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For Immediate Release
December 13, 2007


Charlotte, N.C. – The Carolina Thread Trail has received a new infusion of private funding through a $1 million grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
The goal of the regional project is to connect 15 counties surrounding Charlotte through a network of greenways developed by local communities.

The $1 million grant is the Knight Foundation’s second contribution to the Carolina Thread Trail. A grant of $550,000 over three years was awarded in 2005 to initiate the project.

“We are extremely grateful to the Knight Foundation and program director Susan Patterson for her leadership in securing this generous gift,” said Dave Cable, Executive Director of Catawba Lands Conservancy and Carolina Thread Trail executive. “It will propel us as we enter the implementation phase and work with local communities to leverage this and other private donations with other grants.”

The Carolina Thread Trail was launched Nov. 9, 2007 with the announcement of $14.5 million in cash and land, and revealed last week its first pilot locations in Gaston and York counties. The pilot sites have received planning grants of $50,000 each, which will be used for the initial public planning and design of the local greenways in those areas.

“ Knight has been investing in a number of efforts to compel the community to preserve its green spaces. That’s why we supported the early planning and development work of the Thread Trail and why we’re delighted to continue that support into the implementation phase,” Susan Patterson, Knight Foundation program director in Charlotte.


The Carolina Thread Trail is a 15-county, two-state greenway network that will be designed and created locally through grants funded by private contributions. The Trust for Public Land will provide technical assistance to communities throughout the planning and design process. Catawba Lands Conservancy is the lead agency for the project.Visit www.carolinathreadtrail.org

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation invests in journalism excellence worldwide and in the vitality of Charlotte and 25 other U.S. communities where the Knight brothers owned newspapers. Knight Foundation focuses on projects with the potential to create transformational change. For more, visit www.knightfoundation.org.