River Raisin National Battlefield Park is one of 37 national parks selected to receive a 2014 Active Trails grant from the National Park Foundation, the official charity of America’s national parks. Now in its sixth year, the Active Trails program supports healthy living by getting people out and active in national parks through projects that help restore, protect, and/or create land and water trails across the country. These projects include hands-on learning, hiking, kayaking, snowshoeing, volunteering, and more.
“Through the Active Trails program, people across the country are connecting with their national parks, discovering more ways to lead active and healthy lives, and giving back to the places they love,” said Neil Mulholland, President and CEO of the National Park Foundation. “These grants are critical to helping with ongoing efforts to maintain and enhance the 17,000 miles of land and water trails across the National Park System.”
The River Raisin National Battlefield Park Active Trails Grant will enable the Battlefield to develop a series of new programs called the River Raisin Rx in partnership with the Mercy Memorial Hospital System, Monroe County Health Department, City of Monroe, the Monroe Family YMCA, and other community partners. The River Raisin Rx will include a series of opportunities and programs designed to improve community health in fun ways and to create healthier future generations. In addition to the River Raisin Rx, the grant funds will allow the expansion of Battlefield trails and the creation of a new Hulls Trace Water Trail.
Superintendent Scott Bentley said, “The National Park Foundation continues to be pivotal partner in the development of River Raisin National Battlefield Park. The support received from the National Park Foundation has greatly advanced the Battlefield’s mission, resulted in vibrant new partnerships and added tremendous value to the communities and region surrounding the Battlefield. We are honored to be one of only 37 out of 401 National Parks selected for this grant and to have so many wonderful partners and volunteers that make projects like this possible.”
Since 2008, the National Park Foundation has granted nearly $2.4 million through its Active Trails program. To date, Active Trails has engaged more than 5,900 volunteers and 327 project partners who combined have contributed more than 30,000 hours to help promote, refurbish or build national park trails that were ultimately enjoyed by 331,000 visitors.
“The National Park Foundation’s Active Trails program provides vital funding that supports our national parks as centers of healthy outdoor activity for families and communities across the nation,” said National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis. “The land and water trails maintained by the National Park Service invite visitors to explore natural and cultural beauty, and these grants will expand these great opportunities to even more visitors.”
The National Park Foundation wishes to thank The Coca-Cola Company, The Coca-Cola Foundation, Disney, the Scrooby Foundation, and Subaru for their generous support of the Active Trails program.
The 2014 Active Trails grantees include:
Appalachian National Scenic Trail
Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area
Assateague Island National Seashore
Baltimore National Heritage Area
Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area
Booker T. Washington National Monument
Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area
Buffalo National River
Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area
Cane River Creole National Historical Park
Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site
Chickasaw National Recreation Area
Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park
Essex National Heritage Area
Flagstaff Area National Monuments
Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument
Fort Stanwix National Monument
Gateway National Recreation Area
Grand Teton National Park
Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site
Kings Mountain National Military Park
Lake Clark National Park and Preserve
Lassen Volcanic National Park
Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park
National Park Service Chesapeake Bay Office
Nez Perce National Historical Park
Olympic National Park
Oregon National Historic Trail and California National Historic Trail
Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park
River Raisin National Battlefield Park
Rock Creek Park
Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway
Salt River Bay National Historic Park and Ecological Preserve
Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area
Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks
Timpanogos Cave National Monument
Wheeling National Heritage Area
A listing of these parks and their Active Trails project descriptions can be found on the National Park Foundation website.
For more information on the National Park Foundation and how you can support and protect America’s national parks, please visit www.nationalparks.org. For more information on the National Park Service, please visit www.nps.gov.
