Mark Lewis, the superintendent of Biscayne National Park, calls it “a wonderful project with beautiful national parks as the bookends.” Lewis might be underselling the value of the parks in this scenario, but few would question his assessment of a proposal to link Everglades National Park and Biscayne National Park with 42 miles of biking and hiking trails.

The city of Homestead is working with Florida City, Miami-Dade County, the Park Service, and a coalition of other local groups to make the so-called “greenway” a reality. The corridor of protected open space would be cobbled together primarily with public land, including miles of elevated roadbeds along canal levees. One segment would run along a northern corridor and another parallel route would run to the south, with paths connecting them, creating a network of trails. Once the specific routes are determined, the primary challenges will be publicizing the presence of the trail, designing and engineering the paths themselves, and completing the actual construction. But the work won’t be done in one fell swoop. Instead, signs will be posted along portions that are already in the proper condition, and strands of the greenway will likely come together piecemeal. The hope is that within ten years, the entire length of the trail will come to fruition. As each segment comes on line, public support for remaining segments should grow, giving the project even more momentum.

“Over the years, some people in the community have perceived Everglades as a wilderness area established to protect plants and animals, a place where people really aren’t welcome,” says Fred Herling, park planner for the Everglades. “But we think there’s plenty of room to protect the resources and provide great visitor opportunities. And if we haven’t done a good enough job of letting people know that, this project is a good way to start.” City officials in Homestead have already embraced the concept as a way to draw more people into the city center, restoring downtown as a business district and a tourist destination. Officials at Biscayne are considering adding “blueways,” which would map out various paddling courses and identify sites for launching boats. “The greenway is a tangible way to illustrate the important connection between these two national parks in Miami-Dade County and the gateway communities whose economic success is so closely linked to the parks’ health,” says Sara Fain, a program manager in NPCA’s SunCoast regional office. The annual economic impact of these two parks exceeds $100 million, and the greenway will increase the visibility of the parks, while generating further economic development for the communities.”

“The Biscayne-Everglades Greenway goes beyond serving as a recreational resource,” says Everglades superintendent Dan Kimball. “It can become an educational resource offering many new venues to tell the unique natural and cultural resource stories that have shaped the Everglades over thousands of years. And that knowledge can help focus residents and visitors alike on the significant restoration challenges that lie ahead.”