Take Me Outside

Kids in Parks receives grant for new community TRACK trail

Join the Kids in Parks team to watch the exciting development of the newest TRACK Trail made possible by the Appalachain Regional Commission.

Kids in Parks receives one of the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) grants awarded this year. The Appalachian Regional Commission, in partnership with North Carolina and Virginia, offered grants for communities that serve as entry points to the Blue Ridge Parkway. The Gems of Appalachia Initiative was created to fund projects and programs in gateway communities to “enhance the economic development opportunities of the Blue Ridge Parkway’s 75th anniversary celebration and to strengthen the connections between the Parkway and the surrounding towns and cities.”   The grant will be used to complete a new TRACK trail in a community on the southern end of Parkway. Kids in Parks’ staff Carolyn Ward and Jason Urroz will be working with Pisgah Ranger District personnel to design and install the first community TRACK Trail. “This will be a terrific opportunity to engage kids in the communities in which they live and play,” said Project Director, Carolyn Ward. “We are looking forward to working with communities along the parkway to build and strengthen the relationship between kids and nature.”

The first community TRACK Trail should be open by summer 2010.