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News Advisory
RI Department of Environmental Management
235 Promenade Street, Providence, RI 02908
(401) 222-2771 TDD/(401) 222-4462
FOR AP AND METRO NEWS DAYBOOKS:
Date: Friday, October 9, 2009

Time:

 11:30 a.m.
Location: East Bay Bike Path, Bristol at the intersection of Thames and Oliver Streets
Event: East Bay Bike Path to be designated as a Rail-Trail Hall of Fame trail by the Trails-to-Trails Conservancy

For Release:

 October 7, 2009
Contact: Gail Mastrati 222-4700 ext. 2402

EAST BAY BIKE PATH TO BE DESIGNATED AS A 'RAIL-TRAIL HALL OF FAME' TRAIL BY THE RAILS-TO-TRAILS CONSERVANCY

PROVIDENCE - The East Bay Bike Path will be designated as a Rail-Trail Hall of Fame trail by the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy on Friday, October 9. An 11:30 a.m. awards ceremony will be held on the bike path at the intersection of Thames and Oliver Streets in Bristol. The Rails-to-Trails Conservancy will provide DEM with signs to post along the bikeway indicating the path's designation as a Rail-Trail Hall of Fame bike path.

The non-profit Rails-to-Trails Conservancy advocates for healthier lifestyles by creating a nationwide network of public trails, many of which are from former rail lines and connecting corridors. Founded in 1986, the organization is headquartered in Washington, D.C. and has more than 100,000 members nationwide.

"Being designated as a Hall of Fame trail will give the East Bay Bike Path the recognition it deserves nationally," notes Carl Knoch, manager of trail development for the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy. "The bike path connects communities and is used daily for transportation, exercise and enjoyment of the outdoors."

Since 2007, the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy has been recognizing exemplary rail-trails around the country for induction into the Rail-Trail Hall of Fame. Rail-Trail inductees have been selected on merits such as scenic value, high use, trail and trailside amenities, historical significance, excellence in management and maintenance of facility, and geographic diversity. The five-year recognition program runs through 2011 when the 25th — and final — Rail-Trail Hall of Fame inductee will be selected, coinciding with Rails-to-Trails Conservancy's 25th Anniversary.

In addition to the East Bay Bike Path, other Rail-Trail Hall of Fame inductees include Great Allegheny Passage, Maryland/Pennsylvania; Katy Trail State Park, Missouri; Fred Marquis Pinellas Trail, Florida; Burke-Gilman Trail, Washington; Minuteman Bikeway, Massachusetts; Illinois Prairie Path, Illinois; Elroy-Sparta State Trail, Wisconsin; Bizz Johnson Trail, California; Monon Trail, Indiana; W&OD Trail, Virginia; and Silver Comet and Chief Ladiga Trails, Georgia and Alabama.

Those participating in the event will be Robert Paquette, chief of DEM's Division of Parks and Recreation; a representative of the Department of Transportation, and Carl Knoch, manager of trail development for the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy.

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Directions from Providence:
Take Interstate Rte.195 East, to Exit 7, Rte.114 South, to Hope Street in Bristol.
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