Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance

Today, we honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a beacon of the Civil Rights Movement. We recognize his legacy through acts of kindness and service to others and reflect on Dr. King's profound impact on our country.

Photo by National Mall and Memorial Parks

Big changes are happening along the St. Louis River!

The National Park Service – Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance program (NPS-RTCA) is partnering with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and City of Duluth, MN Government to transform this waterfront, cleaning up decades of industrial pollution and contamination.

The Marten Trail, also referred to as Waabizheshikana (the Ojibwe People’s word for a marten – a weasel-like mammal), will create a safe, accessible 3.3-mile corridor along the river, linking neighborhoods that have been disconnected from their waterfront for generations. Once each section is cleaned up, Duluth will launch free outdoor programs including hiking, canoeing, and fishing – with equipment and instructions provided.

This project is focused on environmental restoration, rebuilding community connections, and providing safe access to areas that residents have avoided for decades due to industrial contamination and unsafe conditions.

Read our article to learn more about this unique cooperative effort between the city, EPA’s Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, and NPS-RTCA: https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/waabizheshikana-the-marten-trail.htm

Images:
1. West Duluth kids take part in a canoeing and fishing activity along the St. Louis River.
2. Operations near Munger Landing that are part of remediation efforts on the St. Louis River.
3. People on the trail along the St. Louis River.

Funding Alert! Do you need money to build trails? Link in the comments.

We’re thrilled to see our project in New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward highlighted in the Audubon Magazine!

As part of a larger neighborhood revitalization effort Sankofa Nola (Sankofa CDC) collaborated with the National Park Service – Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance program, The City Of NOLA , and the Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans in developing plans for the Sankofa Wetland Park and Nature Tra– a community-driven recovery project to help improve protection from hurricanes and flooding in the neighborhood. Together with our partners we hosted community meetings to gain feedback at each stage of the park’s design, informing the park’s master plan.

Read the article to learn how this collaborative effort transformed a 40-acre vacant lot into a vibrant wetland park serving both the community and wildlife: https://www.audubon.org/magazine/how-lower-ninth-ward-residents-created-haven-birds-and-people

Image: Rashida Ferdinand, founder of Sankofa CDC, at Sankofa Wetland Park. Credit: Chris Granger for The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate.

Why did the tree cross the road? Because we helped the community plant a new park on the other side! Check out this video to learn what else we help communities with!

A Helping Hand for Your Community Explore how the National Park Service – Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance program (NPS-RTCA) can help implement your community's conservation and outdoor recreation projects.

“Dedication, Perseverance, and The National Park Service – Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance program can make your dreams come true.” Mike Johnston, Sutter County Resource Conservation District President.

The National Park Service – Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance program (NPS-RTCA) works like GPS navigation for community projects: Guiding, Planning, and Supporting!

Recently, we applied our “GPS” assistance to the Feather River Parkway project near Yuba City, California. With a goal to provide educational and recreational opportunities and restore riparian habitat along the Feather River, we collaborated with the Sutter County Resource Conservation District and the community on:

📋 Developing and analyzing surveys to understand local needs and desires.
🤝 Identifying key project partners and stakeholders, such as the Estom Yumeka Maidu Tribe.
🔍 Researching what is needed to plan projects along waterways.

The efforts recently led to exciting outcomes, including the resource conservation district successfully securing a $2.2 million grant from the California Wildlife Conservation Board! This funding will support plans for 1.5 miles of side channel habitat and reconnect 231 acres of floodplain, efforts that will benefit key species like Chinook salmon and Steelhead trout.

Image 1: A white Pelican and Terns sit on a log in the middle of the river. Photo by Donna Johnston.

Image 2: Feather River Project area map

Mother Nature's connect-the-dots puzzle: tree edition

Our program specializes in the facilitation of community conservation and outdoor recreation projects beyond National Park Service borders. One such project is the Algonquin to Adirondacks (A2A) Collaborative!

The A2A Algonquin to Adirondacks Collaborative envisions a resilient, ecologically interconnected landscape that sustains a full range of native wildlife and enhances people's quality of life for generations to come. Their mission is to connect lands and people across the region to conserve and enhance a critical corridor for ecological integrity and resilience in eastern North America.

This landscape stretches from Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario to the Adirondack Mountains in New York, and encompasses a variety of wildlands, farmlands, towns, and preserved areas. Recognized as a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve in 2002, this ancient landform serves as a crucial pathway for migrating birds, bats, and insects, while providing habitats for species like black bears, moose, and eastern wolves.

In collaboration with the A2A Collaborative, NPS-RTCA is helping to transform their strategic plan into concrete actions by gathering vital data on wildlife road crossings, collaborating with experts to model wildlife movement patterns, and creating detailed, community-informed habitat corridor maps. Recently, we co-hosted a community workshop in New York with the Thousand Islands Land Trust, bringing local voices into the conversation. Representatives from the New York State Department of Transportation (NYDOT) were in attendance, highlighting the importance of considering wildlife movement in transportation planning.

More than just lines on a map, these efforts identify safe passages for wildlife, where natural spaces can be connected, and how we can protect these critical links. It's an interconnected patchwork strategy – preserving not just large, protected areas like our national parks, but also the small patches that come together to form incredible large landscapes.

Learn more by visiting the A2A Collaboration website: https://www.a2acollaborative.org/

This week, we couldn't be more grateful for our partnership with Groundwork USA and the 21 Groundwork Trusts across the country who are engaging community members in transforming brownfield sites into vibrant community assets!

In the United States, there are more than 450,000 brownfield sites–lands suspected of being contaminated by hazardous substances or industrial pollutants, primarily located in low-income, neighborhoods with an industrial presence or history.

