It twists and turns over hill and valley for 2,175 miles from MaineGeorgia. It
is an epic footpath, a highway of hiking. It is the delight of many pilgrims --
from Boy Scouts to elderly adventurers who walk to find natural beauty and
tranquility. Its official name is the Appalachian National Scenic Trail, but
it's more commonly called the Appalachian Trail or,
simply, the AT.
That word "scenic" in the formal name defines what the trail is
all about -- and it shouldn't be forgotten, especially in Pennsylvania,
home of a 229-mile section. The state portion of the trail runs from the
Delaware Water Gap and follows the eastern rim of the Alleghenies north of Reading
and Allentown, crosses the Cumberland
Valley, near Harrisburg,
and makes its way to Maryland.
That is some beautiful country.
It is also threatened country in some parts. While the trail itself is
protected by state law, that does not extend to neighboring tracts of land that
have the potential to fall before the remorseless march of development and
cease to be scenic. While most townships along the trail have enacted zoning
ordinances that protect the beauty of the area, some do not.
House Bill 1281, which has already passed the state House of Representatives
and is now in the Senate, would change that. It would insist that townships
without appropriate zoning adopt ordinances "to preserve the natural,
scenic, historic and aesthetic values of the trail ... ."
The bill would direct the state's Department of Community and Economic
Development and the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to give
technical assistance to municipalities that would face compliance. The bill,
which will directly impact only eight or so townships along the trail, is
supported by the Sierra Club and PennEnvironment.
The danger isn't merely theoretical. PennEnvironment points to the case of Smith
Gap Township
in Monroe County,
which did not have appropriate zoning laws in place when a developer proposed
building a $25 million auto racetrack near the AT.
The trail is a man-made American treasure in a divinely made setting. As America's
first national scenic trail, completed in 1937, its neighbors have a
responsibility to do their part in preserving it for future generations. The
Senate should join the House in insisting on that by passing this measure.
