Connecting Communities: Talbot Thrive Drives Trail Momentum in Talbot County

On Maryland’s Eastern Shore, Talbot Thrive is working to make safe, connected mobility a reality in Talbot County. The nonprofit focuses on improving health, equity, and quality of life through better access to active transportation and community infrastructure. As part of the regional trails group, Maryland Eastern Shore Trail Network (MESTN), they see trails not as optional amenities, but as essential pathways to opportunity.
“We do this work because safer streets and connected paths are tied directly to health, dignity, and opportunity,” said Heather Grant, chair of Talbot County’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee and Executive Director and former Board Chair of Talbot Thrive.
Advocating for more trails is part of how we fulfill our mission to support physical activity, improve mobility for people of all abilities, and strengthen community well-being.”
Grant said Talbot Thrive’s work is grounded in everyday needs. Parents want their children to bike without fear. Older adults seek independence after they stop driving. Veterans in recovery need quiet, predictable places to walk. Young people with sensory challenges benefit from calm routes close to nature.
Those needs shape Talbot Thrive’s involvement in MESTN, a regional partnership of counties, towns, nonprofits, and agencies working to connect the Shore’s scattered trail segments. The network formed in response to a long-standing imbalance. While the Eastern Shore comprises roughly 30 percent of Maryland’s land area, it has less than 9 percent of the state’s separated bike and pedestrian trails.
Talbot Thrive views regional coordination as essential to addressing local gaps. By participating in the network, the organization brings best practices back to Talbot County and strengthens relationships with those responsible for the expansion of trails.
“A plan helps you move from ideas to action,” Grant said. “Without a plan, you are just chasing grants. With a plan, you can say, ‘here is where we prioritize projects that make it safer for everyone.’”
That planning lens is especially important in Talbot County, where former rail corridors, rural roads, and active farmland intersect. Outreach and early engagement, Grant said, are critical to building trust and designing trails that respect both mobility needs and rural character.
Easton’s On-the-Ground Experience
In the Town of Easton, trail development has moved from vision to reality. Town Engineer Rick Van Emburgh said the past decade has demonstrated how a connected trail system can improve safety, mobility, and quality of life when projects are designed with residents in mind.
“We realized our public works crews were talented enough to build the trails in-house, and that saved the town a significant amount of money,” Van Emburgh said. “It also allowed us to use our workforce as part of our grant match instead of relying solely on taxpayer dollars.”
Easton’s Rails-to-Trails system has expanded steadily, but not without challenges. As construction began, some adjacent property owners believed the former rail bed was part of their yard. Addressing those concerns required time, transparency, and flexibility.
“We met with the neighbors, walked the alignment, and agreed on ways to protect their privacy,” he said. “That meant landscaping, visual buffers, and in some cases a privacy fence or a retaining wall where the old grades made the trail higher than their windows.”
Once the trail opened, many initial fears faded.
“People have said it is much better than they expected. The safety concerns they feared just have not materialized,” Van Emburgh said.
The town now sees the trail serving a wide range of users.
“There are people using the trail to get to work, people carrying laundry to the laundromat, and kids going to see their friends. It gives them a safe way to get from point A to point B,” he said.
One of Easton’s most pressing challenges remains U.S. Route 50, which divides the town east to west. Safe crossings are under review at Dutchman’s Lane, Dover Road, and Goldsborough Street, and the town has identified a long-term goal of building up to 20 miles of trails within its limits.
“There is a possibility of a pedestrian bridge over Route 50 near the Talbot Humane Society,” Van Emburgh said. “A bridge would be expensive, but it would be a safe way to get people across.”
He said the town’s goal is straightforward.
“We want to connect all of our neighborhoods and parks. Trails are extremely valuable to this community, and we hope to continue funding and building them.”
Costs, Creativity, and Practical Choices
Building paved, ADA-compliant trails can cost about $1 million per mile, said Owen Bailey of the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy, who also serves as vice chair of the regional trail network. That reality shapes how projects are prioritized in Talbot County.
“When you look at the many miles of potential trail connections, things get very expensive very quickly,” Bailey said. “But the good news is we have options and opportunities that we should be exploring.”
Planners increasingly support a mix of trail types. In towns like Easton, paved trails are critical for transportation, school access, and daily errands. In rural areas, natural-surface trails made of mulch or crushed stone can provide meaningful access at a fraction of the cost.
“The first version of a trail could be mulch or crushed stone,” Bailey said. “Something that costs tens of thousands of dollars a mile instead of millions of dollars.”
Even with those costs, trail projects remain relatively affordable compared to new road construction and often deliver broad benefits, including improved safety, connectivity, and quality of life.
Incremental approaches can also help communities adjust.
“When people see a well-maintained path used by neighbors, kids in ball uniforms, seniors with walking sticks, they start to see it as theirs,” said Sue Simmons, chair of the regional trail network.
Health, Mobility, and Dignity
Public health research consistently links everyday walking and biking access to lower rates of obesity and diabetes, along with reduced anxiety and depression. For Talbot Thrive, those outcomes are central to its mission.
Trails also support what advocates call “community mobility,” particularly for older adults, teenagers, and people who use wheelchairs or do not have access to a car. In Talbot County, that mobility can determine whether residents can reach jobs, schools, parks, and health care independently.
Grant said framing trails as essential infrastructure, rather than recreational extras, has helped shift local conversations.
“These are places where people move through their daily lives,” she said. “They are about dignity as much as design.”
Respecting Rural and
Agricultural Landscapes
Trail planning in Talbot County also requires sensitivity to agriculture and private property. Some landowners believed former rail corridors would revert to them when trains stopped running, while in actuality, many remain under railroad or state ownership.
“That disconnect between what people believed and what the deeds actually say is at the heart of a lot of anger, and understandably so,” Bailey said.
Advocates emphasize early communication, clear explanations of right-of-way, and investments in buffers, fencing, and safe access points. Talbot Thrive and its partners aim to engage farmers and landowners before plans reach public hearings.
The goal, practitioners say, is to demonstrate that thoughtful trail design can enhance safety and coexist with agricultural operations, rather than disrupt them. Gratefully, that goal is already being met in other parts of the country, farmers are using trails to grow agritourism with much success.
Looking Ahead in Talbot County
For Talbot Thrive, the next phase of work centers on building momentum while keeping projects grounded in local priorities. That includes supporting Easton’s trail expansion, strengthening connections between towns and unincorporated areas, and continuing to elevate voices that are often left out of transportation planning.
Grant said persistence matters.
“Trails are not about turning Talbot County into somewhere else,” she said. “They are about helping the people who already live here move safely, live healthier lives, and stay connected to their community. If we can agree on that, the rest is planning and follow-through.”
To learn more about Talbot Thrive’s mission or to support its work building a healthier, more connected Talbot County, visit www.talbotthrive.org