Mon Forest Towns has scheduled a trail development workshop in conjunction with the United States Forest Service in anticipation of coming work on the Peters Mountain Trail off US Route 33 west of Franklin.
According to “Potomac Area Trails System Improvement Project,” a document from the United States Department of Agriculture that oversees the USFS, the roots of the program date back to 2006 with the approval of the “Revised Monongahela National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan.” According to the United States Department of Agriculture, “the purpose of this effort is to implement (the plan) and move the forest toward the desired future conditions in the forest plan.” It adds that proposals will be developed in the service of meeting those.
The Mon Forest Towns partnership formed to act as a catalyst for these kinds of actions, as well as helping to boost the economic and cultural environments of member towns. The organization does this by building connections between the towns and the forest to promote both with the understanding that “proposed actions are all located within a 15-minute drive of a Mon Forest Town.”
Specific goals include “economic growth, increased consumer spending, improved access to recreation and education opportunities.” Part of that initiative comes from the “Reimagine Recreation” concept established by the USFS. As the USDA states, it serves as “a strategic planning effort charting the path for the future of recreation on lands managed by the USDA Forest Service.”
It will work by “harnessing the knowledge, perspectives, creativity, and ingenuity” of those on the ground, including everyone from USFS staff to “partners and other stakeholders.”
The USFS uses the term Management Prescription 8.1 to refer to the Spruce Knob-Seneca Rocks National Recreation Area and, as the USFS states “emphasizes management of the Congressionally designated National Recreation Area.” The Seneca Rocks component of this includes a “proclamation boundary” section that extends to within approximately five miles of Franklin on US 33.
One of the proposed actions underway this summer is the Peters Mountain loop trail. As the USDA document states, “the hiking and biking trail proposal will improve recreational opportunities for residents and visitors.”
The planned workshop, which will take place from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on June 10, serves as the first order of business in terms of starting the development of that trail. The plan states that those leading the effort will “engage with volunteers and partners for increasing trail sustainability across the forest.”
The workshop will take place at the Pendleton General Services Building (old Franklin Elementary School) at 81 Evick Drive in Franklin.
Mon Forest Towns and the USFS hopes to bring a committed cadre of volunteers with an interest in helping to establish and maintain the proposed trail to federal standards. The workshop will help attendees “learn about sustainable trail construction, upcoming recreation projects, and help to shape the future of Pendleton County for generations to come.”
Training will include lessons on how attendees’ volunteer labor can help to keep the trail up to forest service standards and ensure as much as reasonably possible the safety of those using it.
Those interested should “bring a day pack, water, and snacks.” Organizers will provide lunch. Attendees are urged to “dress for the weather and wear sturdy shoes or boots.”
