National Association of Reversionary Property Owners

National Association of Reversionary Property Owners

Double click the blue above for a primer on railroad rights of way

NARPO

Property Rights Advocates

Property Owner's Rights on the Rails to Trails Issue

This Web Page is brought to you by Dick Welsh, the executive director of NARPO. NARPO's address: 227 Bellevue Way N.E. Suite 719 Bellevue, WA 98004 --- Due to ongoing virus problems, NARPO will not open any e-mail unless the subject line contains any of the following words: rail trail, trails, or property rights. NARPO's E-mail address is: dick156@earthlink.net

NARPO is a non-profit, tax exempt foundation dedicated to principles that private property ownership must be maintained in the hands of citizens and not the government. NARPO's major goal is to assist property owners in maintaining their complete land ownership and resisting government confiscation. We hope to keep you up to date on the latest court cases and federal and state law changes that effect the property rights of reversionary property owners to railroad rights-of-way. Feel free to browse and leave an e-mail message at the end of the page.

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YOU CAN DOWNLOAD ANY OF THE ISSUES AND ARTICLES LISTED ON THIS WEB PAGE BY USING THE PRINT FUNCTION ON THE FILE MENU OF YOUR WEB BROWSER.

Updated September 14, 2008

NARPO's Railroad Right of Way Primer on Railroad Easements and Reversionary Rights

NARPO has available a 1,050 page collection in loose leaf formation that has numerous media articles and testimonials and the bad effects of rails to trail and rail trails in general. The cost is $120 which includes postal shipping. If you need faster shipping, then an additional freight charge of $48 will be added on. If you want just the 600 plus pages that are media articles about trail crime and other trail problems, the cost is $62.00 or $84.00 for expedited freight. E-mail NARPO at:dick156@earthlink.net -- for your copy and remember to put the correct words(rails to trails or property rights) in the subject line or NARPO will not open the e-mail due to virus problems.

Site Index--page down to choice

The Latest News on Rails To Trails (RTC)

Trail Crime Statistics

Class Action Lawsuit Information

Ongoing Issues & Technical Papers

Court Cases on Rails To Trails Issues

Congressional Testimony on RTC Issues

Related Internet Links

THE LATEST NEWS ON RAILS TO TRAILS (RTC)

8/4/2008—Here is an article about a Seattle bike trail costing $9 million a mile to put on a flat surface already prepared. This is another example of a liberal government gone amok with taxpayers dollars.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008157565_burkegilman04m.html

8/8/2008—This is a web site on property rights from Florida. A couple of the recent cases cited are very instructive for property owners fighting for their rights. http://www.proprights.com

4/28/2008—The Penn. Supreme Court has decided to review a lower court decision on a railroad right of way issue concerning a bike trail on the right of way. This case has been ongoing for almost 10 years. See the link below. http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_564428.html

5/18/2008--Below are quite a few new links to trail crimes throughout the United States

http://www.nbc4.com/news/15620679/detail.html

http://www.runtex.com/web/1-417.asp
http://www.kxan.com/Global/story.asp?S=4450319
http://www.king5.com/topstories/stories/NW_040308WAB_stmartins_sexual_assault_SW.2a499356.html
http://www.recorder.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1016277&auth=Michael+Jiggins%2C+Staff+Writer
http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/2403222/
http://content.stlmomsworld.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=139878
http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/news/2003/12dec/121003joggerassulted.html
http://media.www.dailynebraskan.com/media/storage/paper857/news/2007/09/20/News/Bike-Trail.Crimes.Are.Cause.For.Concern-2979852.shtml
http://www.recorder.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1019437&auth=MICHAEL+JIGGINS
http://ridethisbike.com/2006/11/2-buffalo-ny-bike-trail-crimes-make.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/31/AR2007073102314.html
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/01/09/BALHUBE1A.DTL

http://www.dailypress2.com/crime/jcc/street/pocahontas-trail/

http://www.contracostatimes.com/crimeandcourts/ci_9270845

http://jezebel.com/388169/college-senior-is-sexually-assaulted-while-group-of-dudes-cheer
http://www.co.arlington.va.us/Departments/Police/news/printarticle.asp?ID=357
http://atfiles.org/files/pdf/SilverCometMurder.pdf
http://www.wsbtv.com/news/9583095/detail.html

4/28/2008 This is not a Rails to Trails case, but it shows you can beat the government at their own game. Jax Jury Awards Land Owner $67 Million

Occasionally, true justice prevails. In past editions, CPR has highlighted the highly aggressive eminent domain actions of the Jacksonville Port Authority. The agency appears to have no compunction in using eminent domain whenever they believe doing so will enrich their agency's coffers.

