Upper Valley Trails Alliance

In late 2003, the Upper Valley Trails Alliance (UVTA) received a five-year grant of $200,000 from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to support "Upper Valley Trails for Life," a local multidisciplinary partnership and program developed to increase "active living" through the use of trails and walking/biking routes.

With our community partners, which include Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Dartmouth Medical School, the National Park Service, and local schools and recreation departments, UVTA aims to help people make physical activity part of their daily routines. In addition, this grant presents an opportunity to complement some of our other projects and initiatives.

Upper Valley Trails for Life will work with partners to implement prescription-walking programs at DHMC and other clinics and practices; integrate use of trails into physical education and other curricula at elementary schools; work with area employers to encourage and provide opportunities for active living among employees; partner with the recreation departments to promote opportunities for physical activity; and ensure the longevity of trails by working with town and regional planners to create and protect trails. Through these activities Upper Valley Trails for Life will create programs, policies and places that enable everyone to enjoy physical activity readily as part of their daily routines.

The need for such an initiative is clear. You have probably read about the national "epidemic" of obesity due to sedentary lifestyles, and its rising cost in public health. There are obstacles that prevent people from walking, riding a bicycle, or cross-country skiing to work, school and other destinations. Many people don't know where they can access local trails or other opportunities for recreation. As growth proceeds, we run the risk of losing access to some trials. Although residents of the Upper Valley are more active than those in other parts of the country, and we have many good trails nearby, even here, recent statistics show that nearly one in four American adults is sedentary, and the number of overweight children has doubled since 1980.

The Trails for Life grant will only cover about half of the projected costs of achieving our goals. You can help assure success by joining UVTA or making a special donation.

Trails for life is part of Active Living by Design, a $16.5-million national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, based at the School of Public Health at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. More information about Active Living by Design can be found at www.activelivingbydesign.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, based in Princeton, N.J., is the nation's largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to health and health care. For more information, go to www.rwjf.org.

The new initiative is part of Active Living by Design, a national program established to create, enhance and promote environments that make it safe and convenient for people to be more physically active. This grant, provided by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, will cover half of projected expenses for the project.