Advocating that all remaining qualifying portions of the Allegheny National Forest in Warren County be permanently protected from all forms of development as wilderness areas under the Wilderness Act of 1964 is the primary mission of the nonprofit Friends of Allegheny Wilderness (FAW).

At the same time, since the group's inception, FAW has sought to care for and steward the existing Hickory Creek Wilderness in order to give back to America's National Wilderness Preservation System.

It is important to never lose sight of, or take for granted, how lucky we all are to have such an invaluable unspoiled public resource in our midst.

With that in mind, the FAW trail stewardship crew embarked on their 21st season of caring for the Hickory Creek Wilderness trail this past weekend, May 15th and 16th.

The seven volunteer crew members hiked the trail loop in a counter-clockwise direction, and were able to successfully clear a large number of blowdown areas of large woody debris so that the trail will be easier for hikers to follow going into the Memorial Day weekend, and the summer.

The seven FAW trail stewardship crew members were: Jane Emminger, Jean Gomory, Joe Hardisky, Kirk Johnson, Leslie Krater, Walter Krater, and Joe Torok.

July Stewardship Weekend

The next FAW trail stewardship weekend is scheduled for July 9th, 10th, and 11th of this year. For anyone interested in joining this free program, please contact FAW at info@pawild.org  with any questions you may have.

For more information on programs, initiatives, upcoming events and how you can get involved, visit the Friends of Allegheny Wilderness website.  Click Here to sign up for updates.

(Photo: From left to right are: Jean Gomory, Kirk Johnson, Joe Hardisky, Walter Krater, Jane Emminger. Not shown are Leslie Krater and Joe Torok. Photo by Leslie Krater.)

[Posted: May 17, 2021]

5/24/2021