The Appalachian Mountain Club has launched a new Protect The View Initiative to put a spotlight on areas needing protection along The Circuit Trails in the Philadelphia Region.

Numerous studies have demonstrated that protected open space and trails provide measurable economic, environmental and health benefits to people and communities. Scenic views from trails add to this value and increase trail enjoyment.

Open space conservation within trail viewsheds is necessary to protect trail views from development.

As land development in the Delaware Valley increases, remaining areas of scenic value may disappear, presenting challenges for conservationists and planners.

The main objective of Appalachian Mountain Club’s Protect the View Project is to identify significant trail view areas along The Circuit Trails with a high risk for development so that this land may be protected for future generations to enjoy.

Protect the View and its ten trail focus areas is based on the results of Appalachian Mountain Club’s 2019 Circuit Trails Visual Assessment Project, which analyzed 30 Circuit Trails to identify potential land conservation areas based on trail viewsheds.

Using the results of the analysis, a conservation assessment and ranking of priority conservation lands was developed.

Although many areas along the Circuit Trails are worthy of land protection, Protect the View concentrates on ten focus areas along the following six Circuit Trails:

-- Schuylkill River Trail

-- D&L Trail

-- East Branch Perkiomen Trail

-- Kinkora Trail

-- Chester Valley Trail

-- Big Woods Trail

Protect the View includes a companion report for the ten focus areas that analyses each area’s development potential based on population projections and land development trend data.

Protect the View is a science-based campaign and call to action resulting from rigorous conservation and land development analyses. Protect the View visually showcases and highlights the many benefits scenic trail views have to offer.

The campaign catalyzes communication about the importance of open space funding and the need to preserve the scenic value of these places.

The Protect the View website includes data, photographs, videos, an interactive map, and a social media toolkit for those who want to share the project with others.

Additionally, the Protect the View website includes a form that sends emails to local representatives asking them to support open space conservation funding.

Visit the Protect The View Initiative website for more information.

For more information on programs, initiatives, upcoming events and how you can get involved, visit the Appalachian Mountain Club website.

[Posted: January 27, 2021]

2/1/2021