Through? No. Adjacent to? Along the edge of? Don't conflate my intention was a path down the middle of a farm with a trail along the existing right away along existing roads.

Yes, you can change laws and have them apply retroactively. Laws can be written to include just this. It's a land use that improves the life of the residents in the area. It allows alternative transportation options. Obviously every case would be different but to allow o&g ops, it's clearly not about preserving food production and moreso reducing housing development. It's clear that pedestrian trails need a better lobbyist.

Counties and municipalities seek easements on private property all the time. This is nothing new. So your "private property" point doesn't really make sense. I'm not asking for eminent domain.