We’re delighted to bring you a story from Riverfront Recapture, a non-profit which manages trails, parks, events, and community spaces in Hartford and East Hartford, with the goal of connecting people to the Connecticut River! We first began working together through our CT Trail Census program to collect trail use data on their urban trails. We continued to collaborate on five recently published trail posts on CT Trail Finder: Riverside Park Wooded Trail, Hartford Riverwalk, East Hartford Riverwalk, and two popular routes through these connected trails. Riverfront Recapture trails also connect to the East Coast Greenway, Connecticut River Paddler’s Trail, and others, and they are working to expand trail connectivity to additional communities along the river valley.

Riverfront Recapture has been removing barriers to river access since 1981 and constructing paved, multi-modal trails between parks that feature gazebos, art installations, playgrounds, boat launches, fishing piers, picnic areas, a boathouse, an outdoor fitness area, and more. Such barriers have included landfills, highways, and railroad tracks. Another major challenge they face each year is flooding, as the trails and parks occupy the CT River’s flood plain. That’s why everything about the trails and facilities is built to be resilient in the face of floodwater. Along with riverfront improvements, quality of the water has also increased, providing safer access to paddling and better habitat for returning wildlife – look for herons, egrets, and more!

Today, many use the riverfront trails not only for recreation, but also to commute or take a break during a workday downtown. Accessible connection to the river includes paved trails, ramps, and seasonal elevators. Park rangers are on-site every day of the year to maintain safety and Riverfront staff work hard to clean and maintain the parks year-round (even clearing snow in the winter) to make trail users feel welcome. Riverfront Recapture also holds events in their parks and trails to encourage community gathering at the riverfront, including 5ks, marathons, concerts, and free fitness classes!

Enjoy a trail on the magnificent Connecticut River, courtesy of our dedicated friends at Riverfront Recapture! Find out more about their trails on cttrailfinder.com and on their website.

This is the fascinating story of the Derby Greenway brought to you by one of its longest-and-strongest advocates. Many thanks go to Derby’s own Jack Walsh – co-Chair of the Naugatuck River Greenway Advisory Committee, Chair of the Derby Greenway Committee, and former Valley United Way President/COO, Derby Park & Recreation Commission Chair, high school teacher, and basketball coach.

In 2000, the Healthy Valley project, which evaluated quality of life issues in the Lower Naugatuck Valley (LNV), revealed community-wide interest in a greenway, with potential for becoming part of a conceptual larger greenway between Massachusetts and the Long Island Sound along the Housatonic River. This came after decades of Naugatuck River clean-up following the Clean Water Act, revitalizing its water quality, riparian habitat, and riverfront. Rick Dunne, Derby’s Director of Plan and Development at the time, submitted a grant in 1995 to fund the placement of the trail on flood control levee walls along the Naugatuck and Housatonic Rivers. After successful placement and routing around railroad corridors, the greenway has been highly used since opening, helping to inspire the building of greenways in other Valley towns that will connect as part of the in-progress 44-mile Naugatuck Valley Greenway Trail from Torrington to Derby.

Jack and the Greenway Committee immediately saw the importance of measuring trail use on the Derby Greenway. The first method was a 2006 program that encouraged users to manually report their mileage and activities by way of a community website as part of the Healthy Valley project. In 2017, a study published by NVCOG and partners showed the economic and health benefits of the Naugatuck River Greenway, part of the groundwork for the CT Trail Census program. Today, Jack and other CT Trail Census volunteers in Derby have collected over 300 hours of manual trail use counts to enhance accuracy of data collected by our infrared pedestrian counters.

The Derby Greenway runs 1.7 miles along two rivers through the smallest city in Connecticut. People come from all over the Naugatuck River Valley to the second-busiest multi-use trail in the state. At the entrance, there is a restored historic fountain, Derby Hall of Fame, and a plaque from the US Department of the Interior designating the trail as a keystone project of the “America’s Great Outdoors” program.

For more on this unique example of immense success in community-driven river clean-up and ongoing trail development, check out this video produced by the National Park Service!

UConn Extension & Bike Walk Connecticut partner to promote nutrition, fitness, and bike safety

Hundreds of families and young people participated in bike safety and nutrition education at bike rallies hosted by UConn Extension, part of UConn’s College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources, Bike Walk Connecticut, in partnership with the Meriden Farmers Market  and Groton Fall Fest (Groton Chamber of Commerce).  The Get Out- Get Active-Get Healthy Bike and Back to School Rallies were held on Saturday, September 7^{th, 2019}  on the Meriden Green and on October 5 at the Groton fall Fest. The events featured bicycle and helmet safety demonstrations, games, helmet decorating, a bicycle raffle, as well as nutrition education. Youth and families were encouraged to bring their own bikes or borrow a bike from Bike Walk Connecticut’s fleet, sized for ages 9-12 with a few for ages 5-8. Young people learned and practiced bicycle safety and agility skills taught by certified League Cycling Instructors (LCIs). Over 75 bike helmets were distributed at the events to young people and adults. Healthy food demonstrations were provided by the UConn Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) and Chef Kashia Cave, founder of My City Kitchen. This events were made possible by a grant and funding from the David and Nancy Bull Extension Innovation Fund at UConn, UConn Extension PATHS (People on Trails for Health and Sustainability) Team, Bike Walk Connecticut, the Meriden Farmers Market, Community Health Center of Meriden and Meriden Public Schools.  An additional event is planned for Spring 2020 in Danbury. For more information contact Laura Brown at 203-407-3161 or laura.brown@uconn.edu.

The PATHS team created an educational brochure called Share the Trail about trail safety and etiquette on multi-use trails for bicyclists, walkers and equestrians. Check it out!