Beast of the East: the East Coast Greenway, once completed, will provide bikers and hikers 3,000 miles of trails from Maine to Florida.

Imagine visiting the major cities on the east coast without the concern of motorized vehicles. Imagine a lengthier version of the Appalachian Trail providing access to scenic views, wildlife, and numerous cultural and historical resources, connecting the best of rural, suburban and urban America. Imagine the nation's first long-distance, city-to-city, multi-modal transportation corridor for cyclists, hikers and other non-motorized users. This is no fantasy; this is the East Coast Greenway (ECG).

Beginning as far north as Calais, Maine and reaching Key West, Fla., the ECG, when complete, will cover 2,950 miles of the eastern United States. Linking both urban and rural communities, the trail system, now more than 21 percent complete, aims to be completely off-road, making use of waterfront esplanades, park paths, abandoned railroads, canal towpaths and corridors.

Its non-motorized uses abound, providing access for cyclists, hikers, skaters, equestrians and people with disabilities. Connecting so many natural and cultural resources, the ECG offers opportunities for varied experiences seldom found on one route. For this reason alone, the trail is like no other.

Health Benefits

Based on a recent East Coast Greenway Alliance (ECGA) member survey, improved health is the No. 1 benefit of multi-use trails. The Center for Disease Control seconds this, saying that because multi-use trails afford a number of activities (bicycling, equestrian, jogging, in-line skating, wheelchair recreation), they are ideal places to promote physical fitness.

Considering the ECG travels through states that, on average, have seen obesity rates rise from about 10 percent in the 1980s to more than 20 percent in the 2000s, the trail can provide millions of people the opportunity to squeeze in their suggested 90 minutes of moderate exercise per week.

Ask any user of the ECG and they will give you a number of reasons the trail contributes to a healthy lifestyle. Tanja Wiant, communications coordinator at the ECGA, recalls the following story. "I have a friend who was out of shape and didn't exercise. He moved close to the ECG, bought a bike, and began riding and rollerblading on the path with his girlfriend. They got really into it, are now in great shape and even got engaged on the path!"

The trail is an effective way to keep older adults fit as well. In the anonymous member survey, an ECGA member in Maryland said he is organizing exercise groups for older adults to ride on their local section of the ECG twice a month. ECG trails are ideal for seniors because its trails are flat, maintained, and generally have hard surfaces.

Environmental Benefits

Commenting on the Air Line Trail in Connecticut, another surveyed ECGA member states the trail is "[in] a beautiful area [and provides an] immediate link to nature." The Rails-to-Trails Conservacy suggests bird watching and fishing are two common outdoor recreation opportunities available to multiuse trail users. Based on the 2000 National Survey on Recreation and the Environment, bird watching, along with walking, are two of the fastest growing trends in outdoor recreation. There is also a mutual benefit.

The ECG creates a safe walking trail for people to view nature as well as a green corridor for wildlife. Kitty Carter, membership coordinator of the East Coast Greenway Alliance, suggests "the only way to truly good health, both physically and mentally, is that a person must spend some time outdoors. Today, we don't give people enough opportunities to do that. [People no longer] just stop and smell the roses. The East Coast Greenway will allow people to take a few moments to reconnect."

Beyond roses, trails near riparian zones create a buffer to protect bodies of water from pollution. Because the trails are designated for non-motorized uses, users don't create pollution and the ECG can play an important role in open space conservation. The Rails-to-Trails Conservancy says that when an organization acquires an abandoned rail corridor, they often get a 100-foot-wide linear space to work with, which often becomes a greenway corridor for wildlife.

"I think that the work [the ECGA] is doing is tremendously important," comments an ECGA member from Delaware. "Every day we lose more open space. The Greenway movement gives me much hope for the future."

Cultural and Economic Benefits

The ECG connects more than natural resources. It connects cultural resources. Traversing through Revolutionary War sites, historic districts and cultural centers, the ECGA travels along towns and communities that were prominent in the formation of America. Perhaps more important is the public access to these sites from the trail.

By connecting towns and cities, trail users are exposed to the beauty and importance of these resources. Additionally, the ECG can have a positive economic benefit to communities. Many trails were created on abandoned rail tracks and their conversion to multi-use trails have helped revitalize areas surrounding the trail.

Mark Fenton, ECGA trustee and host of the PBS show America's Walking states the ECG is proving to be an "economic engine" for communities along its path. Property values are higher along trails and businesses such as bike shops, restaurants and bed and breakfasts are being built along the trail to collect valuable commercial and tourism dollars.

