[rail-trail eNews] Pennsylvania Champion, New York Connection

February 2012 RTC eNews Action Update: Help Us Fix the Senate Bill! Read more >> RTC Wins Huge Legal Victory in New Jersey Read more >> Looking Back on 2011: Disastrous Weather for Trails Across Northeast and Nation Read more >>   Featured in this issue RTC Wins Legal Victory in New Jersey Kansas City Approves Bike Share Downloadable Desktop Calendar Trail of the Month: Wyoming Wild Weather on Trails Tell Us: Favorite Sunset Shots! Blog Bits Trail Tidbits February 25 is “Open That Bottle Night.” You might have any number of reasons to pop a cork and celebrate, but we assume it’s because February 29 is a Leap Day—which means one whole extra day to spend on a rail-trail! Also, February 26 is “For Pete’s Sake Day.” We know Pete pretty well; he’d want you to discover a new trail. So, for Pete’s sake, get out and explore! I want to... ...find a trail ...build a trail ...donate/become a member ...take action ...shop ...update my profile In this issue of Rails to Trails: Winter's Glow Canadian Spirit A View From Both Sides and much more... eNews Staff Editor: Karl Wirsing Designer: Sun Kim Contributing Writers: Mark Cheater Jake Lynch RTC Study Busts Myth About Walking and Biking With the January release of Active Transportation Beyond Urban Centers: Walking and Bicycling in Small Towns and Rural America, RTC thoroughly debunks myth that rural Americans can’t benefit substantially from investment in bicycling and pedestrian infrastructure. Check out the report and key findings!   Trail Use Trail of the Month Medicine Bow Rail-Trail, Wyoming The 21-mile Medicine Bow Rail-Trail offers intriguing glimpses of the Old West, and a scenic portal into the New West, as it winds through rugged national forest land in southeastern Wyoming.   TrailLink.com New Love for New Mexico Where better to find trails worthy of adoration than the “Land of Enchantment”? According to a recent report, New Mexico is one of the top states for per-capita bicycling and pedestrian project funding. Albuquerque alone has more than 400 miles of bikeways and was named one of Livability’s Top 10 Great Places to Ride a Bike. Start your own trail romance on TrailLink.com!   2012 Greenway Sojourn: Register Now! Looking for the perfect summer cycling getaway? There’s still some room on our 10th annual Greenway Sojourn, June 17-24! Join us for this memorable adventure as we pedal 335 miles from Washington, D.C., to Pittsburgh, Pa. Reserve your spot today!   Tell Us... Share your favorite sunset views along a rail-trail It’s more of a “Show Us,” but since we never tire of great sunset views, we’d love to see your favorite shots of sundown along a rail-trail! Share your photos — and tell us where and when you took them — with Karl atkarl@railstotrails.org. In January, we asked you to tell us about your favorite winter excursions on a rail-trail. Check out your submissions!   Downloadable Calendar for Your Desktop! Enliven your screen with rail-trails all year long! Download the March wallpaper now—and look for a new one each month.   Regional Rundown from the RTC TrailBlog! Check out some of the top headlines from around the country! Idaho: Citizens and Elbow Grease—the Power of America’s Trail Volunteers Maine: Fitness, Family and Fun with ‘The Rail-Trail Chicks’ Missouri: Kansas City Passes Resolution for Bike-Share Program Illinois: Chicago Heights Trail Breaks Through on Key Section of Old Plank Road Trail California: Richmond Brings the Love to Popular Community Greenway New York: A Great Moment for Trails as Deal Struck for Connection in New York Ohio: Rail-Trails Help Power a Ride to Honor America’s Veterans California: RTC Brings Rail-with-Trail Expertise to Coastal California Pennsylvania: Ahead of the Curve, Tom Murphy a Key Trailblazer in Pennsylvania Maine: Sally Jacobs Heralded for Building a Landscape of Biking and Walking in Northeast   Trail Advocacy Advocacy Corner Fix the Bill! We’ve called on you to take action more than ever before in the past week, and there’s no question our programs are facing the gravest legislative threat we’ve ever seen. We don’t want to downplay the utmost urgency involved, but nor do we want to drown out all the other positive stories that inspire and excite us about trails every day. So we hope you enjoy this break from the tension with eNews. But if you can, there’s still time to speak up—your action can help get two vital amendments added to the transportation bill!   Alliance for Biking & Walking Releases 2012 Benchmarking Report Study ranks the 51 largest U.S. cities (and all 50 states) on bicycling and walking levels, safety, funding and other factors, providing compelling evidence in support of active transportation across the country.   Trail Building RTC Legal Team Notches Key Win in New Jersey With February ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, trail plans for the six-block, elevated Harsimus Stem Embankment in Jersey City could begin moving forward soon.   Weathering a Disastrous Year Heavy flooding, freak snowstorms and tornadoes caused terrible damage from Vermont to Nebraska to Virginia in 2011, so many trail advocates were eager to ring out the old year—and cross their fingers for better fortunes in 2012.   Early Warning System Sign up to receive railroad corridor abandonment notices for your area via RTC's Early Warning System. See a list of the latest abandonments. Rails-to-Trails Conservancy The Duke Ellington Building 2121 Ward Ct., NW 5th Floor Washington, DC 20037 202.331.9696 home | forward to a friend | unsubscribe | view in browser Box cars at Fox Park (now part of the Medicine Bow Rail-Trail in Wyoming) © Courtesy of K. Jessen; Medicine Bow Rail-Trail, Wyo. © Amber Travsky; Beyond Urban Centers report © Rails-to-Trails Conservancy; Trail of the Month: Lake Owen water tank © Courtesy of K. Jessen; TrailLink.com: Santa Fe Rail Trail, N.M. © TrailLink.com; Greenway Sojourn © Rails-to-Trails Conservancy; Tell Us: John Guzzi on the D&H Rail Trail in Pennsylvania © Courtesy of John Guzzi; Downloadable Calendar © Rails-to-Trails Conservancy; RTC TrailBlog © Rails-to-Trails Conservancy; Advocacy Corner: © Rails-to-Trails Conservancy; Benchmarking Report © Alliance for Biking & Walking; Legal Victory © Roman Pohorecki; Weather Disasters: Connecticut Riverwalk © Office of Planning & Economic Development, City of Springfield, Mass.; Early Warning System © Rails-to-Trails Conservancy.

