Rails To Trails Conservancy

Public information/events: the conservancy serves as the voice of the trail's movement, speaking out about the transformative power of trails, encouraging their use, and generating demand for trails nationwide. The conservancy's flagship initiative, traillink.com served millions of visitors in 2024 providing access to more than 5,300 trails representing 41,000 miles through its website and fivestar rated apps. This trail content is also offered in a series of print guidebooks.through storytelling and direct engagement, the conservancy shares information about trails across a variety of public channels that collectively reach millions of people, including its magazine, monthly enews, social media, website, news media and publications. The conservancy also spearheads trail use campaigns and events designed to engage and inspire the public to use trails, including our celebrate trails day event, trail moments campaign and share the trail campaign.

Trail policy: as the nation's foremost advocacy organization for trails and active transportation, the conservancy seeks to grow and safeguard public funding for trails, walking and bicycling at every level - federal, state and local - ensuring the investments needed to create a transformative 21st century active transportation system in america and promoting policies that make trail building possible.at the federal level, the conservancy leads efforts to grow and protect the legacy transportation alternatives program (which includes the recreational trails program) - the largest source of funding for trail development and maintenance - and advocates for innovations in public funding including championing the active transportation infrastructure investment program, which establishes competitive grants that will strategically invest in projects that connect trails and active transportation infrastructure.as the country's only national organization solely committed to defending the preservation of former railroad corridors for continued public use, the conservancy has helped shape the legal framework around railtrails and continues to defend the federal railbanking statute in congress and the courts as an essential tool to preserve unused rail corridors. The conservancy also monitors litigation on cases involving enforcement of federal laws related to railbanking.

Member programs: in addition to the programs provided through public information and education, the conservancy also digitizes member and constituent information in alignment with the organization's comprehensive gis database of more than 45,000 miles of trails, creating a centralized resource that assists the organization in identifying opportunities for linking trail systems, and mobilizing grassroots support of trail projects. Other activities include delivery of member benefit and service programs.

Research: the conservancy's research program focuses on creating innovative tools that empower communities to advance trail systems in their cities, towns and regions, while also monitoring the benefits trails bring to communities, the impact trails have on people and places, and the implementation of state and federal programs that provide the funding and resources to build and maintain trails.