The Greenways Foundation promotes greenways, blueways and multi-use trails in Indiana.

Please join us for lunch as we celebrate the trails, greenways & blueways of Indiana!

We will highlight accomplishments in trail development, including our grants to trail organizations, and recognize some outstanding leaders of the trails movement in Indiana. All proceeds from our Annual Luncheon will go toward helping us continue our mission of working to promote the growth, enhancement, and use of all trails and greenways in Indiana.

Our anticipated speaker is Governor Holcomb regarding his Next Level Trails program.

Register today to attend the luncheon so that you can celebrate our 2019 award recipients and learn more about trail development in Indiana. Registration closes April 7. Sponsorship opportunities for the luncheon are available. We hope you’ll plan to join us!

Many applicants for Next Level Trails grants

Gov. Eric J. Holcomb announced February 27 that the first round of the Next Level Trails grant program has received 82 applications requesting a total of nearly $144 million in funding.

The applicants are from 42 of the state’s 92 counties and their requests total more than 240 potential miles of hiking, biking and riding trails.

Read the full story on the State of Indiana web site.

To-do list

The Greenways Foundation has created its Greenways Foundation 2019 Legislative Platform.

Apply for Next Level Trails grants

Applications for the first round, which will fund up to $20 million in Regionally and $5 million in Locally Significant projects, are currently being accepted. You can electronically submit complete application packets to NextLevelTrails@dnr.in.gov by February 15 for consideration in the first round.

For those who could not attend a workshop, DNR has provided a copy of the presentation slides and a recording of the webinar on the Next Level Trails web site.

Additionally, NLT staff is working on several documents, including a sample “Letter of Intent” and a real estate handbook. These documents will be helpful to applicants and should be posted soon. Check the Next Level Trails web site frequently as additional resources will be posted in the coming days and weeks.

Send any questions to the Next Level Trails team at NextLevelTrails@dnr.in.gov.

Eppley Institute releases Indiana Trails Study

Thanks in part to a grant from the Greenways Foundation, the 2017 Indiana Trails Study compiles data gathered from trail users, non-users, and neighbors of eight trails in the Hoosier state. A team of researchers collected information about trail use, health factors related to trail use, and the economic impact of trails.

2017 Indiana Trails Study Summary Report (PDF, 3.1 MB)

The study was conducted by the Eppley Institute for Parks and Public Lands at Indiana University’s School of Public Health. The Institute, working with guidance from an advisory group, chose eight greenways from around the state.

In-depth reports for each of the eight trails are available at the Eppley Institute web site. The trails include the Erie-Lackawanna Trail (Northwest Indiana), Rivergreenway (Fort Wayne), Pumpkinvine Nature Trail (Elkhart & LaGrange Counties), Monon Trail (Indianapolis & Carmel), Cardinal Greenway (Marion to Muncie to Richmond), Nickel Plate Trail (Kokomo to Peru to Rochester), Columbus People Trail, and the B-line Trail (Bloomington).