Ciales Greenway

On September 6, 2017, Category 5 Hurricane Irma passed north of Puerto Rico, producing tropical storm-force winds across much of the main island. Just days later, on September 20, Hurricane Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico as a high-end Category 4 hurricane, causing catastrophic damage to the entire territory. As the citizens of Puerto Rico were recovering from the devastation of these hurricanes, they faced the global COVID-19 pandemic, which further led to a significant economic decline, particularly on the tourism industry. Across the island, the resilient citizens of Puerto Rico rose to repair and heal their land and its people. In 2021, the Municipality of Ciales requested technical assistance from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the National Park Service – Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance program (NPS-RTCA) to identify resilient recovery strategies for the municipality and its communities following the devastating natural disasters.

With help from the National Park Service, the Municipality of Ciales, which is nestled in the island’s Central Mountain Range, set out to expand their outdoor recreation initiatives. Recognizing the municipality’s desire to create a vibrant tourist destination to strengthen its economy, NPS-RTCA supported Ciales in building community capacity to help fortify and enhance the area’s natural and cultural resources as well as its outdoor recreation assets.
As Ciales evolves into a gateway community to Puerto Rico’s scenic mountainous region, local leaders want to improve the quality of life for residents while providing visitor opportunities and access to adjacent public lands and parks. The Municipality of Ciales has expressed great interest in incorporating climate resilience infrastructure and economic development opportunities in their planning as they take strategic steps towards becoming a unique island destination.

As a result of the coordinated efforts between federal agencies and the Municipality of Ciales, local leaders and residents were able to initiate a series of community-led strategic planning sessions to identify the area’s core outdoor recreation features. Working collaboratively, residents and municipality leaders are actively developing a system of sidewalks, trails, and green spaces that connect the natural areas of the Río Grande de Manatí and the scenic Zona Cársica to neighborhood hubs across Ciales.

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