Hot on the Trail
By Erik Robinson, The Columbian Staff Writer
Wednesday, April 5, 2006
Lewis and Clark arrived in the Pacific Northwest mainly over the water, but the two explorers also did plenty of walking during their expedition.
On Thursday, 200 years to the day when the Corps of Discovery departed present-day Vancouver for its journey home, Clark County leaders will gather at the public dock next to the Red Lion Hotel at the Quay to encourage more people to get out and walk.
Unfortunately, the typical modern American falls well short of the standards set by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark.
Lewis and Clark re-enactors will present Clark County commissioners with a Clark County Trail and Bikeway Systems Plan. This will be followed by a signing ceremony near one of the county's premier walking trails along the Columbia River waterfront. The plan envisions a system of expanded trails and bike paths, most notably a future path paralleling the county's 33-mile-long railroad spur running from Vancouver through Battle Ground to Yacolt and Chelatchie Prairie.
"It commits the community to a long-term strategy in adding to the trails system, so that future generations will be able to engage in more physical activity," said Barbe West, executive director of Community Choices 2010. "If people engage in walking for 30 minutes a day, we should have some impact on the obesity rate."
Community Choices, a local nonprofit group, also will unveil a Walkaround Guide highlighting 10 relatively easy walks throughout Clark County. The guide, produced as part of a $555,000 federal grant to reduce obesity, includes detailed information and maps about 10 trails, plus a countywide map tucked away in the back listing another 15 walks.
All of the trails are designed to get people off the couch and into a healthier lifestyle.
"Our target audience is for people engaged in little or no physical activity or at high risk for diseases of diabetes or obesity," West said. "We're thinking basic trails, not the ones that have climbing or are more difficult to use."
Kelly Punteney, trails and greenway planner for Vancouver-Clark Parks & Recreation Department, said the goal of the trail plan is to prioritize funding when it comes available through state and federal grants. The costs will vary.
"You can spend a million dollars a mile on a trail, but you can also build a primitive trail down through a natural area," he said.
The rail line trail stands out, he said. Punteney envisions a trail connecting to the Ellen Davis Trail near the Bonneville Power Administration's Ross Complex in Hazel Dell, then following the rail line through Battle Ground, Yacolt, Tumtum Mountain and eventually past the south side of Mount St. Helens on its way to Yakima.
Punteney acknowledged the long version of the trail is extremely long-term, but now is the time to begin planning.
"We've got to pay attention to this issue," he said. "It can't just be set aside."
For now, Community Choices 2010 is working with local health care providers to raise awareness of the walking and biking paths that already exist. The organization has printed 50,000 copies of its Walkaround Guide, and it is planning to distribute the map-filled book at clinics, schools, employers and community centers.
More information
The Clark County Walkaround Guide will be available on the Web as of April 14th at www.stepstoahealthierclarkco.org.