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2010 RTP Achievement Awards

Award-Winning Trail and Greenway Projects

 

The members of the Coalition for Recreational Trails (CRT) have selected the winners of the "Annual Achievement Awards" in recognition of outstanding use of Recreational Trails Program (RTP) funds. The award winners were recognized at a special ceremony in Washington, D.C. on June 8, 2010 at the U.S. House of Representatives Rayburn House Office Building, during the annual celebration for Great Outdoors Week.

Learn more about the Recreational Trails Program

 

Tennessee: Trails Advisory Committee Award

Outstanding State Recreational Trails Advisory Committee

 

In Tennessee, the Council on Greenways and Trails is the RTP state advisory committee. With representatives from all trail user groups, the 15-member Council consists of both non-government organizations and local government members.

The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation’s Recreation Educational Services Division is the administering agency for RTP grants, which are distributed biannually. The Council works in partnership with the Division, evaluating the grant-application process at the end of each cycle and making recommendations for changes and improvements.

 

One Council recommendation accepted by the Division for the last two grant cycles was to provide nonprofit organizations with the opportunity to apply for RTP funds for projects on public lands as long as a written agreement was in place between the nonprofit and the public agency.

This initiative has helped fund projects on federal lands and provide for other unique public/private partnerships. The Council has initiated three statewide Greenways and Trails conferences and was also very involved in the development of the state’s Greenways and Trails Plan. Since the inception of the Plan in 2008, Tennessee now has greenways or trails in 85 of its 95 counties.

The foremost initiative the Council has undertaken is the marketing and branding of the Tennessee Greenways and Trails Program. A logo was developed. A website – www.connectwithtn.com -- was constructed. A website- marketing piece for billboards was designed. And three catchy 30-second PSA’s were developed for both TV and radio. A marketing leave-behind piece was also created and will be used to solicit corporate funding to fund the continued marketing campaign.

The RTP education funds allocated for this project were matched with over $250,000 of donated services, specifically donated billboard space. The Tennessee Department of Health was so impressed with the Council’s marketing program that they approved using a $25,000 obesity grant from the Centers for Disease Control to purchase air time for the radio PSA’s to help increase physical activity outdoors.

For more information:

Tennessee's Recreational Trails Program: http://www.tennessee.gov/environment/recreation/greentrails.shtml

Public information website for TN trails and greenways: http://www.connectwithtn.com/

Coalition for Recreational Trails:

The Coalition for Recreational Trails, a national organization representing the nation's major trail interests, has been working since 1992 to build awareness and understanding of the Recreational Trails Program, to support its implementation and to help insure that it receives adequate funding. The Annual Achievement Awards are part of the Coalition's ongoing effort to promote and celebrate this highly successful program, which has greatly enhanced the quantity and quality of trail experiences available to the public. For more information about CRT and its members, go to: www.funoutdoors.com/coalitions/crt.

 

Annual achievement awards presented by the Coalition for Recreational Trails: 2012 | 2011 | 2010 |
2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000