Conservation Successes

Regional Trail Link Constructed with Persistence..

…and a little help from some friends

San Bernardino County, CA (April 23, 2005) - The county, and friends, completed its first 3.5-mile phase of the Santa Ana River Trail (SART), which will ultimately provide a continuous, multiple-use trail extending 110 miles from the San Bernardino National Forest to the Pacific Ocean. The project was supported by federal Transportation Equity Act funds administered by Federal Highway Administration and a US Environmental Protection Agency Brownfields assessment grant. State and local friends, i.e. project partners, included California Department of Transportation, San Bernardino Associated Governments, and The Wildlands Conservancy. Department of Interior support for this project dates back to an early 1970's tri-county greenway study. In 1989 and 1990, the NPS Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance (RTCA) program helped the county develop a master plan for the river. In a 2002 regional trails update, also supported by RTCA, SART was cited as the county's greatest trail priority, with a potential for numerous local trail connections along tributaries to the river. For more information, please contact Peg Henderson, Outdoor Recreation Planner, at peg_henderson@nps.gov or 510-817-1448 or Jim Donovan, Community Planner, at jim_donovan@nps.gov or (323) 441-2117.