How FLRT Began

The Friends of the Lansing Regional Trails group was conceived in gratitude, birthed by trail users, and raised through the hard work and dedication of about a dozen volunteers.   In 2013, Kevin Shaw, who frequently biked and ran on the trail, wrote a heartfelt letter of thanks to Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero, simply thanking him for the trail and citing its beauty and usefulness.   Several weeks later, Mayor Bernero invited Shaw to his office and they brainstormed the formation of a trail advocacy group to promote the trail and raise funds for its maintenance and expansion.   

Shaw wrote a monthly running column in the Lansing State Journal and made a plea for interested trail users to contact him if they cared to help form a Friends group.   The column elicited over 100 responses.   Of these, about a dozen were handpicked to form a steering committee.  Teaming with local running store Playmakers and working closely with the City of Lansing’s Parks and Recreation Department, the group developed a mission statement and filed paperwork to become a 501(c)3.  Within one year of the original idea, The Friends of the Lansing Regional Trails was incorporated and today boasts over 300 members.

Growth of the Lansing River Trail

The Lansing River Trail began as a 2.5-mile section in 1975, and has grown to over 30 miles through neighboring communities such as East Lansing and Delhi Township, with plans to connect to Mason, Meridian Township, and Delta Township.