Schuylkill River Heritage Area Receives 660000 Grant to Enhance Schuylkill...

The Schuylkill River Heritage Area has received a two-year, $660,000 grant from the Philadelphia-based William Penn Foundation that will support increased regional coordination and management of the Schuylkill River Trail.

The trail has been under construction for many years, but its various parts are owned and maintained by different entities.

The grant will enable a newly formed Trail Council and new Trail Steward Kara Wilson to work together to create a unified trail system. They will establish a standardized system of signs and access points, and develop standardized maps and brochures for every section of the trail.

's8220;For trail users, it will become recognized as a 128-mile trail system instead of many different segments,'s8221; explained Kurt Zwikl, Executive Director for the Schuylkill River Heritage Area. 's8220;We can now start to talk about a trail system that will be a resource not only for residents, but a draw for tourists. In time, it will become a regional destination.'s8221;

The Trail Council is comprised of representatives from the trail's8217;s various owning and managing entities, which include local governments and various development corporations and agencies. The council began meeting in December 2005 and will continue to meet bi-monthly.

Council members will provide advice and direction on the management and maintenance of the trail, and help establish support for a unified trail system.

Ultimately, the trail improvements will create better access to and increased knowledge of the trail.

's8220;More and more people will start recognizing it as a neighborhood resource,'s8221; said Madeline Cantu, trails project manager for the SRHA.

's8220;Having a trail that travels through the Schuylkill River corridor as a recognized resource is a way for residents to become more connected to the river and more conscious of the natural and cultural resources of the Heritage Area.'s8221;

Money from the grant will also fund a regional trail management study that will recommend maintenance standards and policies and identify long-term funding sources and strategies.

It will also pay for enhancements to access points at three targeted areas, which will serve as demonstration areas for the remainder of the trail. Those areas include Center City from Locust Street to the Montgomery County/city line, a section from the city line to Mont Clare, and a third section from Pottstown to Reading.

To oversee the project, the Schuylkill River Heritage Area has hired Wilson to serve as trail steward.

Wilson, who has an MBA and a Masters of Science in Land and Water Management from the Cranfield Institute, in the UK, has worked in both the public and private sector on land use studies.

As trail steward, she will be responsible for improving signage along the trail and at access points and marketing the trail as a unified system. She will support the maintenance management study and work toward the creation of a volunteer network for trail maintenance.

The Schuylkill River Heritage Area is managed by the non-profit Schuylkill River Greenway Association, which is dedicated to assisting communities, organizations and citizens of the Schuylkill River region to preserve and sustain their cultural heritage and natural environment for future generations.

The William Penn Foundation, founded in 1945 by Otto and Phoebe Haas, is dedicated to improving the quality of life in the Greater Philadelphia region through efforts that foster rich cultural expression, strengthen children's8217;s futures, and deepen connections to nature and community. In partnership with others, the Foundation works to advance a vital, just and caring community.

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