The Coalition for Recreational Trails (CRT), a federation of national and regional trail-related organizations, is pleased to announce its 2021 Achievement Awards to recognize outstanding trail projects funded by the national Recreational Trails Program (RTP).
Thirteen trail projects and programs have been chosen by the Coalition for Recreational Trails (CRT) as recipients of its 2021 Tom Petri Recreational Trails Program Annual Achievement Awards. The awards – honoring former U.S. Representative Tom Petri (WI) – recognize outstanding use of Recreational Trails Program (RTP) funds. These projects will be honored at a live virtual ceremony on November 10 with participation by award recipients and key trails champions, including Members of Congress.
2021 Multiple-Use Management and Corridor Sharing
The Doty Trestle Bridge replacement was a project in the making for more than 20 years and was finally completed in March of this year. The original structure was condemned in late 1999 and the trail corridor ordered closed for all uses. Alternate routes were explored and none found due primarily to opposition by environmental groups concerned about eagle nesting and other wildlife habitat.
2021 Community Linkage
The Prison Hill Recreation Area – 5th Street Trailhead and Trails Project was conceived to re-create an area of about 60 acres on the north end of Prison Hill in order to make it an attractive, sustainable, accessible, family-friendly, and inclusive recreation area.
2021 Maintenance and Rehabilitation
The Fourteeners Initiative hires crews and youth corps and utilizes volunteers to maintain, reroute and repair the trails that take hikers to the high country. Conditions are sometimes dangerous and always difficult to conduct much needed trail maintenance.
2021 Maintenance and Rehabilitation
The Neahkahnie Mountain to Manzanita Trail Project added a new segment to the Oregon Coast Trail (OCT), one that had previously not existed. The OCT covers some 360 miles from the Washington to the California borders, much of it hiked along Oregon’s public beaches.
2021 Accessibility Enhancement
This project realized two major landmark accomplishments for our organization: Constructing an ADA-friendly multiple-use trail that mitigated the challenges of wet bottomland trails and erecting an 80-foot pedestrian bridge over Little Crab Orchard Creek that connects the western and eastern portions of the preserves and its three trail systems.
2021 Public-Private Partnerships Enhancing Public Lands Access and Use
Friends of Nevada Wilderness used Recreational Trails Program (RTP) funds to lead volunteer trail crews to rebuild the Griffith Peak Trail in 2019 and 2020. This 5.6-mile hiking trail had been closed since being decimated by the Carpenter One fire and successive flooding in 2013.
2021 Construction and Design
Voyageur Country ATV is an ATV club with over 800 ATV member enthusiasts in northern St Louis County and recently expanding into Koochiching County.
2021 Construction and Design
The Redbank Valley Trail is a 51-mile non-motorized, rail banked, multi-use trail in northwestern Pennsylvania. The trail is recognized as one of Pennsylvania’s Statewide Major Greenways and was designated Pennsylvania’s first "Trail of the Year" in 2014.
2021 Youth Conservation/Service Corps and Community Outreach
The USFS Evans Creek ORV Area is unique in being a dedicated off-road vehicle riding area on USFS National Forest land. Sitting at the knee of Mt. Rainier
2021 Education and Communication
Recreational Trails funding was used to provide sign language interpreted tours and advanced audio equipment for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing visitors to the Kartchner Caverns and trail hikes within the park.
2021 Enhancement of Federal Lands
The Bridge Buttress Trail Project is a partnership between The Access Fund, New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, and the Appalachian Conservation Corps (ACC).
2021 Engaging Public-Sector Partners
The new Waterloo Valley Trail Bridge along the Morris Canal Greenway in Allamuchy Mountain State Park significantly upgrades the quality of the trail, increases users’ safety, and enhances protection of the environment.
2021 Outstanding State Trail Program
The Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA) makes every effort to ensure the transparency and accessibility of the Recreational Trails Program (RTP) as part of our customer service focused model.
