Generated by All in One SEO v5.0.0.1, this is an llms.txt file, used by LLMs to index the site. # Outdoor Towns Toolkit Learn How to Make Your Community Trail-Friendly ## Sitemaps - [XML Sitemap](https://townsandtrailstoolkit.com/sitemap.xml): Contains all public & indexable URLs for this website. ## Posts - [Slatington, Lehigh County](https://townsandtrailstoolkit.com/slatington-lehigh-county/) - Nestled on the scenic Lehigh River, Slatington became the center of the slate industry, producing slate for everything from roof tiles to chalkboards. The town grew as shipping was made easier with the openings of the Lehigh Canal, then the railroad. In the 20th century, industries dimmed, mills closed, and the railroad stopped running. Slatington, - [Etna, Allegheny County](https://townsandtrailstoolkit.com/etna-allegheny-county/) - A River Town Reinvents Itself to a Greener Place to Live A Case Study in Proactive and Inclusive Leadership Etna Borough is located along Pine Creek and the Allegheny River across from Pittsburgh. The town was named for the volcano Mt. Etna, an allusion to the blast furnaces and steel mills that once lined its - [Lewisburg, Union County](https://townsandtrailstoolkit.com/lewisburg-union-county/) - A River Town Creates Stronger, More Natural Connections A Case Study in How Action Teams Build Community Capacity Lewisburg is a historic community located on the banks of the West Branch Susquehanna River. The community’s well-preserved architectural styles, and Bucknell University add to its vibrancy and charm. But despite being on the river, the town - [New Bethlehem, Clarion County](https://townsandtrailstoolkit.com/new-bethlehem-clarion-county/) - Planning and Persistence Saves Historical Asset for Community Revitalization A Case Study in Regional Trail Town Planning New Bethlehem, situated in an area rich in natural resources, became a business center in the 1800’s.Lumbering was the first industry, followed by mining of coal, iron, limestone, clay, gas and oil. Businesses sprang up in town including - [Columbia, Lancaster County](https://townsandtrailstoolkit.com/columbia-lancaster-county-reconnecting-to-its-past-brings-a-brighter-future/) - Reconnecting to Its Past Brings a Brighter Future A River Town Case Study in Leadership, Planning, and Community Action The Susquehanna River has been a scenic corridor for travel since Native Americans first settled on its shores. As settlement continued, Columbia Borough became an important crossroads where canals and railroads running west from Philadelphia and ## Pages - [Home](https://townsandtrailstoolkit.com/) - STEP ONE Organize An Action Team The first step to being an Outdoor Town is to organize members of the local community into an Action Team. The Action Team is composed of a small core group of people passionate about making your community more attractive and accommodating for outdoor recreation. The Action Team can be - [Step 3 - Assess Your Community and Create a Vision for the Future](https://townsandtrailstoolkit.com/step-3-assess-your-community-and-create-a-vision-for-the-future/) - Community members stand to benefit the most from your efforts, so it’s imperative to gather their input and gain broad community support. Demonstrating local support is key to securing funding for your projects. You’ll need to assess your community's physical amenities and understand what residents want their community to be in five to ten years. - [Columbia: A Case Study in Community Planning](https://townsandtrailstoolkit.com/columbia/) - Reconnecting To Its Past Brings A Brighter Future The Susquehanna River has been a scenic corridor for travel since Native Americans first settled on its shores. As settlement continued, Columbia Borough became an important crossroads where canals and railroads running west from Philadelphia and north from the Chesapeake would meet. Columbia was an industrious and - [What is an Outdoor Town?](https://townsandtrailstoolkit.com/whatisanoutdoortown/) - An Outdoor Town is – above all – a place that brings people together through nature. .Outdoor Towns are fun and welcoming. They invite all people to come play outside. .Outdoor Towns have easy access to recreation. Visitors come for hiking, biking, paddling, hunting, fishing, or wildlife viewing..Outdoor Towns embrace nearby parks, trails, rivers, lakes, and forests as - [Resource Library](https://townsandtrailstoolkit.com/resource-library/) - The community development programs that have contributed to this Toolkit are listed below with a brief description. You may find that your community aligns well with one of these other programs. Use this library to find the tools or program that fits your community’s situation and helps you to achieve your aspirations for improvement. Pennsylvania Downtown - [Step 6 - Celebrate Success](https://townsandtrailstoolkit.com/step-6-celebrate-success/) - Don't forget that becoming an Outdoor Town is fun. Take time to celebrate your accomplishments, recognize your volunteers, and give the community opportunities to enjoy your town. Below are examples of events that can help you acknowledge the hard work done in your town. Step 5 Step 7 - [Step 5 - Implement