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Not a Drill: Trail Funding in Dire Straits. Act Now.

Inspiring Movement Dear Reader, Update: Moments before this email was sent, we received word that, against all odds, the House just announced that their bill will be broken into smaller pieces... arguably an implicit acknowledgement that support for the bill was faltering after a groundswell of opposition! The current U.S. Senate version of our next federal transportation bill is really damaging for trails, walking and bicycling. But, there's a solution! Please: Ask your senators to support Amendment #1549 and Sen. Klobuchar's Recreational Trails now! By now, you hopefully know we don't cry wolf. We respect your time and try to only ask for your voice when it's truly important. It couldn't be more important than right now. We need your help for the second time in less than a week because both the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate will be moving quickly on their respective drafts of our nation's next multiyear transportation bill. So, please know our increased messaging is only because we face the most dangerous time in our movement's history. Unfortunately, both the House and Senate bills take drastic steps to eliminate dedicated funding for trails, walking and bicycling despite 20 years of wildly popular and cost-effective investment in building safer and healthier communities. But thankfully, there is a solution! U.S. Senators Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) have introduced an amendment (Amdt. #1549) to the Senate bill that would ensure communities a fair shot at dedicating funding for trails, walking and bicycling. Further, Senator Klobuchar (D-Minn.) will introduce an amendment that would restore the Recreational Trails Program. Please ask your senator to support the Cardin/Cochran and Klobuchar amendments. Your senator's backing could help ensure that communities like yours will have the opportunity to apply a tiny slice of the federal transportation funding to build trails and other facilities that make it safe to walk and bicycle. Please stay tuned as we continue to closely monitor the progress of these bills. Your action is already making a difference, as the above update indicates. Thank you, in advance, for your willingness to read and respond to these urgent calls for action. Sincerely, Kevin Mills Vice President of Policy and Trail Development Rails-to-Trails Conservancy Rails-to-Trails Conservancy The Duke Ellington Building 2121 Ward Ct., NW 5th Floor Washington, DC 20037 202.331.9696

