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Ecotourism advocates see the upside in improving and linking up area’s trails.

If county Recreation Director Andy Gegaris has his druthers, outdoor enthusiasts equipped with two wheels or two legs will at some point be able to travel from Ricketts Glen State Park to the Philadelphia suburb of Bristol without gassing up the car or hitting the highway.
Economies based on outdoor recreation, he argues, ensure that jobs are being created and the environment protected. And there’s a whole host of local advocates thinking the same thing. The region’s next big industry could develop by valuing the one resource the last big industry didn’t value at all.
Take, for example, the situation of the Laurel Run section of Wilkes-Barre Township. Once a bustling hillside community, it’s now little more than a ghost town being reclaimed by wilderness thanks to the spark of an underground mine fire that forced a hasty and permanent exodus. But the failures of the mining industry could serve as the keys to the ecotourism industry, as the woods through Laurel Run would become an important link from the 165-mile-long D & L Trail, beginning in Bristol, to Wilkes-Barre, the soon-to-be-finished River Common recreation project, the county’s levee trail system and the Susquehanna Trail, which is planned to eventually link to a trail to the county’s Moon Lake Park and Ricketts Glen.
And all along the way exist economic opportunities to serve outdoor adventurers with equipment and tools or entice them off the trail, with interesting shops and eateries, an inviting cosmopolitan atmosphere and bike racks.
As many bike racks as possible, by Michele Schasberger’s estimation, because she believes bike racks can revive cities. She’s seen the effects in other cities, such as Portland, Ore., which has cultivated its image as the nation’s greenest city.
There, biking has become part of the culture, where it’s not only possible, but preferable to bike around, said Schasberger, the project manager for the Wyoming Valley Wellness Trails Partnership. Some shop owners even petition the city to convert vehicle-parking spaces into bike racks because more can be fit in the same space. There’s a vibrant feeling, she said, that feeds and unifies an urban core beyond simple economic enhancements.
The options are so vast, the interests so varied and potential pitfalls so many, though, that the necessity for a project was noted very early. Interest groups, including the county, the Pennsylvania Environmental Council and the Wyoming Valley Wellness Trails Partnership, have been holding meetings with engineers, surveyors and other experts for about a year to clearly delineate what the finished system will look like, what and where it will connect and what needs to be done to keep it progressing. The end result will be a trail and greenway master plans for Wilkes-Barre and the West Side area, including Kingston and nearby municipalities.
In development for the past 15 years, the trail system currently includes about 35 miles, with about 105 more miles planned.
Beyond funneling people into and through the city, the trail system would connect disparate sections of the region as well. Dave and Judy Rimple, who have been shepherding the Back Mountain Trail since its inception about two decades ago, are seeing the blue-and-gold light at the end of the tunnel. Their goal is for the trail to connect from the West Side Trail system along the levee to Misericordia University so Back Mountain residents – and university students in particular – don’t have to drive to get into the city.
”I love the idea that we don’t have to be in our cars every day,” Judy Rimple said.
Though the trail still has some work to go, it’s already getting local use. Families are using it to walk to coffee shops and restaurants along the way, Judy Rimple said, and she sees potential for bike suppliers, accessory outfitters and other industries along the way.
“We have nothing out here for shirts, shorts; no gear shops,” she said. “There are ways to do it. Now it’s just a matter of we have to show people how to do it.”
A bit further in the future is the connection to Moon Lake Park and Ricketts Glen. Though the specifics have yet to be ironed out, both are in the master plan and those involved say the necessary land is available and the interest is growing.
Part of what’s pushing that interest is the Northeast Pennsylvania Mountain Bike Association, the members of which regularly ride at various parks in the area but have special interest in Moon Lake. There, they’ve been given permission to design and clear trails through the park’s acreage. About 20 miles of varying difficulties are already useable.
The group hopes to soon host an event for a national racing circuit, bringing the park to the attention of thousands of bikers nationally. From there, the group sees potential for racing supplies and other accessories being sold at the park year-round, as bikers could enjoy the trails or train for races at any time.
The county threw a major hitch in the plan, however, when it announced its 2009 plans a few weeks ago. In an effort to cut costs, the park will be shut down until April, though the bike association negotiated a deal allowing biking and cross-country skiing on weekends during the day.
Though no estimates have been announced about eco-tourism’s economic potential locally, the infrastructure upgrades alone are welcomed by people who are already pedaling to work.