One of the most effective ways to attract young people and retirees, and hold onto those already living in a community, is to develop trails for walking, running and bicycling. Communities large and small with longer, connecting trails are also attracting tourists who want to bike or walk from one town to another.
Individuals and groups looking for ways to spend time outdoors, to enjoy physical activity and experience wild and rural environments have been putting their efforts into developing stretches of hiking/biking and equestrian trails. Cities have also been developing trails to provide a recreational activity as well as a safe off-street route to work and school.
Until recently, bits and pieces of trail have been built independently of each other. Cities like the Omaha/Council Bluffs metropolitan areas have planned and coordinated trail development, starting with the Back To The River Trails and Pedestrian River Crossings Plan in 1998. Now regional and national non-motorized trail networks are being created. Building on Success and Dreams
In 2002, the Quad States' Trails project was launched to encourage local trail organizers in Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa and Missouri to making connections between trails. "It's not like a secret that we want to connect," says Andrea Chase, trails coordinator for the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation. "It makes sense to dissolve political boundaries when it comes to trails. We should look at resource connections and community connections rather than containing them on a state-by-state basis."
It's the importance of connections that prompted the Nebraska Trails Foundation to sponsor and help fund the preliminary Quad States' Trails (QST) project. "This project is a concept for making connections between trails in these four states-to figure out 'How do we make those connections?'" says Ross Greathouse of Greathouse Associates, Ltd., QST co-project manager.