Your Action Plan](https://townsandtrailstoolkit.com/step-5-implement-your-action-plan/) - Continue to hold regular meetings of your Action Team as you work on implementing your plan. It is important to check in to work through tasks and issues. Keep bringing new members onto the team to help spread the workload and add expertise. Take on smaller projects that involve volunteers first. This can help achieve - [Step 4 - Set Priorities and Create an Action Plan](https://townsandtrailstoolkit.com/step-4-set-priorities-and-create-an-action-plan/) - These three recommended tasks build consensus and support in your community for the Outdoor Town Vision: Host a Community Action Meeting – For resources for hosting an Action Meeting, check out the Community Meeting in a Box in the tools section below. The meeting should highlight the results of the Community Input Summary Report, the - [Step 2 - Identify Partners and Resources](https://townsandtrailstoolkit.com/step-2-identify-partners-and-resources/) - People know that Outdoor Towns work, so there are already loads of partners and resources that can help your community succeed. Planning is a central component to any Outdoor Town initiative. Many grant programs give preference to projects that have been developed through a public planning process. This demonstrates that your community has been engaged - [Step 1: Organize an Action Team](https://townsandtrailstoolkit.com/step-1-organize-an-action-team/) - The Action Team is the core of the Outdoor Town. There are two parts to establishing an Action Team. The first step is to gather a small group of people who are passionate about making your community more attractive and accommodating for outdoor recreation. This initial core group can be as small as two to - [About](https://townsandtrailstoolkit.com/about/) - The Outdoor Town Toolkit lays out steps along a pathway to help make your town a great place to live, visit, and explore the outdoors. It is intended to be an entry-level website for use by self-motivated communities. It will encourage outdoor and nature-based community development by providing easy to access educational content, inspiring case - [Contact](https://townsandtrailstoolkit.com/contact/) - Contact Us Questions about becoming on Outdoor Town? Learn more about this Toolkit and how it lays out a pathway to get you started. Please contact the Pennsylvania Environmental Council with additional questions. - [Lewisburg: A Case Study in Building Community Capacity](https://townsandtrailstoolkit.com/lewisburg/) - A River Town Creates Stronger, More Natural Connections Lewisburg is a historic community located on the banks of the West Branch Susquehanna River. The community’s well-preserved architectural styles, and Bucknell University add to its vibrancy and charm. But despite being on the river, the town didn’t have much of a connection to the river, what - [Slatington: A Case Study in Sustainable Recreation Funding](https://townsandtrailstoolkit.com/slatington/) - Investing in Well-Being of People and Places Nestled on the scenic Lehigh River, Slatington became the center of the slate industry, producing slate for everything from roof tiles to chalkboards. The town grew as shipping was made easier with the openings of the Lehigh Canal, then the railroad. In the 20th century, industries dimmed, mills closed, - [New Bethlehem: A Case Study in Regional Partnerships](https://townsandtrailstoolkit.com/new-bethlehem/) - Planning And Persistence Saves Historical Asset For Community Revitalization New Bethlehem, situated in an area rich in natural resources, became a business center in the 1800’s.Lumbering was the first industry, followed by mining of coal, iron, limestone, clay, gas and oil. Businesses sprang up in town including a lumber mill, distillery, brewery, dairy, restaurants, shops, - [Etna: A Case Study in Proactive and Inclusive Leadership](https://townsandtrailstoolkit.com/etna/) - A River Town Reinvents Itself To A Greener Place To Live Etna Borough is located along Pine Creek and the Allegheny River across from Pittsburgh. The town was named for the volcano Mt. Etna, an allusion to the blast furnaces and steel mills that once lined its shores. “Etna has always been an industrial town, - [Sample Page](https://townsandtrailstoolkit.com/sample-page/) - Header one Header two Header three Header four Header five Header Six Bonbon croissant gingerbread halvah carrot cake gummies halvah sweet roll. Tart caramels danish jujubes bonbon liquorice. Marshmallow chocolate bar topping cupcake jelly-o marzipan candy canes cake chocolate. Dessert tootsie roll candy canes cookie oat cake jujubes bonbon. List Item 1 List Item 2 - [Case Studies](https://townsandtrailstoolkit.com/case-studies/) - By Cornershop Creative Case Study 13 May: Slatington, Lehigh County Read More By Cornershop Creative Case Study 13 May: New Bethlehem, Clarion County Planning and Persistence Saves Historical Asset for Community Revitalization A Case Study in Regional Trail Town Planning New Bethlehem, situated… Read More By Cornershop Creative Case Study 13 May: Lewisburg, Union County ## Categories - [Case Study](https://townsandtrailstoolkit.com/category/case-study/)