Notes from the Field Station: Nature Trail Registered at Tri State Trail Initiative
Posted on Wednesday, March 30, 2011
On March 29 the Lucile Frey Nature Trail in the Field Station was presented and registered at a meeting of representatives of trails in 18 counties of Western Pennsylvania, Eastern Ohio and the Panhandle of West Virginia.
Tri State Trail Initiative is an informal coalition of trail planners and managers who share a common vision of linking existing trails to develop a trail-route from Lake Erie (Ashtabula County in Ohio and Erie County in Pennsylvania) to Washington, D.C.
The group met in New Castle to present individual trails with their features. Some are 100-mile trails, others are only one-half mile. Some are waterways trails, others are rugged land or wetland trails and still others are bike paths established on old railroad beds whose trains have long gone. What all the trails have in common are ways to get people from one place to another in a natural environment and in doing so, enrich their lives in ways that cannot be matched indoors.
A fact of interest is that our region of Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia is within 500 miles of 60 percent of our nation's population. By crude estimate, we already have, in our region, about 2,000 miles of trails with the potential to double that. The National Park Service and Pennsylvania's Department of Conservation and Natural Resources support the "Rails to Trails Conservancy" whose vision is to preserve generations of railroad history by encouraging trail development. The goal is to have 90 percent of the country living within three miles of a trail system or connecting corridor by the year 2020.
Westminster's Field Station is already there. Clarence Harms, director, and Ann Throckmorton, associate director, were in attendance at the Tri State Trail Initiative to formally present and informally discuss the Lucile Frey Nature Trail.
This Trail begins by Brittain Lake on an old railroad bed that itself is a recognized footpath between New Castle and New Wilmington. From there, the Trail leads across a meadow pockmarked with bluebird boxes, across a footbridge spanning the Little Neshannock Creek, over a boardwalk that separates the walker from a wetland, across grassy paths and ending at the Fayette-New Wilmington Road. En route, there are loops into wild places of hawthorn, skunk cabbage and side-by-side with the Creek. A short diversion leads to a tower that can be accessed with permission. Wildlife - plant and animal - abounds. Near the end of the Trail is the Sandy Edmiston Labyrinth, a trail unto itself that is nearly one-fourth mile long when walked in and out.
The Frey Trail, honoring a beloved alumna and teacher at Westminster, was established in 1994, 11 years after the footbridge was constructed. Building the boardwalk in a wetland took parts of four summers because the window of opportunity for construction was limited to the dry parts of each summer - about three to four weeks.
Now the Trail supports walkers and runners from the College and community virtually year round. Classes use the Trail to access other parts of the Field Station. Bird watchers perch on benches here and there or find secluded spots for observation. The traffic is often heavy, but manageable. The joy of being outdoors is always evident.
When all parts of the Frey Trail are added, the total length is about two miles, a nice healthy walk for anyone. The Trail and Labyrinth are always open. All who respect the path and are open to enlightenment by nature are welcome.
Clarence Harms, Director
724-946-6001
harmsc@westminster.edu
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