CA looking for volunteers for pathway usage count

 

    When someone asks me if I will ever move from Columbia I usually answer by saying if I can find another community with 3 lakes and over 90 miles of trails then maybe I would consider a move.   I doubt that many other communities have these features that provide our residents with almost unlimited recreational uses.  I have run, biked and walked most of the paths in Columbia but sometimes I still come on a path section that I have never been on.  Maybe one of my bucket list goals should be to go on all 90+ miles of trails.  CA or someone might want to set up a route plan to do this.
     Maybe it is time to pay back CA for our wonderfully maintained trails. Below is information from the Columbia Association with one way to do this.

    "The Columbia Association is seeking enthusiastic volunteers to conduct counts for pedestrians, bicyclists and other users on CA’s pathways. By making a two-hour time commitment, you'll be helping to improve one of the things that makes Columbia special! We would appreciate your help.

Bike and Pedestrian counts will be held on:
May 24 (11:30am-1:30pm)
May 27 (5:00-7:00pm)
May 28 (5:00-7:00pm)
May 29 (5:00-7:00pm)
May 31 (11:30am -1:30pm)
June 6 (11:30am-1:30pm)

Please visit the volunteer registration page to select locations and times that are most convenient for you. We will be accepting volunteer registrations until Friday, May 2. Your confirmed time slot and more information on the counting process, including the date(s) and time(s) of the bicycle and pedestrian count training will be sent by email on Monday, May 5. In the interim, please contact Scott Templin at scott.templin@columbiaassociation.org with any questions.

Building on the Active Transportation Action Agenda, data gathered from these counts will be used to measure pathway usage and user demographics. This will be used as baseline data for future pathway counts and help measure and monitor usage trends. Pathway counts also can verify and validate future pathway investments.

Also, mark your calendars for Bike to Work Day, scheduled for Friday, May 16. Pre-registration is encouraged, but not required."

P.S.
     It may not be on the scale of an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico but it is still troubling to see this report today from the Columbia Patch:

    "The Maryland Department of the Environment was working on cleaning up a diesel spill Monday that affected Lake Kittamaqundi, according to the Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services. The spill was reported at 4 p.m. Monday, the department reported, and fire and rescue crews responded to the 5600 block of Vantage Point Road. 'It appears the origin of the leak was from a nearby holding tank that leaked into the storm drain system and into Lake Kittamaqundi,' the report stated. Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services began working to clean up the spill and minimize its impact, and the Maryland Department of the Environment was notified.  The Maryland Department of the Environment and a private contractor were working to clean up the spill, according to the report."

P.S. 1
    Maybe another reason to eat less meat. 

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