Seeing the ERT in Action: A Visit from Norfolk’s Budget Office

Sometimes the best way to understand just how much happens along the Elizabeth River Trail is simply to take a walk with us. 

Today, we welcomed members of the City of Norfolk Budget Office to Trailside HQ as part of the City’s outside agency grant process. The ERT Foundation has been grateful to receive support through this program in recent years, and their visit gave us the perfect opportunity to do one of our favorite things: show off the trail! 

We started at Trailside HQ with introductions and a little behind-the-scenes look at what our team does. Brittany took us into the “front yard” where even the landscaping has a story to tell. We talked native plants, flood resilience, environmental education, and the many ways we use the space around HQ as an extension of the trail itself. 

Then we hit the trail!

Our walk through Chelsea and the Managed Meadow quickly became a crash course in just how many things fall under the ERT umbrella. We talked about the green spaces we maintain, trail amenities, our Truth Be Told audio tour, and the many ways people use the trail every day. At the fitness course, we didn’t even have to explain that it’s well-loved because a trail user was already knocking out pull-ups and running laps when we arrived. 

There was some plant identification and urban foraging along the way (because a walk with Brittany is rarely just a walk with Brittany), and then we made our way into Plum Point Park. 

And Plum Point gave us plenty to talk about. 

We pointed out the Little Free Library and dog treat box, play structure, labyrinth, monarch waystation, and our kayak storage and launch. We talked about the wildlife that’s been spotted throughout the area and how seeing so many species thriving along the trail and waterfront tells us something pretty wonderful about the habitat we’ve helped create and protect. 

We also hopscotched. 

Obviously. 

After making our way back to Trailside HQ, Kindra shared a deeper look at the Foundation’s work, the projects that brought us here and what’s coming next. Then we piled into our cars for one more stop: the Lambert’s Point MicroFarm, where the conversation continued around tree planting, community green space, trail amenities and public art, including Prince of Fire and Upper Blush. 

By the end of the visit, we’d covered a lot of ground – literally and figuratively – and still only scratched the surface of what happens across the ERT’s 10.5 miles. 

We’re incredibly grateful for the City of Norfolk’s continued investment in the Elizabeth River Trail through its outside agency grant program, and to the Budget Office team for spending part of their day walking, exploring, asking questions, and experiencing the Trail alongside us. 

You can read about native habitats, public art, recreation, environmental education, community spaces, and trail stewardship in a grant application. But sometimes the best way to understand what the ERT does is to come outside and see it for yourself.