Editor, I would like to voice my support of the letter from Ed McBrayer, board member of Coastal Georgia Rails to Trails, in your July 29 edition.
The project to transform a 68-mile railroad bed in coastal Georgia into a trail for hikers, bikers, joggers, bird watchers and parents with strollers is noteworthy and exciting. Aptly named The Georgia Coast Rail-Trail, it will run from Riceboro to Kingsland through Liberty, McIntosh, Glynn and Camden counties on a raised railroad bed formerly used by CSX.
I have had the pleasure to bike on two rail-to-trails, one in Florida several years ago and one in Missouri this year. Both afforded me (and other users) the opportunity to experience forests, wetlands, pasturelands and farmlands from a perspective not otherwise available. The location of the Georgia Coastal Rail-Trail will make it unique among other trail projects as it will roll through unspoiled coastal marshlands, crossing 43 rivers, tidal creeks and streams, while allowing personal access to an undeveloped and unspoiled coastal environment.
Opposition to a project such as this is not uncommon. In the case of the Katy Trail in Missouri, the decision by the railroad in 1986 to cease its Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad offered an opportunity to create a unique recreational project, but there was strong opposition from the property owners from the very beginning. Fortunately, their objections were ultimately resolved and through a generous donation of $200,000 in 1987 from the late Edward D. “Ted” Jones, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources was able to acquire the needed right-of-way. Edward D. Jones made an additional $2 million donation in 1990.
Today, the Katy Trail stretches 225 miles, mostly along the Missouri River, from Clinton to St. Charles, with 26 trailheads and two fully restored depots. On the ride I took in June, bike riders were from 28 different states and numbered over 300. Businesses in small towns along the route benefited monetarily from this ride and others throughout the year.
The Georgia Coastal Rail-Trail is now where the Katy Trail was 23 years ago; and while it is “smaller” in scope, it, too, is an opportunity that should not be squandered. It is a project to preserve some of our natural heritage for our children; an opportunity to share the uniqueness of coastal Georgia with visitors drawn to it not only as a healthy adventure but also as an educational one; and lastly, it is an opportunity to be a part of something that will touch the lives of all who visit “our little part of the world” in future years.
The project to transform a 68-mile railroad bed in coastal Georgia into a trail for hikers, bikers, joggers, bird watchers and parents with strollers is noteworthy and exciting. Aptly named The Georgia Coast Rail-Trail, it will run from Riceboro to Kingsland through Liberty, McIntosh, Glynn and Camden counties on a raised railroad bed formerly used by CSX.
I have had the pleasure to bike on two rail-to-trails, one in Florida several years ago and one in Missouri this year. Both afforded me (and other users) the opportunity to experience forests, wetlands, pasturelands and farmlands from a perspective not otherwise available. The location of the Georgia Coastal Rail-Trail will make it unique among other trail projects as it will roll through unspoiled coastal marshlands, crossing 43 rivers, tidal creeks and streams, while allowing personal access to an undeveloped and unspoiled coastal environment.
Opposition to a project such as this is not uncommon. In the case of the Katy Trail in Missouri, the decision by the railroad in 1986 to cease its Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad offered an opportunity to create a unique recreational project, but there was strong opposition from the property owners from the very beginning. Fortunately, their objections were ultimately resolved and through a generous donation of $200,000 in 1987 from the late Edward D. “Ted” Jones, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources was able to acquire the needed right-of-way. Edward D. Jones made an additional $2 million donation in 1990.
Today, the Katy Trail stretches 225 miles, mostly along the Missouri River, from Clinton to St. Charles, with 26 trailheads and two fully restored depots. On the ride I took in June, bike riders were from 28 different states and numbered over 300. Businesses in small towns along the route benefited monetarily from this ride and others throughout the year.
The Georgia Coastal Rail-Trail is now where the Katy Trail was 23 years ago; and while it is “smaller” in scope, it, too, is an opportunity that should not be squandered. It is a project to preserve some of our natural heritage for our children; an opportunity to share the uniqueness of coastal Georgia with visitors drawn to it not only as a healthy adventure but also as an educational one; and lastly, it is an opportunity to be a part of something that will touch the lives of all who visit “our little part of the world” in future years.
Palmer Dasher
Flemington
Flemington