Governor Robert Bentley has awarded $1.6 million in grants to enhance outdoor recreational opportunities in Alabama.
The funds will be used to build or expand twelve trails across the state along with new equipment for trail maintenance and materials for trail safety education.
Jim Plott is a spokesperson for the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs. He says the trails have a significant impact on the state economy and people all over the southeastern United States.
“We look at the obvious: It’s recreation, and it gets people outside, a lot of things that people overlook with trails. And our state parks and trails in general – it’s tourism. We’ve got trails that are bringing people in from Florida, Georgia, North Carolina… all over.”
Alabama has received national recognition from the Recreational Trails Program for accessibility enhancement and international recognition for its bike trails.