CHARLOTTE – The Carolina Thread Trail has received a $250,000 gift from Amy and Philip Blumenthal and the Blumenthal Foundation.

The Thread is a planned network of trails and conservation areas covering 15 North and South Carolina counties with a population of more than 2 million people. Plans call for it to pass through Davidson and surrounding areas.

On Feb. 9, the Davidson Town Board endorsed the Mecklenburg County master plan for the trail. Local partners working on the project also include Davidson Lands Convervancy.

On Thursday, backers of the trail plan welcomed the Blumenthals’ gift.

“We are deeply grateful to the Blumenthal family and Foundation for this generous gift,” Dave Cable, Executive Director of Catawba Lands Conservancy, said in a press release. The conservancy is the lead agency on the Carolina Thread Trail project.

“The Thread is funded through a private capital campaign that is then leveraged with local, state and federal funds. The Blumenthals’ gift will be put to immediate work to build trail miles throughout the region.”

Philip Blumenthal is a Carolina Thread Trail Governing Board member. “The Thread is building community in our region in profound ways,” he said in Thursday’s announcement. “It connects two states, towns, neighborhoods, people…it connects lives. In these trying times, what our region – in fact, what our country – needs is to work together on meaningful projects that people really care about.”

A dedicated environmentalist, Mr. Blumenthal is also motivated by the protection of natural lands and the health and wellness benefits associated with the trail system.

The Blumenthals’ gift supports the project’s private capital campaign. To date, The Thread has received $16 million in cash donations. This private capital is used to leverage public funding. Since its launch in November of 2007, The Thread’s Governing Board and Grants Committee have awarded over $820,000 in catalytic funding to communities from the organization’s private capital campaign. $12.6 million in public funding has been committed to the project thus far.

“With seven counties with fully-adopted plans, our focus is on building trail miles and conserving corridors,” Mr. Cable said.

Eleven communities throughout North and South Carolina have already marked Carolina Thread Trail segments being actively used and enjoyed by their citizens.

ABOUT THE TRAIL

The Carolina Thread Trail (The Thread) is a 15-county, two state initiative designed to inspire and facilitate the creation of a regional network of trails, blueways, and conservation corridors that is growing to link more than 2.3 million citizens. With technical resources and catalytic funding from The Thread, local communities plan and implement their portions of this green interstate system.  Catawba Lands Conservancy is the lead agency for The Thread, working in partnership with the Trust for Public Land, Foundation For The Carolinas, and many local partners and land trusts.

Land Trust Partners:

Catawba Lands Conservancy
Davidson Lands Conservancy
Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina
Katawba Valley Land Trust
Nation Ford Land Trust