November 20th, 2008
On Tuesday, Governor Rendell announced that the state would invest $44 million dollars in 316 conservation and recreation projects, including 66 miles of trails, 4,341 acres of open space, 10 swimming pools, 135 community parks and 73 planning projects for regional efforts, parks, greenways and trails.
Many of these projects are located within the five-county reach of the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor.
Two grants directly related to the D&L are:
- $160,00 to the D&L for the D&L Trail from Northampton to Catasaqua Borough for further development to include the determination of trail alignment, preparation of drawings and specifications that will facilitate the bidding and construction of approximately two and one half miles of trail.
- $300,000 to the D&L for the Lehigh Valley Greenways Implementation Block Grant to coordinate the Lehigh Valley Greenways Initiative, provide education and outreach activities to landowners and municipalities in the Lehigh Valley, and fund the 2009 Implementation Block Grant Program.
Other grant recipients include Bristol and Morrisville in Bucks County, Easton and Bethlehem in Northampton County, Allentown and Fountain Hill in Lehigh County, and Bowmanstown and Lansford in Carbon County.
A statewide listing of all grants and projects is available on the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources website.
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November 13th, 2008
Over the last few weeks, I [D&L Intern, Silas Chamberlin] have been out and about with Scott Everett, the D&L Trail Steward, installing new signage at various sites throughout Lehigh and Northampton Counties. The value in working as an intern is seeing both sides of operating a non-profit: the tedious and seemingly endless prep work that goes into sign fabrication, land easement negotiations, and economic impact studies and the fulfilling yet painfully ephemeral moments of public recognition and appreciation for the work of the organization.
The D&L’s new directional blades are a good example. The groundwork for these signs was laid over a decade ago when the organization implemented Visually Speaking, a design package that provided uniform standards for all D&L signage projects, including the ubiquitous interpretive waysides that are found at many sites along the Corridor. Contained within this document was section “SG.5.25: Signage” that described “Directional Posts.”
The description seemed simple enough: “Directional posts are placed along the trail to indicate direction and distance to locations and sites.” Okay, makes sense. “Trail partner logos are also located on this sign.” Sure, our partners need recognition. “Drill and countersink holes for ¼-20 flat head bolts…weld ½” x ¾”…drill and tap…finish to weather…P2-Matthews LS-52894 Satin…” Eh, details that a sign manufacturer can deal with later.
At the time, the D&L Trail was still very much under construction, and it was not until late in 2007 that installing “Directional Posts,” now referred to by the more-impressive, vaguely-militaristic term “Blades,” made sense. To make a long and (to anyone outside of the sign or trail world) boring story short, deciding where to locate the blades, determining the distances, direction of arrows, and sites to include, gathering written consent from our partners, acquiring those “trail partner logos” in the proper file format, and installing those countersunk, drilled holes without messing up the LS-52894 Satin proved to be a Herculean task that was not completed until summer 2008. Through a lot of effort, we managed to install a handful of the blades in time for National Trails Day (coincidentally a 95 degree, June day that kept many would-be supporters from attending the unveilings).
Over the rest of the summer we installed a blade here or there, trying not to waste valuable time or gas driving across the 165-mile Corridor. Finally, I am happy to report, the large stack of blades that was once stockpiled in our office (and that, manual labor flowing downhill, I had helped move several times) has now dwindled to two. One is for the Forks of the Delaware, a site that is currently under construction to repair flood damage. The other is for Wy Hit Tuk Park. Someone ran over the cement base, forcing us to hold off on that one for now.
So, that is the “tedious and seemingly endless prep work.” I can’t really complain. In fact, I’d really like to brag. Working on that project and our related effort to install mile-markers along the trail has allowed me to get to know parts of the Corridor quite well, sometimes by walking long stretches of the trail armed with a GPS unit and a surveying wheel. More pragmatically, I’ve come to understand that, for better or worse, creating and improving outdoor recreation infrastructure is often an indoors activity, making moments on the trail that much more meaningful.
The fleeting yet very real sense of accomplishment that I referred to in opening comes when a trail user mentions how happy they are to have the new sign, to measure how far they are walking or riding, or to learn what the park or trail is called. They may not know what the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor is or that they are walking on the D&L Trail, but that type of recognition will come with time and with other projects. For now, enjoy those blades and, for my sake, please treat them well.
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November 3rd, 2008
If you missed the local news, you might be wondering what is going on with the Weissport trail project. As noted previously, 2.7 miles of new trail surface are down and open between the trailhead and the railroad trestle and significant work is underway on the parking lot and the banks of the canal.
Unfortunately, construction work on the trailhead will not be completed prior to the onset of winter. The contractor will stabilize all excavations, building, and resurfacing projects and the site will remain dormant until the spring, when work will resume in earnest. We hope that you will bear with us during this ongoing project. The work done so far looks great, and the final product will be well worth the wait.
During this lull in the action, the trail will be open to use, but we ask that all visitors use caution and good judgment when accessing the trail and navigating through the construction site. If you have questions regarding the status of the project or access to the Weissport section of trail, please contact D&L Trail Steward Scott Everett by phone at 610-923-3548 or by email at Scott@DelawareandLehigh.org.
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October 16th, 2008
On Sunday, October 19, from noon to 6 pm, the Walnutport Canal Association will host the Walnutport Canal Festival, a day of festivities featuring live music, food and craft vendors, canoe rides, historical displays, and residents in period costume from the canal’s glory days.
