New construction is underway for two rail/ trail projects in Luzerne County on the Back Mountain Trail and the Black Diamond Trail. Anthracite Scenic Trails Association has been awarded $800,000 through the Federal Highway TEA 21 Enhancements Program to build an additional segment on the Back Mountain Trail, and Delaware/Lehigh National Heritage Corridor began construction on the Black Diamond Trail in Mountaintop. Pikes Creek and Pioneer Construction Companies have been hired. Penn Dot District 4 engineers inspect both projects. The Back Mountain Trail initially opened 2.2 miles in 1999 along SR 309 from Luzerne Borough to Trucksville. The new construction project adds a creek walk along Toby’s Creek in Luzerne Borough; steps from Carverton Road to the railroad bed; and, includes over two more miles of trail winding from Carverton to Lower Demunds Road in Dallas Township along the abandoned railroad and on residential streets. A total of over five miles will be open for exploring and exercise. Future goals hopefully will connect the BMT to Dallas Schools and Misericordia University. Innovative federal programs that are available to trail action plans are “Safe Routes to Schools,” “Bike Trains” & “Walking

School Buses”. The Black Diamond Trail in Mountaintop is under construction above White Haven. Anthracite Scenic Trails Association is owner of the trail while the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor provides funding for Design, Engineering Drawings, and Construction. An initial two miles and a bridge is 80% completed. The bridge is part of an old pedestrian bridge originally built over I-81which was given to Anthracite, and is now being recycled for use for passage over a live line railroad track. The Black Diamond Trail will eventually be fifteen miles long and run between White Haven and Laurel Run.. The trail is mostly rural although the path does run through residential neighborhoods and is close to populated communities. When this trail connects into White Haven it will merge with the 165 miles Heritage Trail already underway along the Lehigh and Delaware River Systems. As the Black Diamond Trail comes around WB mountain to Georgetown and into Wilkes-Barre, it will connect to the Susquehanna River System and to the Back Mountain Trail. Other valley trails... Susquehanna Warrior Trail and the West Side Corridor... will join the mountain trails providing Luzerne County a vast network of pedestrian and bicycle friendly recreation with additional possibilities for alternative transportation needs .______

FUTURE FUNDING: Federal Highway Money will be more difficult to access in the future...Public Use of our Trails will determine how much further we go. If you like this trail, use it, talk about it and help. Thanks, always, to 11 property owners who helped make the BMT a reality.

Judy Rimple, President

A “WALK” IN PROGRESS– OUR TRAILS GROW . . .

ANTHRACITE SCENIC TRAILS ASSOCIATION ANNUAL NEWSLETTER JUNE 2008

BACK MOUNTAIN TRAIL/BLACK DIAMOND TRAIL

CALENDAR

• Dallas fall festival Sept 21

• Fall Walk & Bike from Dallas Schools to Luzerne—TBA

• Open New Extension of Back Mountain Trail-TBA

• Nov 8—Leaf cleanup

• Nov 16-Leaf cleanup

• Board Meetings 8/20 –10/22

Call Angela @ 718-6507 for

detailed information

Trail work 2008

ASTA BOARD

Bill Leandri, Chairman

Janet Flack

Lew Hackling

Glenn Johnson

Barbara Lemmond

Bonnie Smith

Bob Hall

David Rimple

Judy Rimple

Trails belong to the public. Maintenance and improvement

include Volunteers.

A wish list for our trails include:

Build 2 new kiosks

Buy a Bench (3 needed)

Buy a bike rack (3 needed)

Help clear invasive plants

Improve a portion of the trail

Leaf removal from ditches

PAGE 2 B

END OF TRAIL (2008) OWER DEMUNDS RD

2.3 miles→

CONSTRUCTION

2.4 miles

→

“DONE”

DALLAS SCHOOLS

FUTURE→

Back Mountain Trail in three parts 2008

The Back Mountain Trail, will soon be 5 miles long and is built on the old Lehigh Valley RR and uses residential streets through Shavertown. Signs and Kiosks mark the way.