This week, a jury may have done what public and even national media criticism could not. In returning a $67 million award to Keystone Coal company owner, Tom Scholl, a small panel of ordinary citizens may have finally "checked" JaxPort's appetite. This verdict may represent the largest eminent domain jury award ever levied in Florida circuit courts. Since 2006, Scholl has battled for his right to keep and use his land: 70-acres of prime real estate along the St. Johns River which includes deep water frontage and direct railroad access.

Scholl bought the property from another private owner, after both he and JaxPort lost a competitive bidding opportunity. He had intended to develop it into a large-scale coal/bulk cargo terminal and spent several million dollars preparing the site for its future use. Despite these facts, JaxPort officials continued to market the property and negotiate with other more preferred end users. Their targets even included another larger coal company. Undaunted in their quest for his land, the Port filed a formal condemnation action just a few months prior to Florida's eminent domain reforms taking effect. JaxPort's actions were so egregious this case was featured in a special segment of the Hannity & Colmes show.

However, because their filing preceded the effective date of the new state laws which now prohibit transfers and leases to private owners, a judge ruled in the Port's favor and allowed the agency to proceed with this unconscionable taking. Thankfully, Florida's eminent domain process has several components. While a judge can rule on the permissibility of a government agency to take land for public purposes, compensation is decided by citizen juries. The review of property valuations by ordinary citizens provides a vital safety net for Florida property owners, as both elected and appointed judges have the potential to be influenced by political pressures. In pre-trial proceedings, for example, a local judge ruled Scholl's attorney could not introduce one of the most important pieces of evidence pertaining to the property's potential value: a memo from JaxPort indicating they were negotiating to lease the property for $11 million per year to one of Scholl's competitors, Drummond Coal. This document was a work product of a public agency openly disputing the value of this land and should have been welcomed by the court. However, even without this information, the jury was not fooled. They were diligent in their review of other key facts and recognized the property's global market value far exceeded the Port's suspiciously-low valuation of the property at $17 million.

Because this condemnation was filed as a "slow take," JaxPort's Board now has a final opportunity to consider whether or not the cost of seizing Mr. Scholl's property is too high, or they could decide to let him keep his land. Either way this ultimately plays out, it is a great victory for property rights! Florida land owners should join the Scholl family in celebrating. After several years of victimization and being burdened by unnecessary stress and costly litigation which he and his family did not seek out, justice has prevailed!

Congratulations to attorneys Andrew Brigham, Jackson Bowman and Mark Natirboff of Brigham Moore law firm and to real estate appraiser Heyward Cantrell for capably "making the case" in this landmark valuation trial!

CPR commentary on this case was featured in the Jacksonville Times Union article, "Jury Verdict Could Foil Port's Coal Site Plan." For full text: http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/050608/bus_275704265.shtml

**November 20, 2007-The following link is to a great court win for northwestern Ohio residents who have been battling their local park district since 1997 about a trail through their property. The park district built a trail and would not pay the resident for the “taking” even though the residents owned the land. The residents went through many court fights at the local level which they lost, but they prevailed at the Ohio Supreme Court on November 20^th. Now the park district either has to pay all their court costs and just compensation for the land taken, or the park district must remove the trail which is probably what will happen because of the costs. But the resident’s attorney fees and costs will have to be paid anyway by the park district as the residents were very smart and sued under laws that allow attorney fees and cost to the prevailing party. Usually under American law, you have to pay your own attorney fees whether you win or lose, but there are some laws that allow recovery of attorney fees and costs which is why it is important to choose an attorney that knows what they are doing (most don’t) when it comes to property rights. See the case results here- http://www.supremecourtofohio.gov/rod/newpdf/0/2007/2007-Ohio-6057.pdf

**November 18, 2007-This link- http://www.tribune-democrat.com/homepage/local_story_314225101.html?keyword=leadpicturestory is an excellent story about people who do not want a trail through their property, and how these people are fighting the local green group who is pushing for the trail.

**November 15, 2007-This link is an article about residents fighting an extension of an existing trail. The trails zealots even admit that the existing trail is poorly managed and has lots of problems. See http://www.coastalconservancy.ca.gov/sccbb/0606bb/0606Board13_Big_Sur_Coastal_Trail_Ex3.pdf

**October 27, 2007-A NARPO member sent me an article from the Omaha World Herald dated 10/11/2007 which describes how Crawford County, Iowa had to pay a stupid biker $350,000 because the biker couldn’t avoid a bump in one of the county’s roads and injured himself. Now the County has banned all bike traffic on its roads, especially an annual bike ride put on by some newspaper. And people wonder why most folks despise bikers!

