Pennsylvania's Millennium Legacy Trail:The Pittsburgh-Harrisburg Mainline Canal Greenway

Even after a couple hundred years of industrial activity in its various incarnations, western Pennsylvania is still a wild and scenic place. Today it's difficult to imagine just what things used be like before highways, bridges and railroads enabled us to zip from one ridge or valley to the next. The rugged topography which proved to be well-suited for coal extraction, and the steep forests with their seemingly endless supplies of timber, were formidable obstacles of yesteryear. The 2400'-tall Allegheny Ridge (also called the Allegheny Front) was the most formidable of these barriers, until the era of Pennsylvania's first major transportation improvement: the historic Pennsylvania Mainline Canal. Completed in 1834, the Pennsylvania Mainline Canal System paved the way for expansion westward from Philadelphia, across the Alleghenies to Pittsburgh and beyond. A way of life sprang up along this corridor as Pennsylvania prepared for a century of nation-building.

Communities along the route shared a common legacy.

The Pittsburgh-to-Harrisburg Greenway is the next chapter in this story.

Managed by the Allegheny Ridge Corporation and its partners, the Pittsburgh-to-Harrisburg Greenway Project is an initiative which brings together:

• Recreation-Planning
• Watershed Stewardship
• Heritage Preservation
• Downtown Revitalization
• Economic Development
• General Quality-of-Life Issues

within a single historic landscape
              once traversed by
    The Pennsylvania Mainline Canal System.

In 1999 The White House Millennium Council was created to organize a number of national Millennium projects.

The quotes in the following two paragraphs were taken from the White House Millennium Council and Millennium Trails. More information about the Millennium Trails Project can be found at the Website:
Millennium Trails - http://www.millenniumtrails.org/

The Millennium projects are designed to be a grassroots effort that will "draw upon the creativity, ideas and leadership present in communities" to "encourage citizen involvement and unleash the full creative potential of the American people".

Millennium Trails is one of the national Millennium projects. "Millennium Trails will recognize, promote and support trails as a means to preserve open spaces, interpret history and culture and enhance recreation and tourism".

There are three levels of Millennium Trails.

16 National Millennium Trails
52 Millennium Legacy Trails (State Level)
2000 Community Millennium Trails

One trail in each state was selected to receive the 'Millennium Legacy Trail Designation'. Pennsylvania's Legacy Trail is a route that extends from Pittsburgh to Harrisburg.

The following description of characteristics for Legacy trails is taken from the Web page that was set up for on-line application. (Highlighted text is to emphasize key points for the message of this document.)

Millennium Legacy Trails will be selected from a pool of nominations submitted to Rails-to-Trails Conservancy by officials in each of the fifty states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

The fifty-two Millennium Trails designated in the Legacy category will be representative of the diversity of trails; rail-trails and greenways, historic trails, cultural itineraries, recreational paths, waterways, alternative transportation corridors and other trail types will be included. Millennium Legacy Trails will include trails that serve a wide range of trail users and communities, and trails in various levels of completion. Trails in the early phases of planning can be considered if their applications clearly demonstrate an ability to complete the project.

Each trail project will be reviewed for the following characteristics:

• how it captures the essence and spirit of the state
• how it furthers the mission of the White House Millennium Council to
• "honor the past and imagine the future" of America;
• how it reflects the heritage and culture of the area it traverses;
• how it provides tangible future benefits to the people of the state;
• how it brings together individuals, groups and organizations, both public
• and private, in collaborative support of the trail.

 Pennsylvania's Millennium Legacy Trail:  Overview

There are three elements that make the Pittsburgh-Harrisburg Millennium Legacy Trail an effective vehicle that can add value to the quality of life in Southwestern PA.

Scope / Comprehensiveness / Grassroots nature

The 'trail', almost 300 miles in length, economically connects two large urban 'Trailheads' via a chain of smaller Legacy Trail communities. Physical connection consists of river systems that include the Allegheny, Kiski-Conemaugh ( DCNR River of the Year as a result of its restoration ), Juniata, and Susquehanna. Thematic connection is the route of the historic Pennsylvania Mainline Canal.

So, what is The Pennsylvania Millennium Legacy Trail? It's a conceptual route that follows a section of the Pennsylvania Mainline Canal from Pittsburgh to Harrisburg. It's not a rail trail connecting the two cities. It's an entity that is mapping and promoting a system of land trails, water trails and roadways that will span the route. This will be overlaid with a system of thematic trails connecting centers of art, history, culture, entertainment, education, outdoor and other recreational activities. Think of it as a 'Legacy Franchise'. The whole adds value, in terms of support and marketability, to the parts.

