Conservation as Community-Building

When's the best time to get community feedback on your trail project? Before, during, AND after the project!

That was the message from Trust for Public Land's seminar yesterday on Strategies for Community-Led Conservation. Hosted in partnership with the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the webinar attracted conservation, heritage, and parks organizations from across Pennsylvania.

Valley In Motion was honored to be the seminar's guest presenter. We highlighted the South Scranton Connector Trail and the civic engagement we're doing to support community-led planning, maintenance, and stewardship of this promising project. The trail would connect three affordable housing developments - 600 families - with 8,000 acres of the Pinchot State Forest that lies on the other side of Interstate 81.

For VIM, community engagement is not just a process, it's an end in itself. Part of the outcomes we seek on all our projects involve strengthened sense of community among residents. This engagement can build connections, sense of belonging, trust, pride of place, and feeling of ownership of shared spaces. We believe outcomes for youth improve when they're involved in civic projects, including the early design process.

We want our projects to not only improve local quality of life, but to change the narrative of communities. You should believe your home is important, that it is progressing and worthy of your time, energy, and imagination.

Community ownership of the South Scranton Connector Trail is critical for other reasons. Residents have concerns about safety, dumping, and other illicit activities on the trail. We need neighbors to report infractions and feel responsible for the trail's upkeep. We want residents in market-rate housing to see the trail as a benefit for living near affordable housing. We imagine that this trail will attract mountain bikers from outside the area. Will this economic benefit be welcomed or resisted? Community pride in this public resource will make a critical difference on all these issues.

Community participation in the Friends of the Connector Trail may also be critical for long-term stewardship of the trail. This Friends group will be in on the ground floor of the project, including getting training on trail-building and maintenance.

Doesn't all this engagement take time? Yes! Since time is money, VIM is committed to pursuing grants that allow for robust public planning. We've had some success, but there's more work to do. Our strategy has been to emphasize the community health and youth activation outcomes of this project. We are committed as an organization to activate public spaces, and getting communities involved is an important part of that mission.

Following our presentation, we got some interesting audience questions. One was about how we maintain neutrality among competing community interests. I told folks that we're not neutral. We're advocates! However, we have a important role in building trust and among people with differing views. We know that conflict comes with change. How we manage change so that voices are fully heard and balanced is a choice that requires our commitment and patience.

Want to learn more? Trust for Public Land released a recording of the webinar here. TPL has two more webinars scheduled in this series, including Outdoor Recreation as a Pathway to Economic Vitality on October 22, 2026.

Leave us a comment if you want to share your community engagement stories. We love to learn and collaborate!