Designation announced on Patriot News blog

Marcus Schneck of The Patriot News reports:  

Duncannon to be named an official Appalachian TrailCommunity

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy will designate Duncannon, Pennsylvania, as the newest Appalachian Trail Community on Saturday, June 2, in conjunction with National Trails Day.

The designation festival, which is titled "Saving Our Community from Nature Deficit Disorder, begins at noon.

It will include workshops, presentations, sponsored hikes with local trail groups, live music, vendors and a raffle and sponsored hikes with local trail groups, to be followed by a ceremony at 2:45 p.m.

According to ATC, the designation is coming to Duncannon because the community works collaboratively to bring awareness to the AT and to their respective community highlighting the trail as a national resource and international icon.  During the ceremony the ATC and town leaders will speak with a proclamation signing and an unveiling of new community signs.  

"Each year, municipal leaders, members of the Boy and Girl Scouts, Trail Angels, local citizens, and members of the school community take a great deal of pride in making Duncannon part of the trail by offering a unique experience for those passing through a community nestled along the sparkling Susquehanna River. It is indeed an honor to be one of a small number of towns through which the Trail directly passes," wrote Daniel Sheats, superintendent of schools, in his letter supporting the community designation.

The festival also will announce the winners of a fourth grade postcard art contest, which will be made available for sale at local businesses.

The Appalachian Trail Community designation is a new program of the ATC, the nonprofit responsible for management and protection of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail. Launched in 2010, this program recognizes communities for their part in promoting awareness of the AT as an important local and national asset.

Designation as an Appalachian Trail Community is aimed to engage community residents, trail visitors and stewards; thank communities for their decades of service to hikers; aAct as a catalyst for sustainable economic development; aid municipalities and regional areas with conservation planning initiatives; and promote the trail as a community resource and asset

"The Appalachian Trail Conservancy is proud to celebrate communities that are helping to protect and promote the Appalachian Trail," said Julie Judkins, community program manager for the ATC. "These new partnerships will increase local stewardship of public lands, support community initiatives for sustainable economic development and conservation planning as well as support healthy lifestyles for community citizens."

A Duncannon Appalachian Trail Community Advisory Committee was formed to process the community's application, and will continue to work on behalf of the outdoor recreation and natural assets in the area.

The committee is also planning improved river access and downtown beautification through their support of Apple Tree Alley, a proposed site plan that would transform the underused old railroad right-of-way corridor into a new space for community use and serve as the route of the AT in Duncannon, guiding hikers through a town park to connect them with amenities, river access points and businesses.

"Each hiker experiences not only a piece of America as they stroll Duncannon's sidewalks, but also senses the welcoming atmosphere innate to the neighborhood," said Karen Balaban, president of the Susquehanna Appalachian Trail Club.

The ATC was founded in 1925 by volunteers and federal officials working to build a continuous footpath along the Appalachian Mountains.

The AT runs about 2,180 miles from Maine to Georgia, making it one of the longest, continuously marked footpathes in the world.

Volunteers typically donate more than 220,000 hours each year on trail-related work and about 2 to 3 million visitors walk a portion of the AT each year.  This year also marks the 75th anniversary of the completion of the AT.