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.
For more information about the Apple Tree Alley project and its potential impacts as a catalyst for Duncannon community revitalization, visit www.appletreealley.com. Click here to read a letter from a Duncannon resident addressing concerns expressed at the September public meeting.
