Strategy

Many communities in Pennsylvania were founded along waterways to support the manufacturing and mining centers close to river and rail transportation.  With the decline of these major industries, river communities suffered both job loss and population decline as generations were forced to leave to find jobs.

The Pennsylvania Environment Council has launched an asset-based community development initiative, the River Town Program, to assist distressed communities bordering a navigable river to develop an alternative economic engine—outdoor recreation-- to help revitalize these small communities.  The program is based on grassroots community engagement recognizing the river as an asset with potential to attract visitors. Recognition of the river as an economic asset leads to greater conservation. PEC works with each community to address environmental issues including energy efficiency, stormwater management, and river conservation.

Objectives

The goals of a River Town are:

• To become a welcoming stop for visitors to experience an authentic community with a strong heritage and a solid conservation ethic
• To grow existing business opportunities and attract new investment in visitor services and attractions and grow the economy of the town
• To integrate sustainable development and conservation of the surrounding natural resources into community and multi-municipal planning
• Adaptive re-use of existing and historic buildings as “the greenest green buildings” and reclamation of brownfield and grayfield sites
• To adopt a regional approach, building on the unique assets of each community as complementary, instead of competitive

Impact

Outdoor recreation is a booming segment of the U.S. economy, particularly in waterfront destinations. Rivers and land-based rail trails attract visitors who require services, including lodging, dining, shopping, and related recreational opportunities.  Recent studies across the country have shown that connecting communities to natural resources can provide opportunities for economic growth, increase the quality of life of local residents, raise property values, and attract new business investment.

The economic benefits to towns are well documented.  For instance, the Great Allegheny Passage (Pittsburgh, PA to Cumberland, MD) documented a $41 million impact in 2008 on businesses in the counties through which it passes.  Another study in Idaho found that anglers spent an average of $90 a day for a total annual economic impact of $15 million.  Boating activities on the same river were calculated as having a half-million dollar annual impact. In fact, the Outdoor Industry Foundation revealed in a 2006 study that active outdoor recreation employs five times more Americans than Wal-Mart, the world’s largest private employer.

The Communities

Allegheny River Towns

In 2010, PEC worked with six municipalities along the lower Allegheny River: Blawnox, O’Hara, Aspinwall, Sharpsburg, Etna, and Millvale. To read the final reports for each of these communities, click here.

Monongahela River Towns

Six municipalities bordering the Monongahela River are currently participating in the   River Town Program, focused on building new connections to the riverfront to attract visitors, businesses and economic opportunity.

The Mon River Towns Program is a two-year initiative focusing  on developing riverfront recreational assets in California, Fredericktown-Millsboro (Washington County), Rice’s Landing, Greensboro (Greene County), and  Point Marion and Brownsville (Fayette County).

The program is initially funded through a grant from the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation.  The Student Conservation Association (SCA), a national non-profit providing internships in conservation, has established a River Town Outreach Corps with a corps member assigned to each community to assist in this program.