The Great Guernsey Trail is designed to help protect the old railroad corridors in Guernsey County and the surrounding counties, with the hope that in the future rail service will return. The Guernsey County Community Development has purchased the old rail corridors in some areas and is seeking to purchase others. We purchase them so that they may be preserved from encroachment or destruction by contiguous landowners. The railroad in the past has been a vital connection to our small communities, while  moving freight, mainly coal, from the area to far away industrial hubs. Since the decline in coal mining in our area, many of these rail corridors have been taken out of service because of lack of use because of the lack of rail customers. The lack of use by the railroad does not automatically mean that the land used by the rail corridor is no longer owned by the railroad as some would want to believe. It may simply mean that the cost of maintaining the rail line is such that the railroad company has decided to remove the rail equipment so that their maintenance cost is for vacant land. This cost is substantially less that the upkeep of the infrastructure and equipment needed to simply move a train down a track. However, we know that  the cost to move commodities via rail is substantially less than with most any other type of transportation. So we believe that as fuel cost continue to increase the need for a more economical way to move freight will be sought and the return of rail will occur. By protecting the rail corridors now, we believe future economic development is enhanced from the transportation aspect for our area. Should a railroad ever decide or wish to locate in Southeastern Ohio the efforts of the Guernsey County Community Development to purchase, survey, mansion and protect these corridors will allow for a smooth quick transition from a dormant rail corridor to an operational rail corridor. Although we understand that that the return of an operational railroad would mean the loss of the sections of the Great Guernsey Trail currently located on the railbed we have included this in possibility in our overall plan. Since most rail corridors are located in the low-lands and most water sources are co-located in these low areas our water source protection plan compliments the saving of the rail corridor as well as allowing an alternative route for the Great Guernsey Trail should rail return. This why we continue to purchase the ground along side the rail corridors which include as much of the riparian corridor as feasible, so that even when rail returns the Great Guernsey Trail will continue to be operational. This allows an alternative transportation corridor, I.E. The Great Guernsey Trail to co-exist with rail. Which means our citizens and visitors to our area will be able to access  local population centers as well as recreational and wildlife areas via various modes of transportation and not be restricted to only the automobile.