Make the Jungle Trail Safe - Update #7

I recently received a message from Molly Steinwald, Executive Director of the Environmental Learning Center requesting participation in a bike/walk survey for Indian River County. Although the survey focuses on a respondent's local community, there is a general question at the end that I used to encourage the county to make the Jungle Trail bike/walk friendly by eliminating motor-vehicles from the section north of CR-510. Here’s the text of the message and a link to the survey is also provided: ---- I have some exciting news to share with you. ELC is collaborating with the FL Department of Health in Indian River County to collect data on the challenges and solutions to walkability and bike-ability in our county through a survey deployed throughout the community. Walkable and bikeable communities are healthier for both human and non-human residents and for the environment as a whole – improving physical and psychological well-being while also reducing fuel & electric use and pollutants released into our air and water. ELC has been working with the Dept of Health and a number of other agencies in our area over the past 1.5 yrs to complete the Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) and Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP), which the Health Dept conducts every 3 years. Molly served on the Advisory Board for the CHNA and CHIP, and now I serve on the CHIP Healthy Weight Working Group and Molly on the Environmental Health Working Group teams. It’s critical that nature-focused groups serve integral roles in these initiatives and it’s exciting that ELC is playing a lead role in this one. Participants who complete the survey receive a one year ELC membership free, or if they are already an ELC member, they may choose to be entered into a drawing to win four free passes for our pontoon boat tours. Data collected regarding street and sidewalk connectivity and safety is sent directly to the Health Dept and respondents’ contact information is sent directly to ELC so that people’s responses are anonymous. The Health Department will analyze the survey results and I will serve as the main ELC contact for the project, so any inquiries related to free membership or the raffle should be directed to me. If you have time, please take a moment to complete the survey yourself, and also please share the survey with your friends in our area. We are trying to gather as much data as possible to accurately identify areas throughout the county that need to be prioritized for improving walking and biking options for residents. For more information about this project, please see the below statement from Peter Benincasa with the Health Department. ---- The Florida Department of Health in Indian River, in partnership with the Environmental Learning Center (ELC), has created a community-wide survey to assess the walkability of Indian River County. This collaboration is a product of the Community Health Improvement Plan, which brings together community partners to address the greatest health concerns facing our community. One such concern is the epidemic of obesity and overweight, and the chronic diseases that stem from this growing problem. Increasing physical activity is one of the most important actions people can take to achieve a healthy weight and improve overall health. Often times, however, people find it difficult to maintain a minimum level of physical activity because many communities are not designed around pedestrians; in other words, they are not “walkable,” so residents find little opportunity to increase their activity levels. This walkability survey will help the Department of Health identify barriers to walking and physical activity throughout Indian River County. The results of the survey can be used to craft new policies and recommendations with walkability as a priority. As participation incentive, ELC is offering a free annual membership for non-members, and for members, ELC is offering the opportunity to enter a drawing for free pontoon boat tour tickets. You will be able to access this opportunity after clicking “done” at the end of the survey.