About three years ago, Carla Ruddock, PMSC AmeriCorps Alum and Mountain Watershed Association’s Director of Conservation, realized that the MWA could be part of creating something special that would align perfectly with MWA’s goals and simultaneously meet a real community need.
Back in 2021, the World Health Organization reported that in the first year of the pandemic, “global prevalence of anxiety and depression increased by a massive 25%,” and that, “one major explanation for the increase is the unprecedented stress caused by the social isolation resulting from the pandemic.” And, after hearing from some Westmoreland county residents about a desire to spend time on the Indian Creek Valley Trail as well as build meaningful friendships while still following protocols, Ruddock proposed “Trail Tuesdays” to her team;the initiative didn’t take long to gain traction. The program is simple: MWA leaders decide what part of the Indian Creek Valley Trail to hike on a given night, they share out a message to followers stating the time and place to meet, people sign-up to come, and the hikes do their work– building community one step at a time.
Mountain Watershed Association’s mission is to: “protect, preserve and restore the Youghiogheny River watershed and its broader communities through conservation, recreation, education, and advocacy.” So, Ruddock’s idea of bringing people together to hike the ICV Trail on Tuesday evenings has become a unique, low-pressure way for community members to spend time together exercising, laughing, and learning along the Indian Creek. Simultaneously, the walks serve to build up a new group of folks who now know and care about the watershed and its surrounding area. And, three years later the human need for contact and friendship hasn’t changed, either.
On Tuesday evening, October 31, 2023, the MWA team concluded their Fall 2023 Trail Tuesday series with an evening stroll through the “gorge,” as community members call it. As the sun lowered behind the mountains, the temperature dropped, and it could have seemed dark and spooky along the trail that Halloween night. Instead, the warm fellowship somehow brought a lightness to the walk. One community member noted that she and her husband have been part of the hikes all through the summer and fall. She reflected, “It’s good way to spend time outdoors, meet some new friends, and enjoy each other.” PMSC AmeriCorps member, Keith Terney was instrumental in encouraging MWA to extend the summer walks into the Fall for 2023. While most of Keith’s days are dedicated to water quality monitoring (which he said he loves), he noted that these Tuesday evening hikes have provided “an opportunity to be together and explore the watershed in a different way.”
Though many aspects of MWA’s work across the watershed community is technical (i.e. macroinvertebrate testing, acid mine drainage remediation, etc), “Trail Tuesdays” is a simple outreach activity with a profound impact on the river community– the people, the water, and the future.
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