Jacksonville Organizer Kay Ehas Honored for Building the Emerald Trail, a Boost for Parks, Health and Neighborhoods

Trail Champion Named in Jacksonville as Local Project Gains National Notice

On Dec. 11, 2025, Rails to Trails Conservancy named Kay Ehas of Groundwork Jacksonville its 2025 Trail Champion. The announcement in Jacksonville recognized Ehas for her years of work to build the Emerald Trail, a planned 30-mile network of greenways and walking paths across the city. The award matters locally because it brings national attention — and new momentum — to a project that organizers say will widen access to parks, improve health, and knit together neighborhoods long left out of city planning.

From Volunteer to Local Leader: Kay Ehas and Groundwork Jacksonville

Kay Ehas leads Groundwork Jacksonville, a nonprofit that focuses on putting parks and safe outdoor space into neighborhoods that need them most. She started in community work years ago, organizing cleanups and small park builds before helping shape the larger Emerald Trail plan. Her approach rests on one simple idea: let neighbors set the goals and then bring city officials, funders and businesses to the table to get things built.

Under Ehas’s leadership, Groundwork Jacksonville helped push the city to map the trail route, secure pilot projects, and test ideas such as pop-up paths and community-led greening. Those smaller wins built trust, which the organization used to win larger grants and formal partnerships. The Conservancy singled out this steady, community-first work as the reason Ehas earned the Trail Champion honor.

How the Emerald Trail Is Designed to Help People and Places

The Emerald Trail is planned as roughly 30 miles of connected paths that run through parks, along waterways and between neighborhoods across Jacksonville. The route links schools, transit stops and community centers, making it easier for people to walk or bike to daily destinations. Organizers describe it as more than a recreational path: a citywide spine for safer streets, fresh air and jobs tied to park building and maintenance.

Planners say the trail is meant to close gaps in access. In many parts of Jacksonville, residents live far from parks or safe sidewalks. By threading the trail through underserved neighborhoods, the project aims to expand who can use green space and who benefits from nearby spending at shops and cafes. The project also includes habitat restoration near rivers and wetlands and plans for native plantings that help with flood resilience.

Partners include Groundwork Jacksonville, city agencies, the Rails to Trails Conservancy, local community groups and private funders. The work so far has mixed planning, design and small construction pilots — think safe crossings, short path segments and improved park entrances — that show what a finished trail could look like and build public support.

Why the Rails to Trails Conservancy Gave the Award

The Conservancy hands out the Trail Champion honor to people who show sustained leadership in getting trails built and used. Past winners have been local organizers, elected officials and nonprofit leaders who turned neighborhood-level energy into real, measureable trail results. This year, the Conservancy praised Ehas for her focus on equity, her ability to bring partners together, and the clear link between the Emerald Trail and community health and economic benefit.

Local Response and the Road Ahead for the Emerald Trail

The award drew warm responses from city leaders and from neighborhood groups who have been part of the project’s public meetings and pilot projects. Officials say the national recognition could help with fundraising and with convincing skeptical property owners and decision-makers to back larger construction phases.

Practical next steps include completing design for major segments, raising capital for construction, and expanding volunteer-led efforts that have proved effective in early pilots. Organizers expect the rollout to come in stages: small segments open first, with more connections built as funding arrives. Volunteers will be asked to help with planting, cleanups and neighborhood outreach, while city crews and contractors handle the heavier construction.

The Rails to Trails nod is a signal that Jacksonville’s plan matters beyond its borders. For residents, it promises safer places to walk and bike. For neighborhoods that have seen little public investment, the Emerald Trail aims to bring new green space, local business activity and a stronger link between health and the places people live. For a project that grew from small community acts into a citywide vision, the award marks a step forward and a new chance to bring the plan to life.

Sources

• prnewswire.com