Great Rivers Greenway is celebrating its 20th anniversary and seeking feedback to envision the next 20 years of its mission connecting the region with greenways. Area residents are invited to guide Great Rivers Greenway’s work by providing feedback through Friday, Jan. 15 at www.GreenwayPlan.org.

You can download a copy and mail it in, request a copy be mailed to you, take the survey by phone or learn more at the website or by calling 314-436-7009 or emailing info@grgstl.org.

Tracked by electronic counters, visits to the St. Louis region’s greenways have risen 72 percent in 2020 compared to 2019.

The greenways are funded by sales tax revenue from St. Louis County, St. Louis city and St. Charles County, so people who live and work in those three counties are especially encouraged to participate. One participant will be randomly drawn to receive a $300 grocery gift card.

Over the last 20 years, civic engagement has guided the agency to build more than 128 miles of greenways that connect people to their jobs, schools, parks, rivers, neighborhoods, businesses and transit.

Greenways like Grant’s Trail typically include a paved, accessible trail, conservation projects to enhance the environment, amenities like restrooms or benches and connections to nearby destinations.

The agency — created by a vote of the people in 2000 -— updates its long-term strategic plan every five years with community input. See a map at www.callnewspapers.com that shows progress throughout the region to date and some of the possible future routes.

In addition to building the paths to connect the three counties together, Great Rivers Greenway works with partners to promote, activate and take care of the greenways and surrounding habitats. The agency was originally set up to build the greenways, with local municipalities or other entities managing the day-to-day care. Due to varying capacity of partners, the operations and maintenance varies.

Input on past plans led to a team that supports greenway care with staff, vendors, volunteers and training to help maintain the greenways more consistently across the region. That is one of the survey topics, along with project prioritization and how people can get involved with conservation work and relationships in the community.