Local residents invited to join the AMC for free, family-friendly outdoor activities on September 26

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 26, 2009

The Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) is today unveiling its new Pennsylvania Highlands Regional Recreation Map and Guide, a free, easy-to-use resource for close-to-home outdoor recreation opportunities across the 13-county Highlands region
in southeastern Pennsylvania. Local residents are invited to experience the Pennsylvania Highlands firsthand by joining AMC staff, AMC Delaware Valley Chapter members, and local partners for free,
family-friendly guided activities offered on
September 26 at Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site in Berks and Chester Counties.

All participants will receive the map and guide, as well as a set of the new Hike the Highlands hiking cards created by the AMC and Wildlands Conservancy. This series of pocket-sized cards provides information on 22 different hikes throughout the 1.9 million-acre Pennsylvania Highlands.

The Pennsylvania Highlands Regional Recreation Map and Guide includes:

• Locator map with at-a-glance trip planner for 75 trails, parks, forests, and preserves that identifies by location the recreational opportunities (hiking, walking, running, biking, horseback riding, boating, fishing, camping, and swimming), historic sites, and nature centers.
  
  
• Locations of state gamelands, water trails, and boat access points.
  
  
• Responsible recreation guidelines.
  
  
• Regional conservation and trail stewardship efforts, plus information about the natural, historical, cultural, and agricultural values of the Pennsylvania Highlands.
  
  
• Overview of the AMC’s Pennsylvania Highlands Trail Network project, which as envisioned will traverse the entire region from Bucks to Adams Counties.
  
  
• Outdoor resources available from the AMC, state agencies, and outdoor recreation and tourism organizations.
  

“We are excited to partner with Hopewell Furnace to unveil our new Recreation Map and Guide and to host a day for families and individuals to get outdoors and experience the wealth of activities the Pennsylvania Highlands have to offer,” said Jennifer Heisey, Mid-Atlantic Recreation Planner for the Appalachian Mountain Club. “We hope this introduction to the Pennsylvania Highlands will encourage residents to regularly visit and recreate in this amazing area so close to home.”

The kick-off event at Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site today features activities beginning at 10:00 a.m., including a guided family-friendly hike and more challenging six-mile hike, paddling on Hopewell Lake, biking, apple-picking, and self-guided historical interpretative walks. In support of National Public Lands Day, participants who help to revitalize the trails and other areas of Hopewell Furnace will receive a free pass valid at any National Park or other federal site that charges an entrance fee.

To help celebrate the launch of the map and guide, the AMC is joined at the event by Hopewell Furnace, Natural Lands Trust, Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Recreation and Conservation, and Hopewell Big Woods Partnership, an organization that supports Hopewell Big Woods, one of the last unbroken forests in Pennsylvania spanning 110 square miles in Berks and Chester Counties.

“We are joining National Parks across America in celebrating National Public Lands Day and are thrilled to be working with the AMC to host a day of activities for families and individuals of all ages,” said Edie Shean-Hammond, Superintendent of Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site. “When people interact with the environment, they are more likely to become stewards of it and have a greater appreciation for the outdoors. It is our hope that people will enjoy this day of fun activities, and that by spending time in the Pennsylvania Highlands and at Hopewell Furnace, they will also be more likely to participate in land preservation and care in the future.”

Free copies of the Pennsylvania Highlands Regional Recreation Map and Guide are available at locations across the region, including Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site, French Creek State Park, Nolde Forest Environmental Education Center, and Chester County Parks. Copies of the map can also be requested through the AMC’s website under “Hiking Resources” at www.outdoors.org/hikethehighlands.

Support for the map and guide was provided in part by a grant from the Community Conservation Partnerships Program, Environmental Stewardship Fund, under the administration of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Recreation and Conservation, and the William Penn Foundation.

For Saturday, September 26 event details, visit http://hikethehighlands.blogspot.com.

About Appalachian Mountain Club
Founded in 1876, the Appalachian Mountain Club is America’s oldest conservation and recreation organization. With more than 100,000 members, advocates, and supporters in the Northeast and beyond, the nonprofit AMC promotes the protection, enjoyment, and stewardship of the mountains, forests, waters, and trails of the Appalachian region. The AMC supports natural resource conservation while encouraging responsible recreation, based on the philosophy that successful, long-term conservation depends upon first-hand enjoyment of the natural environment. For more information about the AMC, visit www.outdoors.org.

The AMC Delaware Valley Chapter offers around 750 activities each year throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and beyond. Visit the chapter’s website at: www.amcdv.org.