For over two decades, the National Park Service – Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance program has worked in partnership with Groundwork USA, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization, and community members to turn contaminated and underutilized spaces into vibrant parks, trails, and gardens. Through the Land Use Innovation Initiative, five Groundwork Trusts are receiving funding to transform forgotten areas in their communities into treasured green spaces!

Land Use Innovation projects create opportunities for community members to play a leading role in transforming brownfield sites while sparking innovation, leadership, and long-term investment in land revitalization. With this funding:

🌟 Groundwork New Orleans Green Teamers, high-school-aged environmental leaders, will create a brownfield inventory to track and record location, site condition, heat, and flooding concerns and conduct community interviews to identify opportunities for green infrastructure and new green spaces.

🌟Groundwork San Diego Chollas Creek will collaborate with community members, local organizations, and business leaders to develop a concept plan for transforming a 17-acre brownfield into a public green space and flood mitigation park.

🌟 Groundwork Ohio River Valley will engage their Roselawn Climate Action Group, a paid coalition of community members trained to facilitate climate adaptation conversations, in the creation of a community-wide brownfield reuse plan.

🌟 Groundwork Denver will support engagement activities in Sheridan to develop a brownfield site redesign plan that includes recreation and resilience design.

🌟 Groundwork Atlanta will engage the west side neighborhood in the creation of a brownfield communication and reuse hub that will help prioritize revitalization opportunities that meet the needs of the community.

These projects are not just about cleaning up land – they’re about empowering communities to create the healthy green spaces they want! Learn More about the Groundworks Program here: https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1973/index.htm

And learn more about the Land Use Innovation Grant here: https://groundworkusa.org/2024-land-use-innovation-grant/

Image 1: Left side is the West End Compost Hub site, where Groundwork Rhode Island (GWRI) and partners are constructing a compost facility to process food scraps from the community. The right side is a rendering of the West End Compost Hub, incorporating feedback from the community, including solar panels, green space, and art. GWRI was one of the first Groundwork Trusts to be selected during the first round of the Land Use Innovation Grants from 2022-2024. Photo courtesy of GWRI.

Want to tap into generations of environmental knowledge? (link in comments)

This Native American Heritage Month, we are proud to spotlight Jared Wahkinney, the first Indigenous Communities Project Manager for the National Park Service – Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance program in the Intermountain Region—a role he describes as his dream position, perfectly combining his passion for community outreach, youth education, and his Indigenous heritage.

A proud member of the Comanche Nation of Oklahoma, Jared brings a wealth of experience to his position. With degrees in Anthropology and Native American Studies, his career journey includes roles at Mount Rainier National Park, Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum, and various youth-focused nonprofit organizations. These experiences have shaped his unique approach to outreach, community engagement, and conservation.

Jared sees extraordinary potential in every project, even in something seemingly straightforward like trail design. He recognizes each project as an opportunity to restore an area’s biodiversity, reintroduce native plants, and create spaces where communities can sustain traditional harvesting practices. These initiatives become powerful vehicles for cultural preservation, inspiring Tribal members to share their knowledge with youth about traditional languages, gathering practices, and their cultural connections to the land.

As co-chair of the Council for Indigenous Relevancy, Communication, Leadership, and Excellence (CIRCLE), an Employee Resource Group, Jared champions Indigenous perspectives within the National Park Service while building bridges with communities. His work spans from trail development projects in Oklahoma that showcase Indigenous stories to collaborating with the Muscogee Nation on an innovative, co-managed preserve that is focused on youth education and agriculture.

Jared’s leadership is defined by his commitment to centering Indigenous knowledge and values in each project he works on, ensuring he authentically serves the communities he works with. He envisions a future where Indigenous communities are actively invited to lead and participate in conservation and cultural preservation in spaces they have been historically excluded from, shaping a more inclusive and sustainable world.

Image: A portrait of Jared outdoors wearing a National Park Service flat hat.

Meet Chris Whirlwind Soldier, a Community Assistance Fellow with the National Park Service – Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance program through the Ancestral Lands Conservation Corps. From working face-to-face with bison to receiving the Sequoyah Fellowship Award, Chris has dedicated his career to conservation and Indigenous land management.

Chris, who is a member of the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe, carries his Dakota, Lakota, and Cherokee heritage into every role he undertakes. His career path includes serving as a wildland firefighter, managing the Yankton Sioux bison herd, and coordinating economic development for the Yankton Sioux Tribe.

In his fellowship with NPS-RTCA, Chris has supported numerous Tribal and Indigenous projects, such as:
🌳 Creating a vision to transform Sky Chief Park into a recreational, educational, and cultural space for the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians.
🌳 Developing a comprehensive master plan for the MHA Nation Tribal Park that includes the layout of a trail system, a conceptual visitor center design, a recreational use plan, and management guidance for the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara (MHA) Nation.
🌳 Planning for the Kul Wicasa Trails, a network of trails through a significant natural, cultural, and historic landscape on the Lower Brule Sioux Reservation with the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe.

Recently, Chris was awarded the prestigious Sequoyah Fellowship Award from the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES). Named after Sequoyah, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation who perfected the Cherokee alphabet in 1821, this award recognizes Chris's outstanding contributions to integrating Indigenous knowledge with modern conservation practices through his projects in the Midwest.

“For me, having the ability to connect with many diverse groups of Indigenous people throughout the Midwest Region has been a really special experience,” Chris said.

Join us in celebrating Chris's achievements and learn more about some of the projects he has supported in our publication: https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/e971ce1c-d876-4383-80df-02e6a9d05791/original?

Image 1: Chris on a trail overlook in Brule, South Dakota.

Image 2: Chris receiving the Sequoyah Fellowship Award and blessings from the AISES Elders.