**October 15, 2007-The following URL is a letter from U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters to the Rails To Trails Conservancy concerning Mary’s previous national statement that bike trails use up too much of the federal gas tax. This all came about because of the uproar that there was not enough money to fix the bad bridges like the one that collapsed in Minnesota. Now if we can only convince Congress to quit wasting the 10 percent of the federal gas tax on bike trails! Don’t hold your breath! http://support.railstotrails.org/site/DocServer/peters_response.pdf?docID=241&JServSessionIdr009=n019h7qv03.app6a

**September 14, 2007-This 51 page report by Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma shows how bike trails steal hundreds of millions of our gas tax dollars for bike trails. Senator Coburn prepared this report so he could introduce an amendment to the Transportation Funding bill now before Congress to stop bike trail funding until the nations bridges were repaired to usable standards. Of course the great Congress defeated his amendment. The report lists $12 million in earmarks for bike trails besides the 10 percent Enhancement Fund money already earmarked for non-road use. http://coburn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Files.View&FileStore_id=baa16381-4374-42bc-a1a6-14500274f120

**September 1, 2007- This is a quote by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Mary Peters. She told the media that 10 percents of federal gas tax is being spent on bike trails. She is 100 percent correct as the Transportation Enhancement Fund is mostly spent on bike trails, and the Enhancement Fund is 10 percent of the federal gas tax.

“… there's about probably some 10 percent to 20 percent of the current [transportation] spending that is going to projects that really are not transportation, directly transportation-related… like bike paths or trails." U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Mary Peters, Newshour with Jim Lehrer, Aug. 15, 2007

This exchange between Jim Lehrer and Mary Peters came about because some in Congress want to increase the gas tax to pay for bad bridges like the one in Minneapolis that fell down. Mary Peters want to take the 10 percent Enhancement funds and pay for the bridges. What a novel Idea!!!

**August 21, 2007-A story about bike trail serial murderer. http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_story/0,3566,293272,00.html

**May 21, 2007-Read an article by an emergency room physician about the bad effects of snowmobiles on people and on the environment-- http://www.northwoodswild.org/newspro/viewnews.cgi?id=EEEyuukuykuakcmwUQ

**May 20, 2007 An article about why you don’t want a snowmobile trail near you.

http://www.northwoodswild.org/downloads/arc_srg_snowmobilereport.pdf

**March 1, 2007-The Surface Transportation Board (STB) which regulates railroads and trail use has moved and their phones numbers have all changed. The new main number is 202-245-0245. The STB General Counsel is 202-245-0262. Other STB phone numbers can be found on the STB web site: http://www.stb.dot.gov This page has all the phone numbers http://www.stb.dot.gov/stb/docs/KeyContacts_4-23-07.pdf The new address for the STB is 395 “E” Street, Washington, DC 20423.

**March 12, 2007-Click on the following link to see a case from the federal appeals court from Virginia where the court ruled that a property owner can sue for a Fourth Amendment violation of search and seizure when a city allowed people to trespass on private property for trail use. This is another tactic we can use to get control of our property rights. http://pacer.ca4.uscourts.gov/opinion.pdf/052344.P.pdf

**November 4, 2006-Bicyclists are always painted as such nice folks. See this NY Times articles for another view. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/29/opinion/29fri2.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin

**November 4, 2006-Aren’t the trail zealots always telling up how trail uses keep the trails free of crime and trash. See this story. http://home.earthlink.net/~dick156/cct.doc

**October 24, 2006-This story is by a bicycle group about the benefits of riding on roads versus trails. http://www.bicyclinglife.com/EffectiveAdvocacy/TheRoadsWeHave.htm

**October 15, 2006-This is an article about how trail users are not the eco-friendly they make themselves out to be. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/13/AR2006101301285.html?referrer=emailarticle

**September 24, 2006-Here is an interesting comment from an observer in Peoria, Illinois about a proposed rail trail. See this link http://home.earthlink.net/~dick156/PeoriaTrail.doc

**September 11, 2006—Five more trail crimes that came to our attention. http://www.wbay.com/Global/story.asp?S=5390980&nav=menu24_2

http://www.nbc30.com/news/3617012/detail.html

http://www.sptimes.com/2003/09/11/news_pf/Citrus/Man_accused_in_assaul.shtml

http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/news/2003/12dec/121003joggerassulted.html

http://www.news10.net/printfullstory.aspx?storyid=19318

**August 24, 2006-See this link http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/17/AR2006081701613_3.html

to see how crowded some trails are and how dangerous they can be to life!

