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Virgin Island Trail Alliance (2021) Print
2021 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Transportation
└ Trails
└ Trails
Many trails on St. Croix were impassable after hurricane damage. As part of disaster recovery efforts, Virgin Islands Trail Alliance restored eight miles of rainforest trails. To do this, volunteers cut through foliage, cleared weeds, pulled up roots and raked up debris, allowing the trails to reopen. Additionally, they installed new signage, which help visitors navigate, communicate trail rules and identify tree species. The activation effort also involved installing picnic tables and benches along the path to give people a space to rest. To help visitors access the trails, volunteers cleared parking areas and installed bollards to prevent people from driving vehicles onto the trails. Volunteer workers included participants in a nonprofit program carpentry skills program. Since the restoration, project organizers say hikers and cyclists have returned to the trails.
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Miami, FL
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Trails
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Hebron, NE
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2017
Project Category: Trails
Description: The Thayer County Walking Coalition aims to provide local residents with opportunities to walk and bike. This project improved trails in the City of Hebron. To create places for walkers to socialize, the coalition added seating areas with shade trees, benches and trash cans. Project organizers installed new signs guiding people to local attractions, including the World's Largest Covered Porch Swing and the site of a World War II POW camp.
Worcester, VT
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Trails
Description: Organizers with the Vermont River Conservancy wanted to allow people of all ages and abilities to enjoy the newly created North Branch Cascades Trail. To make the one-mile route accessible, they worked with a professional trail builder to make the path ADA-compliant. Additionally, VRC added amenities including benches, picnic tables and a privy. To help visitors navigate, they created trail maps and added wayfinding signs marking scenic overlooks and swimming holes along the trail. The improved trail has a gentle grade, which allows people who use wheelchairs to roll all the way to the river's edge. This is something many trails can't offer since river access often involves a scramble down a steep bank. Organizers say the North Branch Cascades Trail has since inspired conversations about how to increase accessibility at other hiking routes in the region.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Christiansted, VI
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2019
Project Category: Trails
Description: The Virgin Islands Trail Alliance and its partners installed the island's first permanent bike path, which extends through Christiansted, an historic town dating back to the 1760s. The Alliance included benches, tables and bike racks along the trail. Work also included applying road stenciling, installing reflectors, markers and lane delineators, planting trees, spreading topsoil and mulch and erecting a historical marker sign. The trail improvements come after a 2017 Walkability Report identified a lack of investment in pedestrian infrastructure in the Virgin Islands. Project organizers say they hope the success of this project highlights the importance of walkability in the Territory. The Alliance is a nonprofit based in St. Croix that aims to create multi-use pathways across the Virgin Islands.
Christiansted, VI
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: This project will develop plans for an accessible green space at Sunday Market Square. This project aims to foster resilience, food security, and healthy aging by creating a welcoming environment for older adults and families.
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AARP Virgin Islands State Office
4094 Diamond Ruby
Suite 6
Christensted (St. Croix), VI 00820
United States