[Vision2020] Trails connect communities
Moscow Cares
moscowcares at moscow.com
Tue Jun 2 07:30:55 PDT 2015
Courtesy of today's (June 2, 2015) Moscow-Pullman Daily News with thanks and appreciation to former Moscow Mayor Nancy Chaney.
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Trails connect communities
With or without trains, rail corridors connect communities. The inactive line between Pullman and Colfax presents an exciting opportunity to revive connections by converting that state-owned resource to a bicycle-pedestrian trail that will link rural areas with population centers, invite healthful recreation and non-motorized transportation, enhance community pride and livability and boost the region's economy.
Railroads have connected the Palouse since the 1880s. They started from government grants, bonds and loans to transport commodities and people to settle the western frontier. If inactive, lines can be railbanked for possible future use, abandoned to revert to adjacent landowners or sold. When public, they can become trails like the Chipman, Latah, Ed Corkill/Kendrick-Juliaetta, or Coeur d'Alene, and support family fitness, fun runs, cycling tours, bike commuting and more.
Trail-building takes understanding. If I lived along an inactive line and stood to acquire property if it were abandoned, I'd have questions. Would a trail invite mischief-makers, threaten my agricultural livelihood, or jeopardize wildlife or natural resources? (No!) Respected organizations like Pullman Civic Trust and Latah Trail Foundation thoughtfully consider such concerns, respond factually and find mutually agreeable solutions like fence-building, tree-planting, purchasing rights-of-way or posting signs to explain farming practices or remind users to respect private property and wildlife. They facilitate grants, donations, volunteerism and maintenance coalitions that lessen local public expenditures.
Users take care of trails. They're more inclined to pick up trash than leave it. They deter illicit uses like bonfires, shooting or carelessly tossed cigarettes. They become more knowledgeable and reverential of wildlife and nature. They appreciate safer alternatives to roadways. Universities tout recreational opportunities. Communities broaden reputations as desirable places to live, work and visit.
Please join me in advocating for revitalizing the Pullman-Albion-Colfax rail corridor as a public trail and grow community connections on the Palouse.
Nancy Chaney, Moscow
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Note to former Mayor Chaney: Moscow Cares lives for such an opportunity to be a part of an advocacy as you describe. If there is ANYTHING we can do, please advise . . . and consider it done.
Seeya 'round town, Moscow, because . . .
"Moscow Cares"
http://www.MoscowCares.com
Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho
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