Rail Trails in Jeopardy

In October 2025, I had the pleasure of being one of ten advocates representing Wisconsin at the TrailNation Summit presented by Rails to Trails. Nearly 400 people from 40 states gathered in Cleveland, Ohio to learn and share best practices for funding, building, marketing and maintaining trails with the common goal of creating and connecting trails nationwide.

One of the more unique aspects of this conference was that attendees were divided into cohorts and participated in master classes and field trips with trail advocates from communities of similar population sizes. As a representative of a statewide organization, I joined the Rural Cohort and came home with fantastic ideas for our priority trail projects in small communities across Wisconsin including the Wisconsin River Trail, the Mercer Bike Trail expansion and the Heart of Vilas River Trail.

As part of the opening night facilities, we watched the new PBS documentary, From Rails to Trails. Narrated by Edward Norton, the documentary tells the story of the 60-year struggle to reclaim railroad corridors for the public and transform them into beautiful car-free paths. Wisconsin’s Elroy Sparta Trail was featured – as was former Governor Tommy Thompson – as pioneers in the rail trail movement. 

I left Ohio with a great deal of pride in Wisconsin’s role in the Rails to Trails movement – and with a renewed joy and enthusiasm for the Bike Fed’s commitment to advocating for safe, beautiful spaces for Wisconsinites to bike, walk and be active outside. But, just as the early rail trails faced fierce resistance and legal challenges from private property owners, new proposed legislation threatens both existing trails and future rail trail development. 

H.R. 4924 – the Rails to Trails Landowner Rights Act – undermines railbanking by 1) shifting financial liability from the federal government to trail sponsors; 2) requiring trail sponsors to obtain a signed statement of willingness to railbank from every adjacent landowner within 30 days of filing a statement of willingness to railbank, 3) requiring trails sponsors to assume lifetime responsibility for trail maintenance and costly and wasteful studies, and 4) requiring the federal Surface Transportation Board (STB) to both make recommendations for local trail maintenance and operations and make recommendations for narrowing the width of existing railbanked corridors.

Railbanking was established in 1983 and is a voluntary agreement between a railroad company and a trail sponsor (such as a trail organization or government agency) to use an out-of-service rail corridor as a trail until a railroad might need the corridor again for rail service. This interim trail use of railbanked corridors has preserved thousands of miles of rail corridors that would otherwise have been abandoned.

The proposed H.R. 4924 legislation threatens our existing trails, such as the Eisenbahn State Trail, the Hank Aaron State Trail, the Wild River State Trail and others, as well as  future trail development – including the 30th Street Corridor. Wisconsin’s trails provide residents with safe and convenient places to be active outdoors, are a major tourist destination, generate new jobs and economic activity, and contribute to overall quality of life. We are counting on you to join us in sending the message that trails are essential. 

How can you help? As the Chairman of the Committee on Natural Resources, Wisconsin Congressman, and gubernatorial candidate, Tom Tiffany will decide if this legislation moves forward. Contact Tom Tiffany and let him know that rail trails are integral to the fabric of Wisconsin and urge him to oppose H.R. 4924, the Rails to Trails  Landowner Rights Act. 

You can do this in a number of ways:

• Call the committee at 202.225.2761 and tell them you oppose H.R. 4924, the “Rails to Trails Landowner Rights Act.”

• If you live in Tom Tiffany’s district (Wisconsin’s 7th), you can send him an email here.

• Write a letter to Tom Tiffany – a sample letter is available here.

• If you represent a trail group in Wisconsin, contact Bike Fed’s Government Affairs Manager, Mike Ridgeman, at Mike@wisconsinbikefed.org to be added to our sign on letter.

For more information on H.R. 4924 the Rails To Trails Landowner Rights Act, Rails to Trails has a comprehensive fact sheet on their website. Thank you for joining us in showing your support for trails – here at home and nationwide!

Feature photo: Stower Seven Lakes State Trail in Polk County