Beyond this, trails can be used for access to other venues such as work or routine errands and can be considered an aid to smart growth. For example, a New Jersey trail user identified how many places the D&R Canal Path reaches. "From New Brunswick, one can enter a magical pathway through the heart of [New] Jersey, in the forest ahead and behind, yet with [stores] just an acre away. Going southwest, one can connect with the Delaware River and continue on."

With the rising costs of fuel, the ECG can provide an alternative source of relief. Wiant further promotes the economic and tourism potential of the ECG. "People need to know that the trail is a way for them to not only travel short distances within their community for errands or fun, but they could also take a vacation on it and travel all up and down the east coast, seeing some of the most beautiful, interesting and exciting spots."

Personal Benefits and Social Capital

Beyond natural, cultural and commercial resources, the ECG connects people. "Greenways increase people's connection with their communities and the people in them, and I want as many people as possible to feel this connection" Wiant says. "I also think the ECG will help people feel a sense of connection with other towns that they don't even live in, but are connected to by the Greenway."

By providing users alternative access to resources, traveling to a destination becomes an intimate part of the entire trip event. The sights, sounds and smells gained with non-motorized locomotion on a trail can enhance the overall user experience through restorative, aesthetic and intra-personal psychological value. Many users comment while using the ECG for work or access to other sites that they have time to reflect on the day, enjoy the scenery or just enjoy time alone to think.

Multi-use trails also promote social capital through family and community bonding. Families often use the trail together as they offer a safe spot to walk the dog, teach children how to ride a bicycle or just walk and spend time together after a long day. Users begin to recognize each other as they share the trail, forging a sense of community and belonging. In a larger context, the act of establishing a trail requires a strong community grassroots effort and collaboration. More so, events held on the trail can bring people together. From this perspective, the trail itself can be a catalyst for social capital.

Moving Forward

The ECGA is well on its way to completing its mission to create the nation's longest non-motorized multi-use contiguous trail system. Its goal is visionary and its benefits are realized daily. The ECGA provides the following suggestions if you are interesting in helping with its mission.

* Get active with your state committee. At the forefront of the East Coast Greenway project are its 16 state committees who are taking the lead in orchestrating trail projects all along the ECG corridor.

* Become a member of the East Coast Greenway Alliance. A larger constituency provides a louder voice when calling for creation of new trails along the route.

* Finally, visit your favorite trail. Increased trail use puts all trails and greenways a little higher on your local, state and federal governments' radar screens. It's good for your body, your community, and it's good for the East Coast Greenway.

For more information on the East Coast Greenway, go to www.greenway.org.

Blazing a New Trail

The East Coast Greenway was initially conceived in 1991 when nine cycling and trail enthusiasts met in New York City and formed the East Coast Greenway Alliance. Their vision was to create an off-road route connecting the cities of New York, Philadelphia and Washington. The vision grew and by the next year the Alliance envisioned the East Coast Greenway to encompass the entire East Coast, aiming to link 25 major cities in 15 states plus the District of Columbia.

During the 1990s the East Coast Greenway hired its first executive director, secured official 501 (c)3 nonprofit status, projected a route based on the initial vision covering more than 2,600 miles from Maine to Florida, and formed committees in each of the states along the ECG. A testament to community support, grassroots groups work with town, county and state governments to build and manage local trails from abandoned railroad corridors, canal towpaths and other linear spaces using mostly federal transportation funds.

This work led to the East Coast Greenway's official inauguration on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on June 15, 2003. In advance of the event, letters of support written by mayors, governors and other advocates were simultaneously carried to Washington from both of the Greenway's gateway cites, Calais, Maine and Key West, Fla.

As the East Coast Greenway has grown, it has attracted national media attention. In 2004, the first cyclists completed the entire route in 53 days, raising awareness of the multiple benefits the trail system provides. Currently, the East Coast Greenway is planned to be 80 percent complete by 2010 for use of the 35 million people that live in and around the trail.

Today the East Coast Greenway is more than 20 percent complete, with trail segments designated in all but three of the states along the trail's corridor. Its 16 state committees are working hard to move a significant portion of the trail off-road by 2010. When complete, the East Coast Greenway will stretch for more than 2,950 miles. It is, without question, one of the most ambitious trail projects in our nation's history. A legacy to community efforts and public involvement, the Greenway is already beginning to transform communities and lives all along the East Coast.