Community leaders plan to promote ecotourism through a newly-completed nature trail that will highlight the river and the area's unspoiled surroundings. The Suwannee River Greenway at Branford, a four-mile recreational trail along an abandoned railroad corridor, is the first of many planned trails under Greenway 2000, a program that hopes to explore ways to better utilize the area's public conservation lands. The greenway project will create a park-like environment in the downtown area, linking it to the river and connecting Branford to Suwannee County's Little River Springs Park, Ulmer said. Plans also include new nature trails and camping sites. Through Team USDA, the Branford community could tap into resources that include grant money for signage, new structures or parking lots.
Educational programs are available to help sustain and grow businesses.
Small business loans are possible for entrepreneurs creating new businesses or fixing up old ones along the trail, USDA officials said. Greenway organizers anticipate that the trail will attract bed and breakfasts, bike shops, retail outlets and restaurants. A rural community 20 miles east of Tallahassee with a population of 18,000, Madison County was one of the state's top producers of soybeans. With the decline of row crop agriculture in the area, the county's production land dropped from 75,000 acres to about 25,000 acres in the last 15 years. Jim Fletcher, county extension director for Madison, said the decline of agricultural dollars has forced farmers and supporting businesses to adopt alternative strategies.