In line with Benton MacKaye original vision for the Trail, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy catalyzes and participates in community-based regional planning initiatives to identify and conserve the resources that contribute to the health, quality of life and economic sustainability of communities along the Trail. This type of regional planning, also sometimes referred to as Green Infrastructure planning, focuses on establishing interconnected networks of protected land and water that can support native species, maintain natural ecological processes, sustain air and water resources, and serve regional economies by providing for sustainable resource use, tourism and recreation into the future. The Appalachian Trail and its corridor of protected lands can serve as the backbone to local and regional networks of green spaces serving the needs of communities.

Engaging A.T. Communities through Planning for the Future

Mahoosucs Initiative, New Hampshire

The Mahoosucs is a wild and rugged mountain range, where the AT climbs up and over several 3,000’ to 4,000’ summits during its journey through those mountains, and the surrounding land is carpeted with lush northern forests.

While most of the communities in the area remain rural and relatively undeveloped, the rapid growth seen elsewhere in the U.S. is making itself known in both the surrounding New Hampshire North Country and the Western Maine Mountains. A near complete change in the ownership pattern of the industrial forest land in the Mahoosuc region is likely to fuel even more development. Most large forest tracts, previously owned by the regionís paper mills or long-term timber companies, are now held by newly created investment groups with acronyms such as TIMO or REIT. It is difficult in todayís economy to earn a substantial return on investment from growing and harvesting trees alone in the Northern Forest. The ìIî in each of the above acronyms stands for Investment and the new ownership models may offer a radical change in how the regionís forests are managed and used, which will in turn impact the local economies.

A group of organizations concerned about the future of the Northern Forest in the Mahoosuc region, including the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, joined together in the Fall of 2004 to form a working group that became known as the Mahoosuc Initiative. National and regional groups such as the Northern Forest Alliance, Appalachian Mountain Club, The Wilderness Society, Trust for Public Land and ATC were soon joined by local land trusts, councils, and community organizations in a broad outreach effort to bring the regionís communities together as they faced an uncertain future.

The mission of the Mahoosuc Initiative is to provide Mahoosuc communities with information and tools to help guide future change there for the prosperity and well-being of all residents, while retaining the natural assets that supported the region for more than two centuries. The Initiative has been convening community forums, providing technical assistance and research, and has brought new funding to support projects in land conservation, sustainable forestry, and other community priorities. A Green Infrastructure training session is being planned for early 2009 to expand on earlier outreach and to bring the communities together in a common focus.

Now four years into the Initiative, MI partners The Conservation Fund and Trust for Public Land have completed and are currently working on several large scale land conservation projects in the Mahoosucs aimed at protecting the unique Appalachian Trail experience there. Those projects gained the full support of the surrounding local communities largely through the support of the Mahoosuc Initiative and its community partners. The Mahoosuc Initiative is an ongoing project and continues to attract new partners.

South Mountain Conservation Initiative, Pennsylvania

The South Mountain area spans Franklin, Cumberland, Adams and York counties in southern Pennsylvania. The forested ridge known as South Mountain itself forms the southern border of the Cumberland Valley, a fertile agricultural area that has seen a boom in residential development in recent years. It's estimated that South Mountain provides approximately 85% of the water that recharges the streams, wells and underground aquifers of Cumberland Valley: the Valley's surface and drinking waters depend on South Mountain's continued ability to receive and percolate the water down to the valley floor.

The entire area is under tremendous development pressure because of its proximity to Washington, Baltimore and Harrisburg, and South Mountain in particular offers prime real estate. Development increases the amount of impervious surfaces, causing water to run off instead of percolating through the soil down to the valley. This decreases the amount of water reaching the valleyís ground water and surface waters through previously existing channels, and increases flooding. Although preserving the areaís hydrological cycles and water resources is of prime importance, the Initiative is also concerned with protecting the areaís significant natural, cultural, scenic and recreational resources for their long-term impacts on human health and economic sustainability.

The Initiative is a diverse partnership of state agencies, conservation organizations, land trusts, advocacy groups and local governance bodies who have a stake in preserving the areaís resources and long-term potential. Partners include county planning commissions and conservation districts, the state Departments of Transportation and of Conservation and Natural Resources, the Pennsylvania chapter of The Nature Conservancy, The Conservation Fund, the Central Pennsylvania Conservancy as well as local business and tourism organizations. The Initiative aims to be a catalyst for better land use planning and regulations, as well as the protection of critical acreage in the south mountain area. Communication, information-sharing and participation by south mountain communities are critical components of the Initiativeís strategy.

Read the South Mountain Conservation Initiative Newsletter:
September 2009

New River Valley, Virginia

The dramatic landscapes of the New River Valley region in southwestern Virginia are central to the numerous parks and open space and a wide variety of recreational activities. The region also hosts a legacy of historical landmarks dating from the 1600s, when western Virginia was the frontier. The steep New River Gorge is fed by over 3,000 square miles of Virginia watershed, more than 7% of the stateís total area. Designated an American Heritage River, the New River Gorge boasts unique geology and cave habitat that is home to many rare animal and plant species.

These attributes have made the region attractive, and the New River Valley, like many rural communities through which the A.T. traverses, has begun to experience rapid growth. As the region develops, it is critical that plans are in place to identify and protect local natural and cultural assets – assets that enhance the A.T. experience. A local partnership has formed in the New River Valley to develop a strategic conservation plan, identifying and developing strategies to protect the regionís significant green infrastructure.