Friends of the Ecusta Trail received a $2,000 donation from the Blue Ridge Bicycle Club for helping organize volunteers for the group’s annual WNC Flyer road bike event, with proceeds benefitting bicycling advocacy in WNC.
Friends of Ecusta Trail organized more than 20 volunteers to help man drink stations and park cars. “This is part of a larger effort of engaging our constituents and building an educated volunteer army”, said Friends of Ecusta Trail President, Hunter Marks.
Volunteers are still being recruited to help man tents at events like Rhythm and Brews, Mountain Song Festival, and many others in Henderson and Transylvania Counties. Training is provided to ensure that there is adequate help at the events and to keep the work time very manageable. Those interested in volunteering can learn more at www.ecustatrail.org.
Friends of the Ecusta Trail efforts continue and include regular communication with the railroad as they continue their 15 year unsuccessful effort to restart traffic on the line. The past few months have resulted in positive movement as education efforts have sparked much interest in projects like the Oklawaha Greenway extension and the Hwy 280 Bike path.
“It is very encouraging to see city and county level elected officials having productive conversations about these projects and the Ecusta Trail,” said Marks.
The Ecusta Trail is a proposed rail trail between the cities of Hendersonville and Brevard, North Carolina. It is envisioned as a multi-use walk, hike and bike 19 – mile greenway along the railway corridor connecting Hendersonville, Laurel Park, Horse Shoe, Etowah, Pisgah Forest and Brevard. Once complete, it will connect with the Brevard Bike Path, the Estatoe bike path leading into Pisgah Forest and the Ochlawaha greenway connecting Jackson Park, Patton Park and Berkeley Park in Hendersonville.
(Written by Jennifer Marlowe, Summit Marketing Group.)
(Image: Friends of Ecusta Trail President, Hunter Marks(left), accepts a check from Blue Ridge Bicycle Club member Joe Sanders.)