To get started go to ...

Trail heads:

Luzerne Borough on Parry Street. Park at Knights of Columbus, walk up to kiosk. Trail is 2.2 miles to Carverton Road.

Trucksville Trailhead: Park @ magistrate’s office off Carverton. Walk EITHER “downhill” to Luzerne OR cross Carverton, go across Bridge, pass Bus Stop and continue up to Lehigh (about 1.5 miles. To go further, walk on Lehigh, Vine, and Shaver Streets.

Main Street Shavertown: Park near Post Office, walk to E. Franklin St and enter Trail @ Shavertown Trailhead. 1/3 mile one way.

Points of Interest

Look for RR retaining walls, 30+ types of trees, numerous birds, mountain laurel, flowers. Sights include Wildcat falls @ DAMA and Toby's Creek (fish are active), a water tower used for steam engines, the historic Harris Hill bridge where the Trolley went under (now the creek), and the pine forest near E. Franklin Street.

ACCESS** TRAIL HEADS —5 MILES-LUZERNE TO DALLAS

EXPLORING** BMT TO FRANCES SLOCUM SP & LEVEE TRAIL

Pizza Perfect, Wildbirds, Swetland house, and other destinations. Explorers are encouraged to stay off main roads with narrow shoulders. People travel at their own risk. Helmets are important. Follow road rules. **From Frances Slocum SP ride on Carverton Road (wide shoulder) to Dug Road. To access the BMT, ride Dug

Road to Highlands; R on Maple, L on Staub, R on Holly, L on Cliffside. R on Post...trail is off Post Road. **From Luzerne Borough At Fire Hall go L on Buckingham; R on W. Vaughan; Walnut; R & go under Cross Valley 309; Cross Union St. RR Ave. Division St.; Brook St. On Main St.@ Edwardsville ENTER Levee Trail near Lowe’s & Kmart.

Most users like to walk anywhere from 1 to 5 miles. 90% of users live near to the trail...Bicyclists ride from 10 to 50 miles. The Back Mountain Trail connects people to the Susquehanna River levee trails, Frances Slocum Park and to many back roads off the main trunk of the trail. It is fun to find ways to Baskin Robbins,

PAGE 3 ANNUAL NEWSLETTER

FRIENDS OF THE TRAILS - THANKS FOR 14 YEARS !!

Hundreds of Volunteers help keep the trail open and beautiful… please join in!

Volunteer ...Adopt a section of trail, .Courtesy patrol, Chain saw crew, United Way Corporate Day of Caring, Community Service Programs, Walk-a-thons, Eagle Scout Badges, *Safe Trail Routes to School, Educational excursions, Lead or join in walks, bike rides, and fun runs, help with Toby Creek restoration .

Send this to PO Box 212, Dallas, PA 18612.

NAME_____________________________________________________________________

ADDRESS_______________________________________CITY____________ZIP________

EMAIL_____________________________TELE______________________

My INTEREST___________________________________________________________

Angela Vitkoski, PA Environmental Council Office (570) 718-6507

Mark Albrecht: BMT Council President (570) 696-3409

Hondo Nobel: BDT Council President (570) 474-9685

Judy Rimple: ASTA President (570) 675-9016

Call in and sign up ...suggestions are available for individuals & groups

THANKS : TRP. 21, UNITARIAN CHURCH, U.MISERICORDIA , ST. TERERSE, UGI, KRAFT, GIRL SCOUTS , DALLAS S.D.

