By Ben Moyer, Special to the Post-Gazette

Legends say a rainbow leads to a pot of gold, but trails bring more reliable rewards -- at least to businesses and communities nearby. That was just one of the messages about trails presented to 200 participants at the Laurel Highlands Summit, last month at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe.

The second annual summit, sponsored by Pennsylvania Environmental Council, Pennsylvania Recreation and Parks Society, REI, and the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Recreational Trails Program, calls attention to the unique natural and heritage-linked resources of the Laurel Highlands region in Fayette, Somerset and Westmoreland counties.

"The Laurel Highlands is an asset to this entire region," said keynote speaker Todd Poole, a land use economist who specializes in determining regional revenue generation from parks, trails and open space. "Being close to a trail or outdoor asset is becoming one of the most important recruitment draws for companies locating in new areas."

Poole cited the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP), which bicyclists can follow through the Allegheny Mountains from Pittsburgh to Cumberland, Md. He said the GAP attracts 750,000 visitors every year, 40 percent of which are "non-local" who stayed overnight in the region. Trail users, Poole said, spend $41 million annually in "trail towns" like West Newton, Connellsville, Ohiopyle and Confluence.

Several experts addressed future trail development. They noted that building new trails faces challenges as traditional funding sources shrivel, but said the rewards are too great to give up.

"These [trail] projects are not simple or easy," said Malcom Sias of the Allegheny Trail Alliance. "Seek out partnerships, and then do something to get the trail done. Pick the easiest piece and complete that first. People get excited when they see something on the ground and the project tends to move forward."

Canoe and kayak trails are an option, according to Hannah Hardy of Pennsylvania Environmental Council, that require less infrastructure development.

"Water trails are already in place on our streams and rivers," Hardy said. "But you need to plan ahead for developing access points, where people can get into and out of the stream."

Trail advocates across Western Pennsylvania have used abandoned railroad rights-of-way to stitch a widely acclaimed network of trails across the region. But that avenue may no longer be available, as rail companies see renewed opportunities to compete with expensive highway transportation.

"Those of you who have developed trails on abandoned railways are fortunate," said Sara Walfoort, bike-pedestrian coordinator for the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission. "The days of rail abandonment are over.

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