Our History: The Florida Greenways & Trails Foundation
“Connecting Florida’s Communities with Greenways and Trails” was completed in late 1998, by the Florida Greenways Coordinating Council and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP). Recommendations culminated in the establishment by the 1999 Florida Legislature of the Florida Greenways and Trails Council to be staffed by the FDEP’s new Office of Greenways and Trails. The Council began meeting in early 2000 and recognized the need to have a citizen support organization similar to those set up for the state parks. A CSO Steering Committee with members of the Council was established and the Florida Greenways and Trails Foundation (FGTF) was created.
The Florida Greenways and Trails Foundation was incorporated in August 2001, organized exclusively for charitable purposes and for the benefit of the Office of Greenways & Trails, especially to receive private monies intended to improve the quality of the greenway and trail experience for Florida citizens and visitors. In March 2002, willing members of the CSO Steering Committee became the original Board of Directors with the first order of business to apply for the 501 (c)(3) designation, review the draft by-laws and other administrative tasks. The non-profit status was approved in August 2002.
Presidents of the FGTF have included the following:
2002-2005 Margaret Dyer
2005-2007 Kathy Baughman-McLeod
2007-2009 Helen Koehler
2009-present Dale Allen
Other members and officers have included (through 2012): Sally Thompson, Rich Dunkel, Ed McAdam, Noah Valenstein, Helen Koehler, Doug Leonard, Bill LaMee, Mark Yelland, Harris Rosen, Tina Russo, Herb Hiller, George Edwards, Chris Burns, Merritt O’Brien, Linda Crider, Jena Brooks, Linda Myers, Jim Davis, Amy Dieroff, and Wellington Meffert
Emeritus Board: Helen Koehler, Dr. Linda Crider, Herb Hiller
Honorary Board: John Moran, Clay Henderson, Jim Murley, Fred Marquis, Linda Chapin
Since its inception, FGTF has received almost three quarters of a million dollars in private funds for the development of trailheads and special needs playgrounds adjacent to these greenways. One such “Boundless Playground” is located in rural Wakulla County, adjacent to the popular Tallahassee-St. Marks Historic Railroad State Trail: the other, adjacent to Baseline road in Marion County midway along the Cross Florida Greenway. Funders have included the Elizabeth Ordway Dunn Foundation and the Felburn Foundation.
In 2009, the FGTF began expanding its role and its current mission. The FGTF exists to support the mission and advocate for the programs of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's Office of Greenways and Trails (OGT) as it continues toward establishing a statewide system of greenways and trails for recreation, conservation and alternative transportation.
FGTF is now actively raising monies to promote a program to “Close the Gaps” in Florida’s greenways and trails system. This ambitious effort promises to connect hundreds of miles of existing trails together linking communities with parks and creating new economic opportunities for small businesses across Florida.
