Oct. 19--In its attempt to find funding for a master plan and feasibility study to create an interconnected trail system throughout the Wyoming Valley, the Pennsylvania Environmental Council is seeking letters of support from local municipalities.

The project is expected to cost about $74,000, half of which the PEC has already received in a grant from the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, said Julie McMonigle, PEC vice president and head of the northeast regional office. The study would define the corridor to connect key destinations, such as the Lands at Hillside Farms, the Back Mountain Trail, Penn State's Wilkes-Barre campus, Misericordia University, and the Dallas and Lake-Lehman school districts.

"So a lot of the work is mapping and then looking for those corridors," she said. "As soon as we get the match, we're ready to hit the ground running."

The project should take about 18 months to complete once it begins, she said.

The group is looking at various funding sources for the money, she said, and letters from the community help display the existing interest. "It really demonstrates to potential funders that there's a broader base of community support," she said. "Projects that show a broad base of support and need will fare better."

Another positive is that the project has already received a substantial amount of planning and effort so that funding would go toward tangible results. "You really want it to reflect plans that have already been prepared," she said.

One of the main goals of the plan is to connect trails along the valley with Moon Lake Park and, eventually, Ricketts Glen State Park. That stretch, called the Harveys Creek corridor, is one of eight priorities in DCNR's Pocono Forest and Waters Conservation Landscape Initiative. "It's all about the connection to the state land and communities," said Ellen Ferretti, vice president of the initiative. "It's about taking that void right there where there is no trail (and making it so) you can come from the valley and walk through those wooded areas and, some day, go out to Ricketts Glen."

Municipalities interested in voicing support can get a boilerplate from the PEC. All letters should go to the PEC, which can be contacted at 718-6507.

Rory Sweeney, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 970-7418.

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