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| Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance | |
|---|---|
| Name | Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance |
| Caption | Program logo |
| Formed | 1969 |
| Parent agency | National Park Service |
| Jurisdiction | United States |
| Headquarters | Washington, D.C. |
Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance is a United States National Park Service program that provides technical assistance to communities, Tribes, non-profit organizations, and local governments engaged in river, trail, and conservation projects. The program supports collaborative planning, design, and implementation for landscape-scale conservation, recreation, historic preservation, and community revitalization in coordination with federal partners such as the Department of the Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency, and agencies including the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The program offers expertise in trail planning, river restoration, greenway design, watershed conservation, and community engagement to entities including the National Park Service, the United States Forest Service, the Army Corps of Engineers, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and state agencies such as the California Department of Parks and Recreation and the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. It addresses contexts ranging from urban corridors like the High Line and Cheonggyecheon-inspired projects to rural landscape efforts akin to the Appalachian Trail and the Mississippi River conservation initiatives, while drawing on conservation models exemplified by The Nature Conservancy, Sierra Club, National Audubon Society, and World Wildlife Fund.
Established through initiatives during the Nixon Administration with guidance from the National Park Service and contemporaneous environmental legislation such as the National Environmental Policy Act and programs influenced by the Outdoor Recreation Resources Review Commission, the program evolved alongside partnerships with the U.S. Forest Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and philanthropic entities including the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the Ford Foundation. Administrative oversight comes from the National Park Service's Washington Office and regional superintendents following frameworks used by entities like National Capital Planning Commission, Smithsonian Institution, and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation.
While not a grants-making body in the traditional sense, the program complements funding mechanisms from agencies such as the Land and Water Conservation Fund, National Endowment for the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities, Federal Highway Administration, and the Transportation Alternatives Program. It coordinates technical support with funders including the Recreation Conservation Office (Colorado), Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, and foundations like the Rockefeller Foundation to leverage match funding for local entities like the Trust for Public Land, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, and regional conservancies including the Powell River Trust and Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy.
Projects range from multi-jurisdictional trail networks connecting landmarks such as Gateway National Recreation Area and Golden Gate National Recreation Area to river corridor restoration resembling efforts on the Los Angeles River, the Hudson River, and the San Joaquin River. Outcomes include habitat restoration with partners like The Nature Conservancy and American Rivers, historic site interpretation with National Trust for Historic Preservation, recreational access improvements seen in projects similar to Blue Ridge Parkway visitor enhancements, and urban green infrastructure aligned with initiatives by NYC Department of Parks and Recreation, Chicago Park District, and Seattle Department of Transportation.
The program collaborates with a wide range of stakeholders including Tribal governments such as the Navajo Nation and Cherokee Nation, municipal governments like Los Angeles City Hall, Chicago City Council, and Boston City Council, regional planning bodies such as Metropolitan Transportation Authority (New York) and Metro (Portland, Oregon), non-profits including Conservation International, Trust for Public Land, and Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, and academic partners like University of California, Berkeley, Harvard University, Yale University, Michigan State University, and University of Washington. It engages private-sector actors including engineering firms exemplified by AECOM and Stantec, and philanthropic collaborators such as the Kresge Foundation and Bloomberg Philanthropies.
Although technical assistance is typically provided without direct grant funding from the National Park Service, projects often secure financial resources from the Land and Water Conservation Fund, federal appropriations debated in the United States Congress, competitive grants from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and EPA programs, and state allocations from agencies like the California Natural Resources Agency. Eligibility commonly includes municipal entities, Tribal governments, non-profit organizations such as Friends of the River groups, and state agencies; applications and requests for services are coordinated through National Park Service regional offices and align with planning practices used by the Federal Highway Administration and funding mechanisms like the Transportation Alternatives Program.
Monitoring and evaluation draw from methodologies used by the U.S. Geological Survey, EPA, Forest Service, and conservation NGOs including American Rivers and The Nature Conservancy. Metrics include ecological indicators such as water quality monitored under frameworks from Clean Water Act programs, species recovery metrics aligned with the Endangered Species Act, recreational use statistics analogous to National Park Service Visitor Use Statistics, economic impact assessments informed by Bureau of Economic Analysis models, and equity measures reflecting guidelines from the Department of Housing and Urban Development and best practices promoted by Urban Land Institute.
Notable collaborations reflect a range of scales: urban trail revitalizations inspired by High Line and city-led initiatives in Philadelphia and Portland, river restoration partnerships akin to work on the Chicago River and Potomac River with agencies like the Army Corps of Engineers, watershed protection projects comparable to Chesapeake Bay Program efforts, and large landscape conservation resembling the Piedmont Environmental Council and Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. The program has worked with local organizations such as Friends of the Los Angeles River, Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, Lower Mississippi Delta Commission, and Tribal partners in projects coordinated with Bureau of Indian Affairs and Indian Health Service for community resilience, cultural site preservation, and recreational connectivity.
Category:National Park Service programs