Eaton Township Supervisor Randy Ehrenzeller (top, second from right) addresses a group invited by the Endless Mountain Heritage Region to tour local parks and trails, such as the Seneca Trail that extends about 6 miles through Eaton Township to the Susquehanna River. EMHR Greenways Coordinator David Buck (above, right) recently led the tour for the benefit of DCNR Regional Advisor Silas Chamberlin (left). Also admiring a newly erected Seneca Trail sign on Jenks Road at the border of Eaton and Monroe Townships are (from left) EMHR Program Coordinator Hillary Robinson and RBA Group Planning Consultant Annette Schultz.
Numerous organizations have been successful in recent decades in bringing Tunkhannock area residents to the shores of the Susquehanna River and enhancing both recreation and the community’s appreciation of the borough’s long history with the waterway. The Endless Mountains Heritage Region (EMHR) has begun reaching out to and meeting with the previously noncontiguous groups in an effort to achieve a common goal – secure a designation for Tunkhannock as a “River Town” via the Susquehanna Greenway Partnership.
Tunkhannock River Day, an annual event largely coordinated by the Dietrich Theater and Wyoming County Cultural Center, has made Tunkhannock’s Riverside Park a destination for more than a thousand people each summer, and that does not take into account the number of area residents who access the Susquehanna at that point for fishing and boating on a daily basis.
The Endless Mountains Down River Canoe Race, sponsored by the Wyoming County Kiwanis, is one of the oldest events of its kind in the eastern United States, marking its 51st run this past July. Paddlers of all ages set in at Mehoopany and make their way to the Tunkhannock access.
Across the river in Eaton Township, Supervisors Randy Ehrenzeller, Paul Roker, and Ken White have been working with landowners, PennDOT, and a member of the Seneca Nation familiar with the history of Native Americans in Wyoming County to develop the Seneca Trail from the municipality’s border with Monroe Township to the Susquehanna River.
Tunkhannock’s Iroquois Trail is a 1.8-mile walking and biking path at the east end of town that was opened two years ago and was originally intended to connect with Riverside Park. The Eaton Township Supervisors are also looking for a way to develop a safe connection between the Seneca Trail and the park.
A little bit upstream at Vosburg Neck sits Camp Lackawanna, The Endless Mountains Nature Center, and the recently formed Howland Preserve, which operates under the North Branch Land Trust. Together, they represent more than 1,000 acres of forest on a vast peninsula hugged by the Susquehanna River. A network of picnic areas, learning stations, and trails between the entities is already in the works, and the red barn and farmhouse on the Howland Preserve have served as venues for art exhibits and wedding receptions.
All of those attributes and pockets of success are seen by EMHR as legitimate steps toward River Town status. The potential exists to boost Tunkhannock into the limelight as a premier destination for water recreationists, history buffs, and daytrippers and vacationers seeking a deeper, heritage-based experience. Sometimes, however, the projects can be stymied by a lack of cohesion.
“These sorts of stewardships and recreation done by volunteers over the years have led to us seeking recognition as a River Town,” said EMHR Executive Director Phil Swank. The time had come, he added, to pull the various parties together to begin mapping out a master plan.
On Dec. 5, EMHR met at the Tunkhannock Borough Building with leaders from several groups interested in working together to secure the prestigious River Town designation, including the Dietrich Theater, Howland Preserve Committee, North Branch Water Trail, Wyoming County Chamber of Commerce (WCCC), Wyoming County Parks and Trails Committee, and borough officials. Also in attendance was Silas Chamberlin, EMHR’s state representative and Regional Advisor for the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural resources (DCNR)
At the meeting, EMHR Greenway Coordinator David Buck explained to participants that boosting Tunkhannock to River Town status would not require any additional work for any of the groups involved, just more cooperation. Shickshinny in Luzerne County was the first borough on the North Branch to achieve River Town designation, and Athens and Sayre in Bradford County are working toward a unique dual “River Town” collaboration.
“It is exciting that Tunkhannock is seeking River Town designation,” Chamberlin stated after the meeting and subsequent tour of several sites included in the overall plan. “Designation will raise the prominence of the borough as a premier destination, not only for the beauty of the Susquehanna River but also for the many attractions the town has to offer, from its unique restaurants and shops to the Dietrich Theater and the town’s many cultural events.”
Swank noted that it is important for DCNR to see the overall picture and the benefits that additional funding would provide.
“There is certainly money available in grants, and having the designation of a River Town helps to draw the attention of state agencies,” WCCC Executive Director Gina Severcool Suydam concurred. “We need to continue to utilize the resources that we have to help our business owners to be profitable.”
“Tunkhannock is emerging as a hub of parks, trails, and greenways that really holds a lot of opportunity,” Chamberlin said in support of the endeavor. “We like to know that our funding is supporting well-planned projects that are part of a larger plan with support from a broad coalition and partners.”
The next step, Swank related, is encouraging the Tunkhannock Borough Council to adopt a resolution in support of the plan at their Monday, Jan. 5 municipal meeting.
Touring the grounds and structures at the Howland Preserve in Washington Township, Wyoming County, on Dec. 5 were (above, from left) DCNR Regional Advisor Silas Chamberlin, North Branch Water Trail volunteer Lynelle Welch, EMHR Program Coordinator Hillary Robinson, and EMHR Executive Director Phil Swank.
Eaton Township Supervisor Randy Ehrenzeller (center) addresses a group assembled near the old bridge in Eatonville to discuss its replacement in 2015 with a pedestrian bridge that will link the new Seneca Trail with the village. Making the trail attractive to bikers and pedestrians is one of many keys toward garnering recognition for Tunkhannock as an official “River Town.”
Participants in a group touring parks and trails in Wyoming County recently, including (from left) EMHR Greenways Coordinator David Buck, North Branch Water Trail volunteer Lynelle Welch, and RBA Group Planning Consultant Annette Schultz look across Bowman’s Creek into Eatonville at the future site of a pedestrian bridge that will be part of the Seneca Trail through Eaton Township.