End of the Year Donations
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| In 2021, Conserving Carolina and Friends of Ecusta Trail launched the Making the Dream Real campaign, an initiative to raise $6.5 million in local funding for the trail's construction. Thanks to the generosity of individuals, businesses, and foundations, this goal was achieved, unlocking an additional $45 million in federal grants to complete the project. Construction of the trail is now underway, with the first phase focusing on a six-mile section from Hendersonville to Horse Shoe. Despite setbacks caused by Hurricane Helene, which delayed progress, Friends of Ecusta Trail is optimistic that this section will open to the public by June 2025. Planning, design, and engineering efforts for the remainder of the trail are ongoing. With construction in progress, Conserving Carolina is stepping back to allow Friends of Ecusta Trail to lead on-going fundraising efforts. These efforts will support trail amenities, maintenance, and enhancements.
Please make all donations for the Ecusta Trail directly to Friends of Ecusta Trail. Donations may be made online at https://www.ecustatrail.org/support/#donate. Checks can be made out to Friends of Ecusta Trail and mailed to Friends of Ecusta Trail, P.O. Box 265, Brevard, NC 28712. For more information visit https://www.ecustatrail.org/support/.
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Limited New Branded Merchandise! |
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As we finalize plans with Mast General Store Hendersonville to offer Ecusta Trail branded merchandise in their store, we have a limited number of unisex and ladies' t-shirts available and hats and will accept pre-Christmas orders for Ecusta Trail merchandise. Orders must be placed by midnight December 12 for pre-Christmas delivery. We apologize if we don't have your size. We will announce via Instagram and Facebook when t-shirts are available in Mast General Store Hendersonville. |
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New Brand and Website Revealed
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After many months of work and planning, Friends of Ecusta Trail (FOET) revealed a new brand and website for the Ecusta Trail. On Saturday, November 16, a group of dedicated volunteers and supporters gathered at The Grove at Trailside Brewing to celebrate FOET's history and see the new brand and website for the first time. As the group gathered, Jeff Michels and Steve Kirkland (of Michels' folkadelic jam) provided music. To kick off the presentation, they performed Jeff's "Waiting for the Wheels," an original song he wrote about the Ecusta Trail, to an enthusiastic crowd. |
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The presentation began with a founding board member, Ken Shelton, recounting the history of the rail line and FOET's 15-year effort to have the rail corridor from Hendersonville to Brevard converted into a multi-use rail-trail. FOET President Mark Tooley thanked the current board members and all of the public and private partners who have supported the effort to make the Ecusta Trail a reality. |
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Henderson County engineer Marcus Jones spoke about the trail's condition after Hurricane Helene, and had good news that the extent of the damage is not that bad given the severity of the storm. He expects that the opening of the first 6 miles will be delayed to late spring or June 2025. Kieran Roe, executive director of Conserving Carolina, explained how and why Conserving Carolina partnered with FOET to help purchase the rail-banked corridor and raise over $3 million from private donors for the construction of the trail. Destination by Design's Matt Wagoner discussed the brand and logo design process and Robert Prioleau, co-founder of Blue Ion, introduced the incorporation of the new branding and a screening of the video produced by Real Digital Productions. Afterwards, Robert described and showed the features of the new website. |
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Henderson County Rail-Trail Advisory Committee |
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| Following DOT and other regulatory standards during the construction of Phase 1 of the Ecusta Trail helped mitigate the destruction caused by Helene along the trail. That was the message delivered at the Henderson County RTAC meeting on November 13. |
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Henderson County Engineer Marcus Jones delivers remarks on Helene's damage to the trail. Henderson County Planner Janna Bianciulli is also pictured. |
| Henderson County Chair Chris Burns listens to a question from the floor |
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Henderson County Engineer Marcus Jones and Assistant County Manager Christopher Todd led the discussion of the impacts of storm damage to the trail and current progress. While the Henderson County Phase 1 portion of the trail suffered nearly $400,000 in damage, the damage was constrained by all the extensive drainage, stream bed, and trail foundation work done before the storm struck.
In addition, since the trail was constructed to DOT and other regulatory standards, the cost of the repairs should be covered by FEMA. Even the application process (with partnership and guidance from DOT) has been streamlined due to compliance to the higher standards. |
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"Waiting for the Wheels" Jeff Michels Folkadelic Jam |
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Meet Jeff Michels, a Hendersonville-based singer songwriter, who has been a proponent of the Ecusta Trail as early as 2013 when Jeff wrote, "Waiting for the Wheels", a song that details the history and geography of the trail. Jeff's duo and this tune were featured at our recent Friends of the Ecusta Trail gathering at Trailside Brewing on Saturday, November 16. A big "thank for" to Jeff and guitarist Steve Kirkland for their performance! If you missed them at Trailside and would like to hear his music, below are links to Jeff's music on Spotify as well as his Facebook page. And, if you liked what you heard and would like to support the local musicians, they are available for private home parties or other events. For more info, contact Steve at kirklandsteve1924@yahoo.com or 828-775-6971 |
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| Happy Holidays from Friends of Ecusta Trail. 2025 will certainly be an exciting year and we can't wait for it to come! |
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| FOET NEWSLETTER CONTRIBUTORS: Bernard Grauer, Lynn Huffman, John Lanier, Mark Miller, RJ Miner and Cindy Ruzak.
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| | FOR TRAIL CONSTRUCTION QUESTIONS CONTACT:
Marcus Jones, P.E. Henderson County
Director of Engineering
(828) 694-6526
mjones@hendersoncountync.gov |
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