**July 11, 2006-Here is an article about two women killed on a popular trail near Seattle. The trail zealots tell us popular trails are crime immune because so many people are on the trail. That does not seem the case! http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003124787_webhikersslain13.html

**July 15, 2006-Here is a letter to the editor by a former city councilman about eminent domain (Condemnation). http://www.theithacajournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060715/OPINION03/607150317/1014/OPINION

July 12, 2006- A further story on the trail killings above. Read through the article and notice near the end where they say you shouldn’t travel alone on trails. If these trails are so great and safe, why is it necessary to travel in a crowd to be safe? http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/web/vortex/display?slug=forestcrime13m&date=20060713&query=Forest+Killings

**April 26, 2006-No eminent domain for trails in Monroe County, Indiana.

See this here

**April 26, 2006-Who would ever had thought that trails could cause pollution!!

Click here

**MARCH 14, 2006—Even 14,000 miles for the U.S. and they still have problems with rail trails.

Click here

**March 14, 2006—This is an interesting article about how all trails are not good. See here

**February 13, 2006—Here is a great federal site for finding copies of the land patent the government issued for your property.

Click here and click on the upper middle tab labeled “Standard”. Then type in your state, county, section, township and range, and it spits out all the patents for that section of land. You can either get copies directly from the site or order them from the site. This is great info for those trying to prove they own the underlying title to the right of way especially if you are in the west and have government grant rights of way in the area.

**January 1, 2006—Here is a case decided in September 2005 where the court rules that a fiber optic cable was not consistent with a railroad right of way use.

See the case here and then click on “Query in plain English” and type in “Home On The Range v AT&T” and slick okay. The 50 page case will come up in a .pdf file.

&&January 9, 2006—A Pennsylvania County Judge ruled for landowners in a very acrimonious case that has been ongoing for over 10 years.

The judge ruled that the landowners owned the railroad right of way in fee simple title. Also there was not a federal rails to trails designation attached to the abandonment. The judge also ruled that the landowners can go ahead with their lawsuit against the trail groups on trespass and slander of title. Click here

**January 3, 2006—Some articles about why bikers make bad trail companions.

Click here

**January 1, 2006—An article about how the bike folks were pushing for a bad trail.

Click here

**January 1, 2006—A bike advocate tells why bike trails are bad compared to riding on roads.

Click here

**October 25, 2005--More shenanigans on the part of a planning board on trail issues. Be aware that these planning boards put these trail plans in and then years later say that it has been the wishes of the people for all those years. Click here

**December 1, 2005—This article is about new federal EPA rules on pollution sites.

The article delineates out what federal agencies must do before allowing federal action on a potential project. This very well pertains to the STB and how they allow trails on railroad rights of way which are nothing but linear toxic waste dumps in most cases. Click on here

**November 26, 2005—A website article about how bikes are better on roads that on trails.

Click here

**November 20, 2005—An article from the Los Angeles Transportation Dept., about how it is safer for bikes to be ob sidewalks rather than roads.

Click here

**October 20, 2005--The article below describes a typical scenario for trails and eminent domain. A few holdouts face hostile seizure of their properties.

Click here

**September 21, 2005—Here is a short letter to the editor concerning trails and hurricane Katrina and spending. Click here

**7/20/2005 The link below is the testimony to Congress of Chuck Cushman executive director of the American Land Rights Association, he has wonderful examples of trails gone amok because of the National Trails Act. As he points out about how trails mutate, first the trail advocates claim that only the "willing" landowners will be expected to host a trail. Then the trail folks get impatient, which is quickly followed by eminent domain. They and their government agencies have all the power, while lonely landowners are left to fend for themselves. here

**7/15/05 An article about a 1993 NARPO study on usage of rail trails.

Click on: here

**4/15/05 Lawyer sues a town, resort, and 2 trail outfits when he gets injured on a recreational trail in Toronto.

A personal-injury lawyer filed a $1 million dollar lawsuit on behalf of himself when he got hurt on a trail after falling off his bike. A short article is followed by a bunch of bikers' comments. This is truly an inspiring event. Click here

