By PAULENE POPARAD

In 1994, “Northwest Indiana had no trails but lots of dreams,” according to Jackie Anders.

Saturday, 170 people gathered to support what Anders called “the new reality” of making the six regional hike/bike trails now planned or in place even better, longer and connected to adjoining communities and adjoining states.

The conference’s participants represented what Gary Babcoke of Friends of the Duneland Community Parks termed the three essential partners in trail development: the planners and builders, public officials and end users. Babcoke’s challenge was that the region’s children in 2020 can enjoy an enhanced quality of life because of today’s commitment to saving greenways, developing trail networks and improving park systems.

One way to promote bike and pedestrian access is to require it in new residential and commercial projects, said Anders, a transportation planner for the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission (NIRPC).

That same things that make this region unique -- its railroads, interstate highways, rivers and major industrial sites -- also creates major gaps in its dedicated trail systems, Anders noted. “These are the challenges: crossing them, getting around them and not getting killed by them.”

Significant gaps are located between Crown Point and Hobart; Hobart and Valparaiso; and Valparaiso and Chesterton. And even between Chesterton and the Calumet Trail north of U.S. 12, where Porter was awarded $1 million and has asked for $900,000 more to build the missing link.

For Nancy Krupiarz of Michigan Rails to Trails and LuAnn Hamilton of the City of Chicago, the missing trail segments that would link Michigan to LaPorte County and Illinois to Lake County are of particular interest.

Despite ranking third in the nation behind Minnesota and Wisconsin in trail development, said Krupiarz, “There aren’t a lot of trails in the southwestern corner of Michigan. It’s been sort of off the radar screen, but we’re very interested in re-energizing those efforts.”

Trail planners are inventorying trail opportunities in Michigan’s Berrien County along a utility right-of-way, on a sidepath within the U.S. 12 right-of-way, or possibly along Red Arrow Highway. In Illinois, Hamilton said the Burnham Greenway project -- along abandoned ConRail right-of-way that hugs the state line -- offers the best opportunity to make the connection with Lake County, possibly at Hammond or Munster.

An extension of the Burnham Greenway using the Erie Lackawanna/ConRail corridor could link the Oak Savannah trail in Lake County to the Prairie Duneland Trail from Portage to Chesterton, said Hamilton.

Now under construction and 50 percent complete in Lake County is a $187 million flood control project along the Little Calumet River west of Interstate 65. Wide levees afford development of recreational opportunities along their banks, said NIRPC deputy director Dan Gardner, including parks and trails.

In addition to providing 200-year flood protection for 9,200 structures, two university campuses and Interstate 94, the 10-mile project opens up 2,500 acres for environmental restoration. “There’s a tremendous opportunity in watercourses to tie into the municipal trail systems,” said Gardner. Portage’s proposed Iron Horse Heritage Trail would link the Little Calumet trails to the Prairie Duneland corridor.

Gardner later said the Little Calumet channel east of Burns Waterway which runs through Burns Harbor is under National Park Service jurisdiction and will not be part of the larger project, although environmental groups are discussing trail development with park officials.

According to Anders, “Building partnerships is the most important starting point to get trails done and connected.”

John Chiabai of NIRPC said federal money trickles down through the states for trails, but communities need a local match to receive it. He suggested tapping non-profit organizations, industrial/commercial grants, private sources, solicitation and fundraising, donations and volunteer services to maximize the available federal dollars.

Moral support, as well as financial, can demonstrate a project’s value, said Gardner. “What a tremendous turnout. This is really exciting. Usually crowds like this only turn out when they’re opposing something.”

During a seminar recess, Sue Brown of Valparaiso, president of the Calumet Region Striders, a running club, said, “We think our 500-person membership base can be very helpful in implementing their goals. We all support this because we love running on trails. It’s safe, it’s off-road, and a lot of our runners cross-train on bicycles.” Brown also is active on the Valparaiso bike path committee because she believes it’s important to get children on bicycles off the streets.

Porter County Sheriff David Reynolds also was in attendance with others in his Environmental Policy Class at Indiana University, he in pursuit of his Masters degree in Public Administration. Reynolds also lives adjacent to the Prairie Duneland Trail in Portage, jogs every day on it and occasionally bikes there.

It’s an awesome thing, the best thing the city’s ever done,” he said. “It’s used, it’s safe, and there’s such a cross section of people who use it, young and old.”

National Park Service outdoor recreation planner Rory Robinson told the audience a statewide study of six Indiana trails including the Prairie Duneland show they are good for the community, make good neighbors and that 70 percent of trail users said health and wellness was the primary reason for being on the trail.

Krupiarz said Michigan has found, in addition to their recreation benefits, trails help preserve community character, interpret cultural heritage, provide a buffer between environmentally sensitive areas, increase real estate values and create spin-off jobs and generate tourism revenue.

Opening speaker U.S. Rep Peter Visclosky of Merrillville said he has backed recapturing reusable lakefront land, continuing Chicago’s Lake Shore Drive through Indiana into Michigan, and extending Hoosier hike/bike trails where feasible because the steel region has experienced a net gain in population.

“For those from Illinois and Michigan,” Visclosky told the audience, “I encourage you, once the trails are connected, to use them and then move to northwest Indiana as so many of your colleagues have done because we have the best people in the world.”

Posted 1/28/2002