DCNR Invests in Schuylkill River Trail to Promote Outdoor Activity, Connect River Towns in Chester County

PARKERFORD, Pa., June 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary John Quigley today announced a $406,035 grant to Chester County that will help add a 3.5-mile segment to the Schuylkill River Trail, linking it from Phoenixville to Pottstown.  

The vision for the Schuylkill River Trail is that it will be seamless along the Schuylkill River from Delaware County, through Philadelphia, to Montgomery and Chester counties, proceeding on to Reading, Berks County, and eventually to the headwaters of the river in Schuylkill County.  

"Trails make important connections between places; they connect natural resources to community revitalization and they connect people to the outdoors," Quigley said at a groundbreaking ceremony for the trail segment in Chester County.  "We are happy to make this investment and partner with Chester County in providing this critical link in the Schuylkill River Trail to connect recreational hubs and river towns through some of the state's most populated areas.

"The Chester County commissioners are to be congratulated for investing more than $1 million in this key trail segment through the Schuylkill River Heritage Area."

The new trail section will be 10- to 12-feet wide on a rail bed owned by PECO and under easement to Chester County. The project will include informational kiosks with maps.

The project will also incorporate a number of green features, including using existing hardscape, no tree removals, planting warm season grasses instead of typical blue grasses, and eliminating excavation during construction by using the existing gravel path and drainage networks.

DCNR's grant to the Schuylkill River Trail and associated greenway was made possible through the department's Community Conservation Partnerships Program that is supported by the Keystone Fund. It advances efforts in the Schuylkill Highlands Conservation Landscape Initiative to work with public and private partners on land conservation, locally-driven planning and community economic revitalization efforts that protect natural resources and cultural assets.  

In addition to having large populations, Berks, Bucks, Chester, Lebanon, Lancaster, Lehigh and Montgomery counties are home to critical unprotected lands such as source waters and contiguous forested lands and key habitats in what is known as the Hopewell Big Woods. The Schuylkill Highlands effort hopes to protect what is special in this region by saving high-quality lands and connecting people and communities through a network of trails and gateway communities.

For more information about DCNR grants or the Schuylkill Highlands Conservation Landscape Initiative, visit www.dcnr.state.pa.us or call 717-772-9101.

Media contact: Christina Novak, 717-772-9101

SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources