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Kachemak Heritage Land Trust (2019) Print
2019 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Transportation
└ Trails
└ Trails
To welcome visitors of all abilities, the Kachemak Heritage Land Trust installed large-font signage on its Poopdeck Platt property. Part of long-term efforts to create an accessible trail on the site, the signs display QR codes, which link to recordings of local people reading the sign text accompanied by soothing music. The park is in downtown Homer, and the trail connects Homer's Independent Living Center to nearby Bishop's Beach. Today, the property is home to a story walk and the local library has plans to expand the trail, with a focus on local indigenous history. Since installing the signposts, the Land Trust has referenced their design to inspire signage at kiosks along other trails.
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See More Projects Like This One
Bethlehem, NY
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018
Project Category: Trails
Description: The Mohawk Land Conservancy's Art on the Rail Trail sponsors art installations along the Albany County Helderberg-Hudson Rail Trail. The trail is popular with pedestrians and cyclists in warm weather and cross-country skiers and snowshoe hikers in the winter. To promote walking and biking, the Conservancy benches along the pathway and made repairs. Additionally, a new mural transformed a graffitied wall facing Hudson Avenue into a lush and pristine world of imagined creatures, according to artist Andrea Hersch.
Sandpoint, ID
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2019
Project Category: Trails
Description: After acquiring a new, 180-acre forest property, organizers with the Kanitsu Land Trust wanted to ensure people of all ability levels could enjoy it. So they created an all-abilities trail to draw visitors to the site. Pine Street Woods now boasts half a mile of accessible walkways, as well as four new benches. Since completing these improvements, the Land Trust reports an uptick in trail use, with over 100 visitors per day in summer 2020. The trail now serves as an example to municipal leaders of how to address accessibility challenges that limit outdoor access for those with mobility issues.
Portland, OR
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Trails
Description: Southwest Portland's lack of sidewalks forces older adults to navigate unsafe streets, limiting independence and access to essentials. To address this, SWTrails installed 55 new signs and replaced 196 damaged ones along its 46-mile volunteer-built trail network, making routes easier to follow. Volunteers, many age 60-plus, committed to ongoing maintenance, ensuring trails remain safe for walking and transit access. These improvements enhance mobility and reduce isolation for residents who rely on trails for daily travel. One user shared, "I now use these trails to get to my bus stop since there are no sidewalks in our area."
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Homer, AK
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2026
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: A muddy trail section near the trailhead will be stabilized with added fill. The fix will restore safe access to connected walking paths.
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