Editing Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (section)

{{Short description|American non-profit organization}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{Third-party|date=November 2019}}
{{More citations needed|date=November 2019}}
}}
{{Infobox organization
| name                = Rails-to-Trails Conservancy
| formation           = {{start date and age|1986|2|1}}
| founder             = Peter Harnik<br>David Burwell
| status              = [[Nonprofit organization]]
| purpose             = To convert unused [[railway corridor]]s into [[rail trail]]s
| headquarters        = [[Washington, D.C.]]
| leader_title        = [[President (corporate title)|President]]
| leader_name         = Ryan Chao
| website             = {{URL|railstotrails.org}}
}}
'''Rails-to-Trails Conservancy''' ('''RTC''') is an American nonprofit organization based in [[Washington, D.C.]], that works with communities to preserve unused rail corridors by transforming them into [[rail trail]]s within the United States. RTC's purpose is to create a nationwide network of trails from former rail lines and connecting corridors.<ref name="about">[http://www.railtrails.org/whoweare/index.html About Rails-to-Trails Conservancy] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080517080242/http://www.railtrails.org/whoweare/index.html |date=2008-05-17 }}</ref>

In addition to its headquarters in Washington, D.C., RTC has smaller offices in California, Florida, Pennsylvania and Ohio.<ref>{{cite web|author=Rails-to-Trails Conservancy |url=http://www.railstotrails.org/ourWork/whereWeWork/index.html |title=Our Work &#124; Rails-to-Trails Conservancy |publisher=Railstotrails.org |date= |accessdate=2019-11-11}}</ref> RTC receives its funding largely from paid memberships and receives no government funding. As of December 2012, RTC had approximately 80,000 paid members, the remainder of its funding coming from foundation and corporate grants and major donors.

RTC members have developed programs focusing on urban rail trails and trail systems since 2009, including RTC's ''Urban Pathways Initiative'' (UPI),<ref>{{cite web|author=Rails-to-Trails Conservancy |url=http://www.railstotrails.org/ourWork/promotingTrailUse/urbanpathways/index.html |title=Urban Pathways Initiative &#124; Rails-to-Trails Conservancy |publisher=Railstotrails.org |date= |accessdate=2019-11-11}}</ref> which features ongoing programs in Washington, D.C., Camden, New Jersey, Jacksonville, Florida, Compton, California, New Orleans, Louisiana, Springfield, Massachusetts, and Cleveland, Ohio, and is funded by [[The Kresge Foundation]].