Illinois' natural splendor has won a substantial cash infusion as the state rolls out the green carpet to the tune of more than $3.7 million destined to enhance its recreational trails across 19 grateful communities. Governor JB Pritzker, together with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, dropped the news Tuesday, signaling a fresh era of safer and more scenic routes for every stripe of outdoor enthusiast, from bikers to hikers to Sunday strollers.
"Trail development projects contribute to safer transportation and improved recreation opportunities across Illinois," Pritzker said. The grants, which provide up to a neat 80% reimbursement to local grantees for their trail project costs, ask communities to pony up the rest.
According to the state's announcement, the 19 lucky projects are a mixed bag catering to the whims and fancies of both motorized and non-motorized adventurers. The Illinois Greenways and Trails Council, a crew comprised of varying greenway and trail advocates and state agencies, handpicked these recipients, giving the nod to such undertakings as Freeport Park District's Jane Addams Trail improvement project at $200,000 and the Illinois Association of Snowmobile Clubs’ trail maintenance, bagging $158,400.
Non-motorized projects have also snagged their share of the pie, with grants like $200,000 going to the City of Carbondale for their Cedar Lake multi-use trail and the Champaign County Forest Preserve receiving an equal slice for refurbishing cycling paths around the Lake of the Woods. Natalie Phelps Finnie, director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, told reporters, "These projects will help provide safe places for children and families, hikers, bike riders, and horseback riders to enjoy the outdoors." An array of projects, from trail extensions in the quaint Village of Germantown Hills to the novel bike trails through Woodridge Park District's Hawthorn Hill Woods, demonstrate the breadth of this state's commitment to outdoor pastimes.
Details of each project, along with the total grant amounts, can be read at the official Illinois government release. With Illinoisans increasingly turning to nature for their dose of recreation, Governor Pritzker's administration seems bent on ensuring these wild escapes are nothing short of rejuvenating and, crucially, more accessible than ever before.
