Turn down any street in a typical Pennsylvania neighborhood, and you’re nearly guaranteed to encounter a cluster of red maple trees, some sort of oak tree or a hiking trail. Whether it’s an oasis of nature in one’s own backyard or a venture deep into a forest, Pennsylvania boasts a myriad of outdoor recreation options year-round.
After all, the nation’s Bureau of Economic Analysis says outdoor recreation adds $17 billion to Pennsylvania’s economy, making it the sixth largest outdoor recreation economy in the country.
It’s no secret the Keystone State is home to what can feel like unlimited access to outdoor opportunities, but what is a secret is the people behind those opportunities. We see clean, preserved paved trails, but who’s paving the way to such preservation?
Brook Lenker is one of those faces. He’s the executive director of Keystone Trails Association, a Pennsylvania nonprofit based in Mechanicsburg dedicated to enhancing outdoor recreation and the environment.
“KTA has this noble mission to provide, protect, promote and preserve hiking trails and hiking opportunities in Pennsylvania,” Lenker says. “We have a legacy with trail care … and supporting the Pennsylvania trail clubs that take care of other trails or trail segments.”
Established in 1956, KTA is one of the reasons we can strap on our hiking boots and continue to enjoy trails today, almost 70 years later.
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Lenker says the nonprofit has five “nature programs,” with one of their most significant being advocacy. This means championing projects and policies to “push back on bad ideas that harm our trails and the natural resources they depend on.”
“Our issues are far-ranging. Right now, we’re concerned about a proposed ... pumped-storage hydroelectric project for eastern York County that would affect the Mason-Dixon Trail in a profound way,” he says. “We’re also concerned about the expansion of ATV and UTV trails on state forest land because we see it as a conflict with forest values and the hiking experience. Those are just some examples in our advocacy bucket.”
KTA addresses issues like these, and the ongoing ones that continue to arise, by working with coalitions, advocating for hiker-friendly policies and educating the public on the importance of the state’s natural resources.
“We are a voice for the trails,” Lenkar says, emphasizing this as the organization’s core. KTA also exercises this voice by working with and supporting local trail clubs.
“We have a mini grant program that clubs can utilize for all kinds of purposes, whether it’s purchasing materials to maintain the trail or buying promotional products to help keep their club vibrant, attracting new members,” he says. “Together with strong local clubs and a strong KTA, it gives hiking more prominence in the state.”
Another slice making up KTA’s core: trail maintenance. The nonprofit boasts several opportunities and avenues for people to get involved with keeping trails clean and cared for.
Lenker says they put together half-day, whole-day and multiday trail crews to go on hiking paths around the state and tackle maintenance projects.
“We’re very interested in attracting more volunteers, more diverse volunteers, to engage in this very rewarding act of tending a trail,” he says. “You get that sense of satisfaction of the before and after through the work you exude. We think the more people try it, the more they will like it … and trail maintenance will resonate with a lot of people.”
KTA also offers training on trail maintenance, as well as a variety of other subjects like hiking techniques, outdoor skills and Backpacking 101, with the goal to “make people better and safer recreationalists.”
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Currently, the organization has thousands of people involved through members, social media followers, donors and volunteers. Anyone looking to get involved can do so by signing up on KTA’s website, checking out their social media channels and joining their mailing list.
Lenker says his goals this year are to continue to expand the organization’s reach and grow its member involvement. And the opportunities for the organization are also growing, too.
“We have lots of big plans,” he says, alluding to some of this year’s upcoming hikes and projects in store. The plans in the works include a trail maintenance “extravaganza” on Michaux State Forest on National Trails Day, a guidebook with the PA Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship, the development of a 300-plus-mile large loop state hiking trail and a Keystone Hiking and Outdoor Weekend in October.
“We’re really on a good trajectory … and doing some good things,” Lenker says, adding there’s no better time than now for KTA. He describes the timing as “uncanny” in a positive way, saying the state is “really amping up” its attention to outdoor recreation this year with new investments that align with KTA’s mission.
“Pennsylvania has the potential as a leader in outdoor recreation nationwide,” he says. “Trails need a lot of help. Trails don’t maintain themselves, and our public land management agencies can only do so much, so they have to rely on the help of organizations like ours to mobilize people to take care of the trails and other natural resources.”
Lenker says whether someone wants to take on a multiday hike, learn how to care for a trail or simply go on their first hike, there’s something our state’s nature can provide for everyone.
“I believe if you experience the outdoors, you’ll love the outdoors, and you’ll do more to care for and to protect those resources,” he says. “That’s why we do this. KTA is really a community. That’s what keeps me excited and fulfills me … and keeps bringing me to this work.”
Keystone Trails Association
46 E Main St, Mechanicsburg, PA
717-766-9690
FB: @keystonetrails | IG: @keystonetrails
