Summer 2009
MMG Expands Grant Program with Second Project in Virginia
The MillionMile Greenway expanded its presence in Virginia by kicking off third quarter with a grant award to the George Washington Regional Commission (GWRC).
Located near MMG’s first pilot project in Virginia (Spotsylvania County), the GWRC will receive the Community Technical Grant – allowing them to utilize the Greenway Analyst tool to study Virginia’s coastal zone and develop an effective plan to conserve greenspace and connect coastal projects with inland projects such as the Spotsylvania County Greenways Initiative.
Jesse Glasgow, MMG board member and technical committee chair, has already consulted with GWRC officials. He believes the work provided by MMG through the technical grant will map existing greenway corridors in the region and identify areas that could support future trails.
Aside from studies with the Greenway Analyst tool, Kevin Byrnes, GWRC director of regional planning & regional demographer, has research in the works to identify temporal changes in the regional tree canopy. These research efforts will help the commission develop a blueprint to create a more extensive blue and green infrastructure plan. For more information on GWRC, e-mail Kevin at byrnes@gwregion.org.
Coastal Georgia Greenway: Creating New Connections with The MillionMile Greenway
The future of the Coastal Georgia Greenway (CGG) is 450 miles of trail linking South Carolina to Florida as a small piece of the much larger East Coast Greenway. The proposed trail runs through six Georgia counties – Bryan, Camden, Chatham, Glynn, Liberty and McIntosh.
The project began in March 2000 and has made even further progress since receiving one of the first MillionMile Greenway (MMG) Community Starter Grants in September 2008. The grant provided the Coastal Georgia Greenway with $1,500 in funding along with up to $10,000 in pro bono marketing and technology consulting services.
Since receiving this support, the organization has announced its first official board, developed a communications plan with its MMG marketing liaison and been featured in several publications – including The South magazine.
CGG officials also completed a four-day greenway planning workshop earlier this year. The Savannah-Northeast Florida Workshop on Wheels provided CGG leaders an opportunity to spend four days biking a variety of trails in Northeast Florida. This was a great learning opportunity for CGG and its supporters to meet with Florida trail leaders and find out how to achieve the best results in future greenway planning.
Now with a communications plan and a board in place, MMG is helping the Coastal Georgia Greenway apply for federal and state transportation funds for the Island Hopper Trail – which will be suitable for walking, biking and horseback riding and links Jekyll Island, Sapelo Island Visitors Center, U.S. 17 and Georgia 99.
Check out CGG’s Web site or MMG’s site for more information and updates about the Coastal Georgia Greenway.
Spotsylvania Greenways Initiative Underway
The Spotsylvania Greenways Initiative (SGI) in Virginia, a 2009 MMG grant recipient, is busy laying the groundwork for a successful greenway project. They have established by-laws, elected officers and established a board of directors. SGI is also recruiting volunteers to serve on their eight committees: fundraising, legal, technical, outreach, design and construction, volunteers, operations and maintenance, and finance.
The committees have forged a strong relationship with Spotsylvania County to support the creation of the County Trails’ Plan. MMG’s technical/geospatial services grant to SGI will assist the County’s effort in developing the plan. SGI committees are also busy promoting the organization’s purpose and goals in the community. MMG designed an information card/brochure for SGI that was distributed at a local Earth Day event in April. In early June, SGI also sponsored a local hike on National Trails Day.
The group is in midst of designing a two-mile demonstration trail to be built on Luck Development Partners’ property just south of Fredericksburg, Va., halfway between Washington D.C., and Richmond. The trail hopes to connect county residents to nature and provide an educational experience as interpretive signage along the trail will highlight various environmental elements. SGI is planning a Spade Turning Event in early September to celebrate the launch of the construction for this trail.
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