To see a clear example of the breadth of the Millennium 'Trail' concept go over to the National Millennium Trails Web page. and compare the Appalachian Trail with the International Express (You'll find this very interesting). The comprehensive nature of all levels of Millennium Trails is what gives them their power. Conceptual and thematic dimensions enable Millennium Tails to effectively be maps as much as physical entities. Drawing a map is faster and more cost effective than building a hard asset.

By magnifying the visibility of communities and the amenities they have to market, Pennsylvania's Legacy Trail can start increasing revenue as soon as it has an identity. Resources will be increased for development of more trails, cultural and shopping districts etc.

The Pennsylvania Mainline Canal system once forged a vital east-west link across the formidable Allegheny Mountains. This was a giant step toward addressing the needs of the era and raising the quality of life in Western Pennsylvania. The Legacy Trail takes a giant step towards meeting the needs of our era by linking the efforts of two major urban areas and two major watershed planning initiatives - the Kiski-Conemaugh and the Juniata. The impact of the project's scope intensifies by also linking the efforts of two of Pennsylvania's "Heritage Areas" or "Heritage Parks" - the "Allegheny Ridge" and the "Rivers of Steel".

In this sense, the project is a natural continuation of the watershed stewardship approach on the one hand, and heritage-based community development efforts on the other. Both causes have been championed by DCNR through the Rivers Conservation Program and the Heritage Parks Program, respectively, and in the new economy it only makes sense that conservation and economic development should go hand-in-hand. In fact, this is what must happen.

The urban 'Trailheads' are striving to develop competitive aesthetic signatures that portray vitality and multi-faceted attractiveness. The smaller Legacy Trail communities are striving for economic growth. They were formerly supported by heavy industry that, while providing necessary building blocks for our current infrastructure, had a devastating effect on many of our resources.

The PA Legacy Trail project incorporates a powerful array of issues, such as: natural resources, recreational resources, human resources, cultural and historic interpretation, economic development, arts, and entertainment. These contexts will provide an inclusive, rich environment that will enable and encourage individuals and organizations to contribute directly to a comprehensive effort. An important part of the developmental strategy is to use local talent to accomplish significant tasks. People, businesses and organizations who are building resumes and credibility profiles will be offered opportunities to show what they have.

Heavy industry was made possible by a vast supply of human creative energy and a broad range of individual talents. The goal of the Legacy Trail project is to "unleash" that energy in a new direction. The outcome will be a new economic and social profile based on intelligent interaction among all resources.

The strategy is to create a grassroots entity, based on the extensive 300 mile scope, which will be extremely visible in the recreational market and at the community level.

The method is to organize the urban 'Trailheads' and the smaller Legacy Trail communities into an efficient force. The 'Legacy Trail Allies', as a unit, can create a recreational identity that will magnify the marketing efforts of individual communities.

A series of projects is being developed that is designed, on the one side, to make the urban 'Trailheads' aware of existing and potential amenities in the smaller nearby Legacy Trail communities - amenities that the 'Trailheads' can promote as part of an expanded recreational identity. The other side of the design is to make extensive market information available to local communities, allowing them to make sound decisions on what amenities to develop and how to promote them.

One of the trail characteristics from the on-line application above was: how it brings together individuals, groups and organizations, both public and private, in collaborative support of the trail. A key project tool will be a communications network consisting of Internet, conventional media, and a liaison system. This network, which we are currently building, will allow communities to rapidly share information on ideas and methods. It will also create and maintain a database of information on local experiences, technical assistance and funding opportunities, while linking with other existing resources.

The benefits of the project are not, by any means, limited to the Mainline Canal Corridor. The expansive Legacy Trail will be able to highlight offshoots and connect to other projects across Southwestern Pennsylvania. The same is true for the Pittsburgh- D.C. trail system. Conceptually linking these two projects with each other and with partners in the Pittsburgh, Harrisburg and Maryland/Northern Virginia areas would be a first step toward creating a marketable entity that would magnify the power of all the partners.

The Allegheny Ridge Corporation is a private, non-profit corporation charged with developing, interpreting and preserving the historic and cultural resources of the Allegheny Ridge State Heritage Park in Blair, Cambria, Somerset and Huntingdon Counties. The Allegheny Ridge Corp. submitted the application for the Millennium Legacy Trail designation and is the organization leading its development.

It all started as a committee of local trail groups who wanted to link their various projects into a regional network. Dave Sewak ( DCNR* Circuit Rider ) , Jane Sheffield and John Turner (Allegheny Ridge Corp.) had been working on trails in Cambria County, especially the Mainline/Path of the Flood Trail. The Allegheny Ridge Heritage Coalition, a grassroots alliance of 18 municipalities in support of the trail was created. Al Chace of DCNR was one of the idea-men behind the cooperation which led to an extended trail effort.

