Office of Greenways and Trails Castrated and Lobotomized

This is from an e-mail sent out by the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy:

I'm shocked at the irony, and hope you are too.

Within weeks of the Florida Governor's office proclaiming March as Bicycle Month and celebrating our trail victories, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) announced devastating cuts to the Office of Greenways and Trails (OGT), effectively eliminating this nationally renowned program.

Act now to protect Florida's greenways and trails:

http://support.railstotrails.org/site/R?i=34gLxSIcVgG8rYSZ11kJMg..

These cuts are excessive and disproportionate to FDEP's other proposed cuts. While other FDEP program budgets are being cut 20 percent, this proposal would, among other things, eliminate more than 80 percent of OGT's Tallahassee staff! In addition to rolling back the pro-bicycling clock 10 years, this measure risks nearly $50 million in hard-earned development money for Florida's future trails.

RTC understands that cuts are required, and should be fairly distributed. However, the OGT program reduces our dependence on oil, improves health, betters our environment and strengthens our communities. Eliminating it does far more harm than good, and for generations to come.

Please speak up for trails now:

http://support.railstotrails.org/site/R?i=SLl8qzOMmUGy_u_qoHwadA..

Thank you.

Ken Bryan, Florida State Director
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy

It would be nice to believe that other personnel in the Florida Department of Environmental Protection could take up the slack, I can't imagine that's possible because of all the other cuts that have been made. This is unfortunate, because trails impact Florida financially in at least three areas:

• Tourism. A part of the fiscal crunch is due to the loss of tax revenue when there was a slowdown in Florida's tourism industry. I've travelled to Alabama to explore the Chief Ladiga Trail and look forward to vacationing in Georgia for a similar tour of the Silver Comet Trail. If the Office of Greenways and Trails isn't promoting Florida's trails, how will potential tourists find out about the trails?
• Health Care. Health care costs are hurting business, government, and individuals everywhere. Trails give people a place to exercise, exercise that results in better health and reduced need for health care.
• Carbon Emissions. An expanded and properly promoted trail system would cut down on short automobile trips. This would reduce the amount of money going out-of-state to purchase fuel, improve the air quality (there's health costs, again), and cut down on greenhouse gas emissions. Global warming and rising sea levels are a serious threat to Florida, where Orlando is the only major city not likely to become a reef.

So a functioning system of trails may not be such a luxury. If the Office of Greenways and Trails is essential to such a system, then it should be saved.