Pennsylvania Trail Town Outreach Corps

- I have a PowerPoint presentation almost ready to introduce to the pertinent local trail groups as soon as it is reviewed more. It should last ten to fifteen minutes, and contains most relevant information regarding the guidelines and morals of the Sustainable Trail Manual.

- The main objective is to let the various groups, such as the Yough River Trail Council, learn about sustainable trail maintenance and work along side them to implement sustainable practices. It overviews the importance of native versus invasive plant species, alternatives to pesticide use, “Leave No Trace” practices, and links to research more on the topics.

~ Joe Crumbley

--West Newton--
- On Saturday, May 19 I participated in a cleanup of downtown West Newton sponsored by DWNI (Downtown West Newton, Inc.). This event beautified the town’s sidewalks and streets through trash removal, weed removal, and the planting of annuals.
- The Progress fund has purchased the Old Riverside Lodge, which has a scenic location on the edge of the Youghiogheny River. The building will be renovated for a new business.
~ Cara Madden

--Connellsville--

-Bike for Books in Connellsville had a good turnout. The B.f.B had between twenty and thirty participants, and I was there to hand out tickets at the end of the five mile marker. The library raised some money, had kids events like face painting, decent food, and a live band.
- The first Connellsville manual trail count of the season was completed with a descent amount of people passing through the area during the random time periods that we obtained the info. There was a significant percentage of out of state bikers, and many were very talkative.
- Most recently, there was a Geranium Festival, followed by a fundraiser for the Connellsville Community Gardens. Both were very popular within the town, and brought in some tourism as well. It was scorching hot that day which made the Geranium Festival’s crowds diminish a little early, but each event held it’s own and could easily be deemed the events to top so far this year regarding income yielded and public inception into the town of Connellsville.
~ Joe Crumbley
- This May I coordinated a fundraising event in Connellsville that raised money for the Trail Towns’ Community Gardens Program. The event was a success, as there was a great turnout, lots of fun, and generated interest in the regional Trail Town projects.
~ Cara Madden

--Ohiopyle--

- In Ohiopyle the Adopt a Bioswale program’s business proposal packets with letter, map, and mock sign were handed out to the businesses open at the time, with good reception. One signature was obtained, one business wasn’t the least bit interested, but the rest were very into the idea. I will return soon to collect the signed paperwork, as well as mail out the rest of the packets to the businesses not reached. So far we theoretically have over half of the bioswales called for.
- I met with Stefano’s Printing out of Dunbar who gave me pricing that was approved by Stacie Hall, the State Park Ranger who is over-seeing how the grant money is used for the project. I also ordered two sample signs, one .40 alluminum, and the other a more expensive but more durable material.
- The first trail count of the season was successfully completed in Ohiopyle, helping us to better understand traffic patterns on the Great Allegheny Passage
~ Joe Crumbley and Cara Madden

--Rockwood--
Train Day, an annual community and family focused event in Rockwood, had a huge line of kids at all times to run through the train shaped bounce house. Many attendees visited the Amtrak booth where we collected people’s information in exchange for a free raffle entry. Many people in town as well as businesses are working to get an Amtrak station in Rockwood.
~ Joe Crumbley

-- Meyersdale--
Two new businesses have opened in Meyersdale. Clips and Ahah
A Sweet Boutique.

GAP SBN
• Developing brochure to market GAP SBN to trail users
• Planning networking event to further generate discussion among GAP SBN members about sustainable success in their businesses
• Updated member profiles on gapsbn.com, complete with updated leaf ranking illustration
• Posting weekly blogs to gapsbn.com

Fundraiser Event
• Coordinating a fundraising event in Connellsville that will benefit the community gardens in the trail towns. Proceeds will go to purchase seeds, plants, and tools for existing and future community gardens.

Ohiopyle
• Ohiopyle is implementing an Adopt-A-Bioswale program where businesses will maintain the bioswales in exchange for an advertising sign. I attended the April Ohiopyle Borough Council Meeting where the council approved the Adopt-A-Bioswale business package that I submitted. The package includes a letter introducing the Adopt-A-Bioswale program, a contract to be signed between a business and the Ohiopyle Borough, and a mock-up of the sign. With the council’s approval, the project is getting underway.

West Newton
• I attended the Downtown West Newton, Inc. (DWNI) Design Committee meeting in March. One of my projects this year will be to design a walking tour of the historic sites in downtown West Newton.
• I attended the April Westmoreland Yough Trail Counil (WYTC) meeting. There will be a 5K run starting at the GAP trailhead in West Newton on Saturday May 12.

Atlantic Canada
• On April 11, the TTOC interns gave a presentation about the TTOC program and our individual projects to Atlantic Canada, a Canadian tourism group. They visited the area to learn about the Trail Town Program’s initiatives, and to look into implementing similar projects in their communities.

Trail Town Summit
• On May 2, the TTOC interns participated in the 2012 Trail Town Summit. Here, individuals representing the different trail towns gathered to network and provide updates about happenings in the different towns. We gave a presentation about the projects we have been working on, and our goals for the year.

Cara Madden is from Ipswich, Massachusetts. She graduated from Wesleyan University with a BA in Government, and particularly enjoyed courses in environmental politics and economics. Cara has work experience in the nonprofit sector, and also running the operations of a local farmstand. In her free time Cara enjoys swimming and yoga. She is looking forward to working on projects that combine sustainability and small business.

Emma Strong was a corps member in the 2011 SCA Trail Town Outreach Corps (TTOC) and loved the work so much that she has decided to carry on as Project Leader for the 2012 corps. She grew up in Pittsburgh, PA and often rode the Great Allegheny Passage as a child. She loves working for a group that brings her back to her southwestern Pennsylvanian roots and allows her to work in a discipline she is passionate about, sustainable economic development.

After taking an Environmental Science class during her senior year of high school, Emma developed a deep seeded concern about how people interact with the environment in which they live. She continued along that focus path and studied Environmental Studies at Hiram College in northeastern Ohio. Her experience working in the environmental field includes watershed and storm water management, corporate environmentalism, and zero-waste non-profits.

Emma loves to travel and has had life changing experiences in Bhutan and Florence, Italy – two very special places and spaces. In her free time Emma spends time running, hiking, biking on the Great Allegheny Passage, and enjoying good movies. She is an avid photographer and plays her cello in a community orchestra.