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Kaniksu Land Trust (2019) Print
2019 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Transportation
└ Trails
└ Trails
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.
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Raytown, MO
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2019
Project Category: Trails
Description: This project supported amenities for the new Rock Island Trail, which passes in front of the local Chamber of Commerce. The Raytown Chamber of Commerce Building Foundation installed two benches, a bike stand and a water fountain along the trail. They also hung a wall organizer in the building's lobby to display brochures featuring community information.
Homer, AK
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2019
Project Category: Trails
Description: 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.
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.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
East Hope, ID
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: This project will build a covered pavilion in a city park, providing a safe, shaded space for community members of all ages. The pavilion will provide protection from the sun and support various community events and gatherings.
Cusick, WA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Public art installations
Description: Community spaces on the reservation lacked cultural expression, leaving the powwow grounds and walking routes without art. The tribe launched a utility box art project, installing eight vibrant wraps along high-traffic areas after soliciting designs from local artists. Many of the community's elders helped select artwork that reflects tribal heritage, strengthening intergenerational ties. The colorful additions have sparked pride and conversations about future murals and sculptures. "The new boxes look great... they add so much color to the walking path," said one resident.
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