National Parks

The Eastern Sierra Sustainable Recreation Partnership is a unique large landscape partnership between local communities, county governments, and state and federal agencies from California’s rural Eastern Sierra region. Working with the National Park Service - Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance program, the partnership aims to improve recreation opportunities and restore ecosystems to their natural resiliency and functions.

Just 50 years ago, the Cuyahoga River was heavily polluted and set ablaze. Ready to reclaim their waterway, a coalition of community members, organizations and the National Park Service collaborated to make the river a designated water trail and develop a structure to manage the waterway. Today, as Ohio's 13th water trail, the river is accessible to wildlife and recreationists while boosting economic development in surrounding communities.

Thanks to the efforts of a National Park Service partnership with nonprofit organizations, local, and state agencies, Lakeshore visitors can now safely stroll, bike, and in winter months ski portions of the Sleeping Bear Dunes Heritage Trail. A 27-mile route linking the neighboring communities of Glen Arbor and Empire, Michigan, to visitor destinations within the National Lakeshore.

The community of Moab requested assistance from the National Park Service – Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance program (NPS-RTCA) to help revitalize Lions Park, the central hub for all roadways, and make it a welcoming gateway to the city.

On the eve of the National Park Service’s centennial in 2016, President Barack Obama designated 87,500 acres as the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument – the first national monument to preserve the landscape and honor the history and culture of Maine’s North Woods in Penobscot County. The superintendent of the new national monument asked NPS-RTCA to assist with engaging local communities and leading various planning projects.

Nestled against the southern border of Zion National Park, the community of Springdale, Utah is inextricably connected to the Virgin River. It is their source of drinking water, the foundation of their tourism economy, and a reminder of their pioneer history. With rapid commercial development encroaching on the river corridor, residents of this desert town, with help from the National Park Service, established conservation strategies via the Virgin River Management Plan.

In San Antonio, Texas, the National Park Service – Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program helped the city link its historic missions and outdoor recreation to enhance active transportation routes. An expansion of the city’s bike-share system now allows residents and visitors alike to easily access their nearby national park and community open spaces.

After hosting more than six million visitors in 2017, Grand Canyon National Park staff and the community of Tusayan, Arizona, realized they needed to find a solution to the growing entrance lines that would sometimes back up for more than an hour. Working with the Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program, the park implemented an ambassadors program to direct guests as well as extended the time the shuttles run.