**Farm awarded $400,000 in trail lawsuit in Newton, N.H.

A court awarded the settlement based on past damages and potential future damage to the farm, which adjoins a recreational trail. Click here

**4/4/05 Another very good court decision just came down for property owners on government grant rights of way.

A very definitive decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit says that property owners owning land abutting railroad rights of way where the right of way was granted to a railroad by the government, the right of way belongs to the abutting property owner. And if a rail trail has been put on the right of way after railroad abandonment, then the abutting property owner is due just compensation. To see a copy of the decision click here. This case is cited as: Hash v. U.S. 403 F.3d 1308 (2005). If any property owner fits into this category, then they can use this decision to get their just compensation for having a trail through their property. You might want to call either John Groen in the western states at 425-453-6206 or Nels Ackerson in Washington, D.C., at 202-833-8833.

**4/4/05 An article on trail problems in Canada

The article is an Adobe pdf file. Click here

**3/19/05 A very good court decision just came down for property owners

The case below is a hot link to a Federal Claims Court decision on a federally granted right of way that is being turned into a rail trail. The property owner won a big decision on the ownership issue of the right of way easement. The decision is written in a way that positively affects all government granted rights of way and overrides many adverse decisions. It is 33 pages long, but well worth reading for those property owners affected. If you have any questions, please email me. Dick Welsh--NARPO Click here. This case is cited as: Beres v. U.S. 64 Fed.Cl. 403, 427 (2005).

**3/15/05 Hope for property owner abutting a rail trail

A group of property owners in south central Washington State spent a lot of time following what a trails’ group and the railroad did after the trails’ group acquired the rights for a trail on an abandoned rail line. They discovered the railroad had sold off some land that disconnected the rail line from a connection to another rail line. It just so happens that the federal rails to trails law exists under the fiction that a railroad can restart service and connect it to the national rail system. If a railroad cuts the possibility of future connection to the national rail system, then the STB loses jurisdiction and the rail trail can disappear. A court case to decide just that has been filed. For further information you can contact the attorneys representing the property owners—Nels Ackerson at 202-833-8833.

**1/15/05 To see a good form letter for a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)

request click here. This form letter is geared toward a request to a federal agency, but it can be adopted for a FOIA request from any government entity. Any time you are involved with a controversy with a government entity, you need to know what they have been doing and what their plans are. The best way to get to see their files is with a FOIA request. Best of all, if the entity denies your request or doesn’t answer in the proper time, you are entitled to daily damages and attorney fees. This form letter came from the Property Rights Foundation of America, http://www.prfamerica.org

**1/5/05 This is a very good write-up on the economic and physical effects of having snowmobile trails near or next to your property. This is a very well done paper and should be quotable when you are discussing the issue you’re your elected and appointed officials. Click here

**12/13/04 Sprint, Qwest, Other Telecoms Face New Multi-Billion Dollar Threat.

The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago on December 13, 2004 handed down a decision that exposes Sprint, Qwest, Level 3, and Williams to more than $3 billion of liability in federal and state class actions that we are pursuing nationwide. The decision reversed a controversial nationwide class action settlement favored by the telecom companies, which we had opposed. More details can be found in an article in Telephony Online.

**Dec 10. 04 Settles in More States

. As a continuation of our nationwide settlement negotiations in the AT&T Fiber Optic Class Actions, the presiding federal judge has set final approval of settlements in Massachusetts and Michigan for January 14, 2005. Details are found at a href=http://att.fsiwebs.net/rrcorridors/> here.

**Dec 1. 04 - Conrail Settles Class Action.

The Circuit Court in Montgomery County, Indiana, has approved a class action settlement that will remove Conrail's claims on all of its abandoned railroad rights of way in Indiana. The Indiana Supreme Court earlier ruled in favor of our landowner clients in a landmark decision that established their ownership rights. A final fairness hearing is scheduled in Crawfordsville, Indiana on January 13, 2005.

**8/28/04 The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to has a Connecticut eminent domain (Condemnation) case where a city condemned homes to give the land to a developer

The city of New London, CT., wanted to raise their tax base so they condemned homes and businesses and sold the land to developers to put higher tax use businesses on the property. When government condemns land it is supposed to be for a public use, not a private use. The case will be heard in the spring of 2005. To see the press release from the Institute of Justice click here

**8/7/04 Here is an article about Union Pacific Railroad taking improper tax deductions for railroad rights of way going to trails

from the New York Times. Click here

**7/20/04 A New Property Value Study by the City of Portland, OR., that shows owning land near or next to a trail or park devalues your property

Click here to read and download a copy of this study. The City of Portland, OR., paid for this study to see if their regulations and spending were worthwhile from a fiscal standpoint. Living next to a trail was worst than living next to a cemetery for devaluation of your property’s’ worth. Anyone living next to one of these trails already knew this fact, but it took a distinguished college professor to do an in-depth study to show how trails devalue property next to or near a trail (or cemetery). NARPO’s property value study (which is listed a little farther down this web page) from 1977 through 1998 showed the same result. You will need Adobe Reader to view this file.

