In 2005, TREC partnered with the Effingham County Board to complete a master plan for a recreation trail system in Effingham County, which was funded through a $20,000 grant awarded by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
After information was collected and a study was conducted, a plan was created to develop a trails program that would include 30 miles of free access bicycling and walking trails in the county, which would in turn link smaller communities in the county together by an alternative route of travel geared toward bikers and hikers.
Since the time of the initial study in 2005, TREC has completed the first phase of its project, which opened nearly three miles of recreational trails for public use from U.S. 40 to West Evergreen Avenue and from that portion of the trail to Nazarene Church Road. TREC continues to support the construction of additional trails to extend the first phase of the project. (Information from: http://trectrails.com/our-story/history)