and Rehabilitation
Wanoga Snopark Shelter (Oregon) - Construction and Design
ORV Maps and Educational Materials (Wyoming) - Education and Communication
Boundary Canal Trail – Phases I and II (Florida) – Multiple-Use Management and Corridor Sharing
Crestone Needle – Humboldt Peak Project (Colorado) – Environment and Wildlife Compatibility
Johnny Henderson Park Trail (Alabama) - Accessibility Enhancement (Project)
Florida Recreational Trails Program - Accessibility Enhancement (Overall Plan)
More information on the award-winning projects can be found at: http://www.americantrails.org/awards/CRT08awards/index.html.
The Recreational Trails Program was first created in 1991 as part of the ground-breaking legislation known as ISTEA, and was expanded and reauthorized through the 2005 “Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users'' (SAFETEA-LU). The RTP returns a portion of federal gasoline taxes generated by non-highway motorized recreation to the states for trail-related purposes. Under current legislation, the program is scheduled to receive $80,000,000 for FY ’08 and $85,000,000 for FY ’09. To date over 8,000 projects have been funded, creating and enhancing recreational trails for millions of trail enthusiasts across the country. Information on the program can be found at: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/rectrails/index.htm.
A searchable database of projects funded by the RTP is available online at: http://www.funoutdoors.info/rtphome.html.
The Coalition for Recreational Trails, a national organization representing the nation’s major trail interests, has been working since 1992 to build awareness and understanding of the RTP, to support its implementation and to help ensure that it receives adequate funding. For more information about CRT and its members, go to: http://www.funoutdoors.com/coalitions/crt.