**10/22/04 Trail crimes this past week

click here, click here, click here, click here, click here, click here, and click here.

**9/25/04 Trail crimes across America

click here, click here, click here, click here, click here, click here, click here, and click here,

**9/18/04 Ten days of trail crimes across America

click here, click here, click here, click here, and click here.

**9/8/04 A week of trail crimes across America

click here, click here, click here, click here, click here, click here, click here, and click here.

**8/26/04 A short week of trail crimes across America

click here. click here. click here. click here. click here. and click here.

**5/1/04The Michigan Supreme Court finally gets it right

A property owner didn’t want her land taken by eminent domain (condemnation) so a private entity could use her land commercially so she sued to stop the condemnation. The Michigan Supreme Court ruled in her favor and threw out a 23 year old Michigan Supreme Court precedence decision. You can read this great decision at: click here.

**4/10/04 Great News for abutting property owners in the Williamsburg, Mass.,area

A Mass., court ruled that the property owners abutting a railroad right of way in Williamsburg were the rightful owners to the right of way. According to the news article below, this kills the proposed bike trail. See here

**A study on the false economic assumptions of trails

Download here this study
and show it to your local governments who are trying to push through a trail
and justify the trail by its economics. This file is in .pdf format and
Adobe Acrobat Reader is necessary to read the study. You can download a copy
of Adobe Acrobat Reader here

**A study done over a 20 year period on property values

on adjacent homes and property to a rail trail found here
This will be in Word 6.0 for Windows format. Read this and use it
when you have to show elected officials how rails trails will affect
your property values. For a color graph of this property value disparity
on the Burke-Gilman Trail click here
You will need Adobe Reader to read and download this chart.

**3/10/04 Click on this URL to see that trails in Canada

are just as bad on adjacent property owners as they are in the United States. Also note that the hidden agenda and political stalling by trail groups and local politicians have followed north across the border. click here

**12/28/03 A current article about the state of the class action lawsuits

against telecommunication companies with fiber optic lines in railroad rights of way. click here

**10/6/03 An article on a settlement on a class action lawsuit.

AT&T has settled with thousands of property owners owning land abutting railroads rights of way where AT&T and other communication companies have laid fiber optic cable in the rights of way. Abutting property owners can now apply for their share of the settlement. The contact number is in the article

**9/28/03 This direct link is a compilation of articles and other links on how to solve the problem of trespassing by ATVs and snowmobiles.

This link has quite a few sublinks. “solving the ATV Problem” is a good one to start with.

**June 1, 2003, Two California property owners get $360,000 rails to trails settlement from Federal government

The federal government paid $360,000 to two California property owners for a 600 foot piece of property taken by a rails to trails project. Pretty pricey trail at 600 dollars a foot; of course paid for by unknowing U.S. taxpayers. See the court results in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims web site-http://www.uscfc.uscourts.gov/. As of June 9, the two cases were not posted on the web site. They are Case No. 00-508 L and No. 01-107 L. The Court of Claims’ phone number is: 202-219-9657

**May 27, 2003, Not a very pretty picture of a Detroit area trail.

This articles shows the problems of trails to adjoining landowners. Click here

**3/10/03 Great win for Mass., property owners

The Mass., Supreme Court ruled that the railroad did not own fee title to the right of way, and the land belonged to the abutting property owners. For the text of the Court decision click here

**2/19/03 Great federal court win for Pennsylvania property owners

This is a rails to trails case. See court decision here

**8/1/02 An article in the “American Lawyer” about the court wins by Nels Ackerson on Rails to Trails issues. Clickhere

**September 12, 2002-Medway, MA., property owners convince the city council to kill a proposed rail trail. See here

CURRENT TRAIL CRIME ARTICLES

The trail crime stories below are direct links to media outlets. After awhile, these links will not connect. For printed copies of these grisly stories on trail crimes, contact NARPO at the above address.

8/17/04 The past weeks’ 14 trail crimes