This is the second installment in LASN's coverage of the Rails-To-Trails Conservancy's "10 Most Endangered Rail-Trails' in the United States.

"Landscape Architects are clearly involved in planning as well as contract documentation of the building of [rail-trails]...so if you don't have the funding for those projects [inevitably] the jobs won't be there. There are several other types of enhancements that are fundable in the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) that are opportunities for Landscape Architects, and those would be lost if the funding is cut off. ISTEA funding is going to affect all kinds of Landscape Architects, not just in trails [but also in] streetscapes, scenic corridors, etc.," stated Mike Anderson, Chief of Design Department of the East Bay Regional Park District, in an interview with LASN.

San Francisco, California's Iron Horse Regional Trail was born in 1890 as the Southern Pacific Railroad right-of-way through the Diablo and San Ramon Valley. At that time, the area was sparsely populated with an agrarian economy. Dirt roads provided the means to move goods to market; travel was slow, and road upkeep costly.

Today, the Iron Horse Trail is a continuous greenway that provides recreational and commuting opportunities for the people of Contra Costa County. Since 1986, there has been tremendous community and regional effort to secure funding to develop the trail. Excellent support from all the local jurisdictions, Contra Costa County, utility districts, trail user groups, and individual citizens has made it possible to move forward with this noteworthy trail project. But, the Iron Horse Trail still needs more help...

"[Today], about 14 miles of trail are already built in Contra Costa County, [yet] another 7 miles [of trail] in Alameda county are dependent on the funds," explains Anderson.

"[If the enhancement funds from ISTEA are cut off] it will limit our opportunities to fund the extension of the trail both to the north and south. The [Iron Horse Regional] Trail would complete connections to other communities," stated Steve Fiala, Trails Specialist of the East Bay Regional Park District. In addition, "there are segments of the Iron Horse Trail which were planned to connect schools, work places and businesses to mass transit; [these] cannot be completed without this additional funding," added Anderson.

Do you know of an endangered greenway or rail-trail? How do you respond to Anderson's statement about what will happen to Landscape Architects if transportation enhancement funds are ceased? Call 714-979-5276, or e-mail your opinion to landarchx@aol.com!