NH Snowmobile Trail Report 2-14-2012

February 14, 2012 Update Riding is limited. The trails that are open are in great shape. Use caution in other areas of the state as there is water and ice. Recommended to Stay off Lakes and Ponds where ice depth is unknown. Pittsburg- 1" new snow on a 6-8" base in higher elevations and 2-3" in lower. Grooming is ongoing, and conditions range from moderate to great. South of town and there could still be some problem areas and some areas are still closed and are posted as such. Please pay attention to all signage!  There are still logging operations going on. Perry Stream Rd is closed to snowmobile traffic and stay on the side of Magalloway Rd; some shared roads and are posted 10 mph. Lakes are still considered to be unsafe! For more details go towww.pittsburgridgerunners.org. Colebrook- Trails are groomed, range from marginal to fair with some bare spots, water bars and icy in lower elevations and good to great in higher elevations, watch for water bars, ice on hill sides and corners. Please ride with caution. If you ride east to Dixville Notch, the depth increases quite a lot, and there is even more snow further east toward Errol. For more info go to www.colebrookski-bees.com Stratford- 4-6" base. Trails are groomed and riding is moderate to good. Stratford Bog area riding is moderate. Potato Hill trail is closed due to logging. Use caution logging at jct of Corr 3 and 7. Watch for water bars. Groveton/Nash Stream- 2-6" base. Trails are groomed and riding is good. 5 South Temporarily Closed. Caution some icy conditions. Diamond Pond/Coleman State Park- 1" new snow on a 6-8" base. Trails are groomed and riding is great. Several logging operations going on. Lake ice is marginal. Warming hut open Saturday and Sunday. Gas pumps open 24/7. For more details go towww.swiftdiamondriders.com Errol- 1-4" base. Trails are groomed and riding is good to great. Use Caution some trails are getting icy. Cambridge- 2-4" base trails are groomed and riding is good. Milan- 2-4" base. Trails are groomed and riding is good. Twin Mtn- 2-4" Trails are groomed and riding is moderate to good. Grooming is being done in the Base Rd/Jefferson Notch area. Dalton- 1-4" base Trails are marginal to moderate. Berlin- 2-6" base.  Trails are groomed and riding is good to great. For more details, go towww.whitemtridgerunners.com Berlin/Success- 1-4" base. Trails are groomed and riding is moderate to good. Gorham- 2-4" base. Trails are groomed and riding is good.  Use caution some open water bars. And use caution around logging jobs. Gorham Sled Fest Feb 17th thru 20th for more info go to www.presidentialrangeriders.org Jefferson- 2-4" base. Trails are groomed and riding is marginal to good. Caution- Watch for water bars and logging operations. Waumbeks Annual Steak Feed and Poker Run are on Sunday Feb 19th. Poker Run is from 9am-2pm Steak Feed from 11am-2pm. Franconia Notch- 1-3" base. Trails are groomed and riding is moderate to good. Corr 11 North of Notch is not groomed and riding is marginal. Campton/Thornton- 1-4" base. Trails are groomed and riding is marginal to good. Corr 11 Rail line not groomed use caution. Some bare spots and ice. Bear Notch- 4-8" base. Trails are groomed. Riding is good. Caution watch for some icy areas and in corners.  RR Tracks have been groomed and loop is open. Use caution and watch for mushers and skiers. Conway/ Chatham- 2-4" Base Trails from E Conway north are groomed and riding is marginal to good. From E Conway south conditions are marginal to moderate. Watch for frozen water bars and exposed rails. Logging behind Town and Country in E. Conway.  Corridor 19 through Maine is groomed Ossipee- 1-4" base. Trails are groomed towards Sandwich Notch and loop trails. Riding is marginal to good.  Castle Trails groomed to Mt Shaw from Ossipee side.  RR Tracks from White Lake to Corr 15 Poor. Caution icy conditions. Groomer Rodeo this Friday and Saturday at White Lake State Park in Route 16, Tamworth Wakefield- 1-3" base Trails are not groomed and riding is marginal. Use caution RR Tracks not covered. Pisgah State Park-  Riding Not available Pillsbury State Park- Riding Not available Sullivan- Riding Not available Rail Lines: Northern: No riding at this time. Ashuelot: No riding at this time Fort Hill:  No riding at this time Sugar River: No riding at this time Concord to Lincoln:  No riding at this time Additional Resources and Information Please be safe and ride with caution. Respect our landowners. Watch speeds and stay to the right. For more information contact brenda.drouin@dred.state.nh.us.  2012 NH Snowmobile Corridor Map   (For a printed map contact NHSA or the Bureau of Trails) Snowmobile Trail Conditions Reports Snowmobile Club Information Snowmobile User Information Snow Depth Map NH Weather Radar

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