Help us Expand the Great Redwood Trail
Here in Mendocino County, safe and equitable access to high quality outdoor spaces is a top priority. There are approximately two miles of trail currently traversing the city, and any future expansion now hinges on a decision before the Surface Transportation Board in Washington D.C., which will decide whether unused rail line along the trail route can be converted to a park with trail – a process called "railbanking."
As laid out in their Master Plan, the City plans to establish the trail as the centerpiece of a park and regional active transportation network.
There are funding opportunities to do this! The City of Ukiah has funding to extend the trail another two miles to the south. While there is no funding available for re-establishing rail service, there is funding for trails and parks. These projects will be much more expensive, and in many cases impossible, without the ability to remove the rails allowed by railbanking.
This section of rail has been dormant for decades, and there is no plan to resume running trains in this area. Reliable estimates suggest a trail from Hopland to Redwood Valley would generate $20 million in economic benefit per year to the area.
I support railbanking so we can extend the Great Redwood Trail as a highly valuable community asset and allow the trail to serve as the centerpiece of a regional active transportation network.
