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January 20, 2009
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Eco­tourism pedals into West Volusia
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By Kay Semion
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posted Dec 23, 2008 ­ 3:19:55pm Calendar of Events
When about 20 bicyclists rode into Volusia County’s Lake Beresford Park on a brisk morning in late November, applause erupted from an assembly of Florida trails enthusiasts. Entertainment
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For this rider, at least, our ersatz celebrity was exciting. Alas, the applause was not for us, but for the accomplishments of folks who built the state’s 5,000 miles of multiuse trails — and the trail­in­the­making we had been riding for nearly a week. PHOTO BY KAY SEMION Founders — Bike Florida co­founders Linda Crider and Herb Hiller praise Florida's trails at Lake Beresford Park.
(Read about the highlights of the St. Johns River to the Sea Loop.)
The praise was well­deserved. The same week we cyclists rode Bike Florida’s inaugural 266­mile eco­
tourism trek known as the “St. Johns River to the Sea Loop,” Florida was designated by American Trails as the “Best Trails State.” Related Topics
PHOTO BY KAY SEMION On Ponce's path — Bicyclists stop at Ponce de Leon Inlet.
An eleventh­hour reprieve for JV sports, other activities in Volusia schools?
Highlights of the St. Johns River to the Sea Bicycle Loop
And, American Trails also honored Bike Florida director Linda Crider of Palatka for her years of work as a tireless trails advocate. Volusia County, for good reason, was chosen as the state’s celebration central. Its leadership in trails was highlighted last year when the Florida Cabinet finalized at least a dozen years of advocacy among many partners to acquire the 51­
mile rails­to­trails track from Enterprise to Titusville and north to Edgewater. That purchase prompted Bike Florida co­founders Crider and Herb Hiller to initiate our bike ride Nov. 15­22. The loop we traveled parallels the soon­to­be­built rails path. Crider and Hiller teamed with several other organizations, especially the Florida Wildflower Foundation, to emphasize green tourism. “We are now launching wildflower tourism that will be comparable to PHOTO BY KAY SEMION Ready to roll — Bicyclists line up in Palatka before heading off on the weeklong St. Johns River to the Sea Loop. The ride will be an annual November event.
PHOTO BY KAY SEMION The sights — A Florida gopher tortoise and a wildflower in New Smyrna Beach — two of the natural Florida sights on the St. Johns to the Sea inaugural bicycle ride in November.
tourism that will be comparable to the fall colors in the North,” Hiller said at the Lake Beresford Park ceremony. Hiller, of DeLand and Drayton Island, represents the East Coast Greenway Alliance, which aims to connect Maine with Key West via 3,000 miles of traffic­free paths. The St. Johns River to the Sea Loop will be a part of that. PHOTO BY KAY SEMION Recognition — Bicycles line up as their riders pause for ceremonies at Lake Beresford Park in DeLand. There, trails advocates were recognized for Florida's being named the Best Trails State by American Trails.
GRAPHIC COURTESY BIKE FLORIDA To the sea — This map shows the 266­mile bicycle trail dubbed "St. Johns River to the Sea Loop."
