The 34th Annual Evening for Northeast Pennsylvania’s Environment, hosted by PEC, was held Oct. 17 at the Woodlands Inn and Resort. This post is part of a series celebrating the six local initiatives and two individuals recognized for their contributions to environmental protection and restoration in the region.
—
Forest City is a small town with big potential, particularly when it comes to the outdoors. A gateway to the D&H Rail-Trail, the area also offers some of the best trout fishing in the country and lies a short drive to Elk Mountain Ski Resort.
“It’s really a great place for people who love the outdoors and want to be outdoors,” said Dr. Katie Zefran, Chair of the Forest City Outdoor Town Action Team.
The Outdoor Town Action Team evolved out of a grant awarded by PEC in 2019. Its goal is to identify and fund projects that leverage the town’s proximity to outdoor recreation as a means of economic development. Since then, the team has worked with local artist Scott Nichols to install the first of a series of five sculptures that will lead from the D&H Trail to downtown Forest City. The first sculpture, an assemblage of flowers made of metal and recycled bike wheels, represents the local connection between the outdoors, recreation, and community.
“When we have all five done, then I think we’ll have even more traffic leaving the trail and going to town,” said Deb McNamara, who also sits on the Action Team.
Already, Forest City is realizing the benefits of the team’s work. Local merchants have noticed more visitors coming in from off the trail, spending money and wanting to see more of the town and surrounding area. Future plans include a renovated park offering views of town and the mountains and building a safe, multi-use route from the trail to Main Street.
Zefran hopes that their work can be a model for similar-sized trail towns.
“I would love to see other towns and other smaller communities realize that they don’t have to be a big city to survive,” Zefran said. “You can grow a town strictly by your outdoor resources.”
To recognize their hard work in activating this trailside community and the connections forged along the way, PEC awarded the Forest City Outdoor Town Action Team a 2024 Environmental Partnership Award. They were honored at the 34th Annual Evening for Northeast Pennsylvania’s Environment on Oct. 17 at the Woodlands Inn & Resort, Plains, PA. To learn more about the awards and to see the full list of this year’s winners, click here.