New Laurel Highlands Falls Area Visitor Center Funded

The 2010 National Scenic Byways Grants were announced on April 28, 2011.  Grant recipients from Pennsylvania included:

Pennsylvania	Laurel Highlands Falls Area PA: Visitors Center	$4,000,000
Pennsylvania	Casey Byway PA: Pedestrian/Bike Trail Improvement	$831,825
Pennsylvania	Brandywine Valley Scenic Byway PA: Bikeway Plan	$160,000

The Laurel Highlands Falls Area Visitor Center will be constructed in the Falls Area of Ohiopyle State Park.  Highlights will include visitor orientation to the Laurel Highlands including the Rt 381 Scenic Byway and the National Road.  A downstairs interpretive space will introduce visitors to natural, historical, cultural, and recreational interpretation of Ohiopyle, Ohiopyle State Park, and DCNR.  The lower wing will also provide a four season viewing area for Ohiopyle Falls, Ferncliff National Natural Area, and the Youghiogheny River. The building will feature green materials and technology.

Check us out on Facebook

Click here to see our Facebook Page

Laurel Highlands Summit 2011 Set for April 4

The economic impact of tourism, recreation and green space will be a key focus of the second Summit for the Laurel Highlands Conservation Landscape Initiative scheduled from 9 to 4 on Monday, April 4, 2011, at the Fred Rogers Center of St. Vincent College in Latrobe.

Click here for the tentative agenda for the day.

Click here to register and pay on-line.

Click here to print and mail in your registration.

The Conservation Coalition of the Laurel Highlands has teamed up with trail advocates to put together the program for the day.  The Summit will include a series of sessions on trail development, funding, and advocacy along with sessions on conserving lands, smart comprehensive planning, other tools for trails and open space. The Summit is made possible with support from the Pennsylvania Recreation and Park Society and the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ Pennsylvania Recreational Trails Program funded through the Federal Highway Administration.

The first Laurel Highlands CLI Summit was held in 2009 and attracted 160 people.  We hope to attract that many again with a program that includes updates on efforts to renew Growing Greener funding, a workshop that dusts off and revisits the trails and greenways plans that each county has developed, sessions on building capacity in non-profits and “Trail Building 101.”

The day-long program will cost $20.00 to cover lunch plus coffee, beverages and light snacks in the morning and during breaks.