This month the House of Representatives puts forward a new transportation bill that will heavily impact trails funding over the next few years. ITN has been active in advocating for the Transportation Enhancements (TE), Safe Routes to Schools (SRTS) and the Recreational Trails Program (RTP) elements of the transportation budget. Just a lot of lousy acronyms? Here are some real-life, if somewhat simplified examples of what these programs do:
TE results in improved sidewalks and pedestrian infrastructure during paving projects. TE funds projects like the Kodiak Bike Path, and ensures future paving projects done in a holistic way, with sidewalks and appropriate lighting to serve all users of the street.
SRTS results in programs such as the crossing guard program, infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists near schools, and planning grants to identify the appropriate programs and infrastructure for each school. ITN is operating on such a planning grant right now. Once our planning is complete at the end of 2012, we will be one of only a handful of Alaska communities eligible for $3M in infrastructure funds allocated for Safe Routes to Schools.
RTP is commonly referred to as ORTAB in Alaska (Outdoor Recreational Trails Advisory Board—some of you may know trails advocate Shelly Lawson, who sits on this statewide board). RTP is responsible for many of the trail improvements you see in Ft. Abercrombie State Park, and was originally the funding source identified for future development Near Island Phase III, a trail connecting North End park to St. Herman harbor via the channel-side greenbelt.
Now for some bad news—as of the writing of this report, RTP is the only program that has not been cut from the current transportation bill. TE and SRTS were slashed from the bill in favor of more money for car-centric programs. ITN has been strongly advocating for a return of these programs to the bill, and this week an amendment was introduced to do so. Don Young, Alaska’s only congressman, is an influential member of the transportation committee. It is unclear at this point whether he will support the amendment, but we have sent repeated letters and emails urging him to do so, and our email alerts have inspired some of you to do the same. We will continue to advocate for recreational trails, pedestrian and bicycle enhancements at every level of government.
One more blow for RTP, it’s currently unavailable to Alaska due to an accounting oversight at the Federal Highway Administration. Apparently Alaska has been overpaid in this program and the feds are deducting the amount of the overpayment from the current fiscal year budget. Thus Near Island Phase III is on hold until we find another funding source (we will try the Alaska legislature).
Dates have been set for the Kodiak Outdoor Film Festival. It will be held April 6th at the Harbor Convention Center downtown. From now until March 25 we’re accepting submissions of any and all Kodiak outdoor films. Send us your best, and if it makes the cut it will hit the big screen, in from of a few hundred people at our annual fundraiser! You can download submission guidelines at www.islandtrails.org/film.
Okay, so you know all about the film festival, but you’re on the fence about whether you’re up to submitting a film yourself. You want to submit a film, have lots of good raw material and have a Mac, but don’t fully understand iMovie? So did we, until we took Philip Tschersich’s free iMovie workshop. Philip teaches the basics of iMovie in one evening including importing video, understanding the iMovie environment, marking clips as favorites or rejects, adding clips to a storyboard, addition transitions, titles, beatmarkers and lyrics, adjusting stabilization, color, cropping, rotation, and clip speed, and exporting movies. The 2012 workshop will be held at the KNWR visitor’s center from 7-9 PM March 20th. Admission is free!
ITN is proud to announce a re-release of our website, www.islandtrails.org. In it, you’ll find detailed descriptions of ITN’s past and current projects with video, maps, and slideshows, a new weekly blog, links to social media sites and the continued convenience of online membership. The site also reflects our updated strategic goals, a re-tooled mission statement, and a structural re-organization into departments that take their name from the way we get things done—through Action, Advocacy and Education.
As you will see from the site, ITN has an ambitious agenda for the next few years. Now more than ever we need your support. This year, please consider helping Island Trails Network and other local non-profits through a tax-deductible donation from your Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD). The Pick.Click.Give program makes this easier than ever. www.pickclickgive.org
Please also take a moment to renew your membership for 2012 and renew your commitment to Island Trails Network. Don’t forget that a Barometer membership earns admission for one and Pyramid membership earns admission for two to the 2012 Kodiak Outdoor Film Festival.
That’s all for this month. Thanks for tuning in. Happy Trails!
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