PO Box 212 Dallas PA 18612

Phone: PEC Office contact 570 718 6507 570 675 9016

Fax: 570 675 4966 Koch@wilkes.edu

ANTHRACITE SCENIC TRAILS

ASSOCIATION

Up to $100 —Mark and Maureen Albrecht; Rick Allan; William & Tina Anzalone; Bob Asby; Charles & Lynn Austin; Bakker & Lewis; Christine

Balavage; Raymond & Patricia Balcomb; David & Louise Banik; Ron & Charlotte Bartizek; Karen Belli; Susan Berdis; Bevevino Family

Foundation; Alan Boonin; Charles & Andrea Brandt; Bill & Carol Burak; Shirley Butler; Mike & Debbie Callahan; Molly Churnetski; Walter &

Sue Ciehoski; Clark & Rita Conlon; Connolly Engineering; Jack& Lou Conyngham; Ann Coughlin; Gottried & Leah Csala, David Darby & Jennifer

Lavery; Debbie Darling; Stan & Patty Davies; Jim & Flo DePolo; Lew & Cathy Druffner; Mike and Rae Dziak; Earth Conservancy; Phyllis

Eckman; Erwine Home Health & Hospice, Inc.; Jean Eyet; Molly Farmer; Alan & Evelyn Finlay; Flack Foundation; Edward & Corrine Foote;

Herb & Karen Fry; Edward Gieda; William & Rochelle Gill; Fran Goetz; Patrick & Constana Good; Howard & Jean Gonchar; Leonard & Lynn

Gonchar; Curtis Goodwin, OD., Northeastern Eye Institute; Michael Grobosky; Rosalie Guido; Sid & Cydney Halsor; Betty Harris; George Hart;

Frank & Dorothea Henry; Dick Hislop, The Bay Window; Anne Holmes; Dale & Christine Hughes; Frank & Jean Hughes; George & Carol Isaacs;

Bill & Susan Kent; Fred Kern; Chip & Kim Koehl; Warren & Blair Koehl; Daniel Koviack; Dan & Mary Koviack; David Kuczborski; Stephanie

Kurilla; Paul & Alice Kutish; Jane Landau; Cheryl Lasky; James & Carol Lee; Sandra Lefkowitz; Charles & Barbara Lemmond; John & Liz Lloyd;

Fred Lombardo, Cook’s Pharmacy; William Long; Percy & Endyn Love; Ed & Sally Lottick; Luzerne County Convention & Visitors Bureau; Kurt

D. Maas, MD; Louise Mattas; Jim McCabe, Times Leader; Jack & CeCe McCarthy; John & Mary Moga; Nicholas Truck Sales; Vincent

Pagliantete; Shep Pawling; Frances Ochman, Tom Ochman Coins & Jewelry; John & Jennifer Ochman; Tom & Linda Orf; Arthur & Sandy

Piccone; Bruce & Nancy Ross; Marilyn Rudolph; Marshall Rumbaugh; Bill & Joann Runner; Jack & Alice Sallada; Manuel & Yolanda Santayana;

Kevin Santry; Mary Siegel; Rosemary Sigmond; Bruce & Nancy Slocum; Bonnie Smith; Robert Smith; Frank & Joline Sobeck; Clint Spiegel;

Veronica Spliethoff; Inez Stefanko; Sandy Sternlieb; Wallace Stettler; Christy Straitiff; Richard & Pauline Timko; Clifford Troup; Wayne

Williams; Albert & Anna Winkler; Wyoming valley Sanitary Authority; Richard & Ruth Yuhas.

$101—$250 ~ Theodore & Nancy Butler; Richard Maslow; Richard & Marion Pearsall; Sandy and Diane Rimple Sanborn.

$251—$500 ~ Bentley Systems, Inc.; Susan & Judd Shoval, Shoval Foundation; Tom Walski. Over $1000 ~ Back Mountain Bloomers Club Fund Raiser 2007—Garden Tour of Back Mountain (June 2009 will be next tour)

2007 GIFTS & DONATIONS—EVERY $ GOES TO TRAIL DEVELOPMENT—THANK YOU

THE DELAWARE AND LEHIGH SITE IS

LOCATED AT:

WWW.DELAWAREANDLEHIGH.ORG

T YPE IN ANTHRACITE SCENIC

TRA ILS , BACK MOUNTA IN TRA IL

OR . .ht tp//bmt.ed i t th i s page .com

NON PROFIT ORG

US POSTAGE PAID

PERMIT NO. 19

DALLAS PA 18612

GIRL S

HELP

KEEP

TRAIL

CLEAN

2007