As always, visitors will enjoy 4.5 miles of restored, well-maintained and watered canal and towpath, as well as the original Locktender’s House, constructed in 1828. The fall foliage is stunning this time of year, and the weatherman is predicting a beautiful day. So, come out and celebrate autumn in historic Walnutport.
For more information contact the Walnutport Canal Association at (610)-767-5817 or (610)-760-9906.
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September 23rd, 2008
The Fall 2008 issue of the D&L’s newsletter Along the Corridor is now available. This is our way of keeping you up-to-date on the D&L’s accomplishments and upcoming events. Inside this issue you will find articles on Trail Tenders’ work, the Artisan Trail Studio Tour Weekend, the Walker Evans exhibit series, and D&L Trail updates.
If you would like to receive the quarterly newsletter, please fill out the online contact form. On our website you can also find copies of each Along the Corridor dating back to Fall 1999.
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August 28th, 2008
On August 22, a large group of state legislators, government officials, trail workers, construction contractors, D&L staff, and trail users gathered on the D&L Trail in Luzerne County to celebrate the official opening of the recycled bridge. The bridge extends the D&L Trail, which passes through Lehigh Gorge State Park and the town of White Haven, north towards Mountaintop and Wilkes-Barre (Note: There is currently a trail obstruction at Glen Summit).
This was a fitting culmination to a project that Trail Steward Scott Everett and a host of people from PennDOT, DCNR, Anthracite Scenic Trails Association, Mountaintop Trail Association, Pocono Whitewater, Dennison Township, Luzerne County, Greater White haven Chamber of Commerce, and White Haven Borough have been committed to for years.
Leading off the event was 11th Congressional District Representative Paul E. Kanjorski, who called the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor, “a great example of how federal, state and local partners are working together to preserve important resources.” The congressman was followed by representatives from several organizations, who commented on the importance of the D&L Trail to expanding recreational opportunities in eastern Pennsylvania, spurring economic development, and continuing the Commonwealth’s legacy of conservation.
Everyone is encouraged to come out and experience this section of trail. Work will continue on improving the surface and adding directional signage, but the trail and bridge are now officially open to use.
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July 21st, 2008
On Friday, the Jacobsburg Historical Society (JHS) hosted the D&L’s board meeting on their grounds in Historic Boulton, PA. JHS staff led tours of the John Joseph Henry House, the Nicholas Hawk gun shop, and the Pennsylvania Long Rifle Museum. They also graciously provided space on the ground floor of the museum for the D&L’s meeting.
In the 1750s, William Henry established himself as one of the premier Pennsylvania Long Rifle makers, and Boulton, which is just north of Nazareth and west of Belfast, became an “industrial plantation,” housing workers and turning out large numbers of firearms, including the famous Henry Rifle. While the JHS celebrates the small arms heritage of Boulton with gunsmithing programs, historical research, and a high-tech museum, the staff also incorporates other Henry family accomplishments into their exhibits: Ann Wood Henry was the first Pennsylvania woman to serve in public office, James Henry drafted the first legislation protecting Pennsylvania’s wetlands and waterways, and William Henry was involved in early steam innovations. For outdoor enthusiasts, the historic site lies within Henry’s Woods, a section of old growth forest that is part of the Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center.
The D&L would like to thank the Jacobsburg Historical Society for their hospitality and encourage everyone to visit this historically-important and naturally-beautiful site.
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July 8th, 2008
Although the most ardent naturalists might find it unpalatable, electronic technology is playing an increasingly important role in outdoor recreation. One of the most recent manifestations of this development is geocaching, an activity resembling a treasure hunt conducted by handheld GPS unit. Geocachers stash watertight containers of prizes, or “caches,” at hidden locations, note the coordinates of the cache, and post them to an official website. Others log on, download the coordinates to their GPS units, and seek the hidden treasure. Those lucky enough to find the hidden cache often take something from the container and leave another item in return. Usually, the prize is a small, personal item of little monetary value, but some caches contain geocoins or stamps to serve as proof of your find. Of course, the goal is to find the cache, but the best hiding spots will lead to scenic vistas, seldom-visited sites, and unlikely destinations, making even failed attempts worthwhile.
Geocaching is a relatively new hobby, made possible on May 2, 2000, when the White House announced that high-quality GPS signals, once reserved for military operations and protected for reasons of national security, would henceforth be made available to civilians, drastically increasing the accuracy of handheld GPS units. The next day, a computer consultant named Dave Ulmer, had already placed a bucket in the woods, listed the coordinates online, and started the sport of geocaching, then referred to as the “Great American GPS Stash Hunt.”
As GPS devices have become less expensive and widely accepted, geocaching has grown in popularity. There are currently 13,471 active caches within 100 miles of the D&L offices in Easton, maintained and sought out by devoted enthusiasts. Businesses and organizations have adapted the sport to fit their needs. PP&L uses geocaching as a means of introducing its conservation efforts and business history to the public. In 2007, the Oil Region Alliance launched the Allegheny Geo Trail in western Pennsylvania. The Trail consists of 10-20 caches hidden in 10 counties, and geocachers can earn unique geocoins for finding them. In the process, they experience the natural beauty of the region and visit local businesses.
There is a lifetime of activities to keep you busy across the D&L Corridor, but, if you are looking for a new twist on hiking, biking, or walking, grab your GPS unit and give geocaching a try.
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