From this start, the following stew of considerations/steps led to where we are today:

• The Allegheny Ridge Corporation and the National Park Service are both interested in interpreting the story of the Mainline Canal.
• The trail vision was growing in scope, but a land-trail from Pittsburgh-to-Harrisburg didn't seem feasible.
• Dave Sewak and John Turner had been working with watershed organizations, the Kiski-Conemaugh River Basin Alliance and the Juniata Clean Water Partnership, and all were interested in blurring the lines between recreation, historical interpretation, conservation, habitat protection, and community involvement.
• The Millennium Trail opportunity came along and a last minute decision to apply was made.

The Greenway is designed to maximize the promotional, economic, and environmental viability of the corridor's rich natural and community resources by highlighting the unifying historical context of the PA Mainline Canal.

John Turner and Dave Sewak organized the project into five sub-organizations or "clusters" each representing a specific portion of the corridor. Project development within each cluster is led by a 'Locktender'.

The Greenway public process will be driven by the clusters. The clusters (from west to east) are delineated as follows: Pittsburgh Area, Kiski Basin, Allegheny Ridge, Juniata Basin, and Harrisburg Area. These clusters will function initially as ad-hoc committees of interested organizations and individuals, led by a designated "locktender." Over time this group structure will evolve and potentially formalize, as directed by democratic consensus of the groups. The clusters will provide continuing grassroots presence and local promotional capabilities for the Greenway.

The Locktenders are developing comprehensive partner systems within each cluster. The method is to develop a core team of partners - interested people and organizations who can facilitate the efforts of each cluster, and the overall effort.

Local partners will be able to "enroll" their projects in the Greenway network by participating in an upcoming public process which will determine the future and ultimate vision of the Greenway. Local project managers can expect increased visibility for their initiatives, and can potentially increase their chances of finding necessary funds. Eligible Greenway projects can be roughly categorized into the following types:

• trails (land, water and thematic)
• river access areas
• historic preservation and interpretation
• downtown revitalization initiatives
• downtown promotion strategies
• protection of natural resources
• recreational park improvements

A second layer of partners will be created from business, local government, the media, sports, the arts and entertainment. This layer of partners will contribute with financing and "Greenway Content". A major aspect of the Greenway is its conceptual layer. The "thematic trails" add immense vitality and bring all interests of the community together. "Greenway Content" - will include features of the thematic layer as well as amenities of the physical layer. This layer of partners will realize tremendous promotional benefit for their endeavors.

There has been one open meeting in each Cluster to introduce the project. We are developing a Web site with an interactive area that will enable instant communication among clusters. This will be operational next month. Four of the five Locktenders are in place.

A system of events is being discussed. The events will include such activities as biking, paddling, crafts, historic/cultural excursions, educational excursions, visual and performing arts. The purpose is to identify the western end of the Legacy Trail, by focusing attention on the vast array of recreational resources that are available, to people who live in or might relocate to the Southwestern PA region. A main goal is to shed light on the "creative potential" in the Legacy Trail Communities. We want to demonstrate that this is a region of participants rather than on-lookers. Above all, we want to demonstrate that this is an environment that will "unleash" creative potential by providing markets for skill and ingenuity. Consider a person who is out of work or whose income has been reduced as a result of industry loss. That person might have an avocation such as furniture making, outdoor trekking or a performing art. The person might have the entrepreneurial spirit to add a new business establishment that will be needed for a community with a growing recreational profile. The events must show these people that possibilities exist. In order to do that an ongoing system of events and activities must develop. It must generate revenue and support, become integrated into the workflow of the community, and lay the foundation for a recreational industry.

There will be a presentation for people and representatives of organizations that will be significant in 'Trail' development within the Pittsburgh and Kiski clusters (the two westernmost). The purpose is to begin construction of the liaison system that will bring Legacy Trail communities together as a functioning unit.

Pennsylvania's Millennium Legacy Trail: Summary

Pennsylvania's Millennium Legacy Trail is not a continuous land trail from Pittsburgh to Harrisburg, although such a trail might very well connect these two cities in the future. Physical connectivity is stated in terms of a system of local land trails (such as rail trails), water trails, and roadways.

What Pennsylvania's Legacy Trail is:

• A proposed network of locally managed and controlled community improvement projects of various types located along the historic Pennsylvania Mainline Canal Corridor between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg.
• An infrastructure which will facilitate new recreational opportunities, improve quality of life and encourage new economic growth.
• A way to maximize the potential of pre-existing and planned attractions by linking them into an entity which encourages site-to-site flow.
• A forum to focus attention on the importance of Pennsylvania's natural resources.
• A tool to conserve important wildlife habitat areas and undeveloped scenic areas.
• A strong link with watershed-based planning initiatives.
• A framework for re-connecting, physically, conceptually and economically, the communities once served by the Pennsylvania Mainline Canal.

* DCNR - Department of Conservation and Natural Resources