In September, leaders from five counties, the state and the federal government met in St. Augustine to sign a pledge to complete the paved trail by 2013 — in time to celebrate the 500th anniversary of Ponce de Leon’s discovery of “La Florida,” named for its abundance of wildflowers. On Nov. 21, leaders from across the state convened near a pavilion along the year­old Lake Beresford Park trail, part of Volusia County’s Spring to Spring Trail. Represented were Florida’s Office of Greenways and Trails, the state’s office of the Rails­to­Trails Conservancy, the Florida Wildflower Foundation, the Trust for Public Land, the Florida Bicycle Association, the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Rep. John Mica’s office, the Volusia County Council, and more. DeLand City Commissioner Charles Paiva, who rode the Loop with us along with his mother, Aida Paiva, read a proclamation from the DeLand commission, recognizing the county as a leader in green tourism. Volusia County Council Member Pat Northey was also among the celebrators and celebrities. Northey steadfastly worked for more than a dozen years with perhaps a dozen partners to put together the rails­to­trails buy. And, it was Northey who persuaded the County Council in 2004 to dedicate $1 million a year from the ECHO fund for trail development. ECHO is the 0.2­mill special tax voters approved for "environmental, cultural, historic and outdoor recreation" projects. That wasn’t an overwhelmingly popular move, but the $1 million in dedicated funding assured development of the county’s Spring to Spring Trail, which includes the canopied routes in Lake Beresford Park and the adjacent trail leading to Blue Spring State Park (which opened in June), plus trails connecting Lake Monroe to Gemini Springs. So far, about a third of the 28­
mile Spring to Spring Trail has been paved, using the ECHO funds as leverage for other grant and award money. John Harper, designer of the trails and manager of the Volusia County Trails Program, participated in the St. Johns to the Sea ride as a critical member of our support team. Here’s the big deal for West Volusia: The state rails­to­trails buy will allow Volusia County to extend its Spring to Spring Trail, linking it to the newly opened Green Springs Park on Enterprise­Osteen Road as a trailhead for the rails­to­trails trek that will link us to Brevard County — and eventually to Seminole County’s paved “Cross Seminole Trail,” as well as to multi­use asphalt trails in Orange County and beyond. That trail also coincides with the River of the Lakes Heritage Corridor tourism movement, led by Renee Tallevast, to make West Volusia a destination­tourism spot for wildflower viewing. As part of the St. Johns River to the Sea Loop, we cyclists were educated on wildflowers and native plants. Among our stops was Stetson University, where we lunched at the President’s House overlooking the Vera Lea Rinker Native Plant Garden. President Doug Lee, who will retire in May, will leave a legacy of converting the campus landscaping to native plants wherever possible. The St. Johns River to the Sea Loop ride, which will be repeated every November, is all about eco­tourism. Most communities we visited not only enthusiastically welcomed us, but also embraced the concept. In Putnam County, leaders talked about their efforts to make Palatka a hub for multiuse trails that emphasize healthy lifestyles, environmentalism and tourism. St. Johns County Commissioner Cyndi Stevenson — who, with husband Henry, rode with us on the Loop — sees bicycle and multiuse trails as a way to revitalize her county’s historic connection to the St. Johns River. In Flagler County, officials greeted us at Betty Steflik Park and talked about countywide efforts to develop trails along the Atlantic Ocean, Intracoastal and more. Titusville had special representation on the tour. Mayor­elect Jim Tulley joined us for three days on his commuter bike — keeping up, most of the time, with the faster riders — and led us into Veterans Memorial Park, where city, county and tourism folks and an astronaut cheered us on as the Rocky theme song echoed through the park’s speakers. Tulley and other Brevard County leaders are sold on the benefits of eco­tourism and bike trails. Former County Commissioner Truman Scarborough was a main partner with Northey and Hiller in the 51­mile rails­to­trails buy. The paved trail, when complete, will go by the park system’s Space Walk of Fame, the Chain of Lakes Park, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge and the Harry T. and Harriette V. Moore Memorial Park and Cultural Center (honoring the civil­rights leader and his wife, who were killed on Christmas Day 1951, when their home was mercilessly bombed). Many Florida communities, including those in Volusia County, understand that bicycling and ecotourism are intertwined. The trails in Florida are designed to traverse through cultural, historical and entertainment sites. Consider the St. Johns River to the Sea route as a prime example. We rode from the historic Palatka, once a popular stop for steamboat cruising, to St. Augustine, the nation’s oldest continuously occupied European­established city, to Daytona Beach, the home of NASCAR racing, to Titusville, home of the astronauts. It is fitting that we ended up for the last two days in the verdant western countryside of Volusia County, where there is a county­endorsed commitment to green enterprises (including tourism) and to a high­quality paved trails system in natural settings. A footnote: Volusia County’s segment of the 51­mile rails trail is moving forward. John Harper reports a portion from Providence Boulevard to State Road 415 has received environmental and other permits, and is in the design stage. Grants have been applied for to bring the trail out to Pell Road. — Writer and editor Semion has logged more than 5,000 miles on her bicycle this year. She is owner of Semion Communications, based in Port Orange.
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