Rachel Carson Trail Continues to Evolve

We achieved a lot with the Rachel Carson Trail over the past year and more is in the works. Here's an update on what's happening.

Approximately one mile of the trail has been permanently protected by the purchase of the Miller properties by the Pa Game Commission. This was accomplished through a partnership with the Allegheny Land Trust to preserve over 290 acres of open space. The Game Commission has opened the property as Game Lands #203. Additionally, Indiana Township has purchased almost 60 acres adjacent to Emmerling Park permanently protecting an additional quarter mile of the trail. Through our ongoing efforts and with the help of partner organizations we are securing the future of the RCT.

The trail has been rerouted on the Henry property near Rich Hill, moving off of the open pipeline corridor and into the adjacent woods. The hill climb is as high as it's always been, but it's much more pleasant now. Thanks to Elizabeth and Jim Henry for their cooperation with the project and for their ongoing support.

A severe storm on April 29 did by far the most damage to the trail in memory. We had to clear approximately 200 downed trees to get the trail back open. Thanks to our Trail Stewards and Trail Crew under the leadership of sawyers Ben Brucker and Tim Deily we were able to clear the trail and get it fully reopened within a month. All while completing the Rich Hill reroute as mentioned above and another smaller reroute. A job well done folks.

Efforts continue to construct a spur trail from the RCT along Tawney Run to Rachel Carson Park along the river in Cheswick. As work continues on the redevelopment of the power plant property in Springdale we are advocating for the inclusion of this spur trail into the plans. State Representative Mandy Steele has been a strong supporter of our efforts.

We are working with East Deer Township to replace the footbridge behind Par Mar (formerly Sheetz) in Tarentum. East Deer will perform the work and RCTC will pay for the project. We are seeking funding. Expect work to begin in the spring to replace the bridge formerly used by school children at what is now the Magnolia Room with a new one for the community. Thanks to Board of Commisioners President Tony Taliani and property owner Sue Zaleski for helping us make this project a reality.

Lloyd Clarke is leading an effort to tame Burtner Hill and make it more hiker friendly.

We said goodbye to an iconic Trail Steward this year as Tom Armstrong passed away. Along with his brother John, Tom cared for the 'Mount DiCio' section of the trail for many years. While the loss is deep, we have many fond memories to remember Tom.

While we've accomplished a lot and the trail is in the 'best shape ever', there's a lot more we hope to accomplish. Our core volunteers are aging and we're looking for fresh blood to invigorate the team. Please consider joining our team, as much or as little as you are able will help make the trail even better. Contact us at info@rachelcarsontrails.org.