State of the D&L Trail Address

The Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor’s Annual State of the D&L Trail Address was hosted online on Thursday, April 17 at 6pm. You can find a link to the recording on our YouTube page. The staff shared DLNHC’s 2024 successes, information on what to expect on the D&L Trail in 2025, overviews for key sections to see this year, ways to enjoy the Delaware and Lehigh Rivers’ Water Trails, tips for how to connect to nearby towns, and a highlight of DLNHC’s newest Trail Friendly businesses to check out while on the trail.   

• 2025 State of the D&L Trail Address Presentation

• 2025 Q&A Section

REFERENCE LINKS:

• Whitewater rafting regulations: https://www.pa.gov/agencies/dcnr/recreation/where-to-go/state-parks/find-a-park/lehigh-gorge-state-park/whitewater-boating.html 
• Lehigh River Water Trail: Lehigh River Water Trail – Wildlands Conservancy
• Delaware River Trail: Delaware River Water Trail – Interactive Map
• Plan your trip: https://delawareandlehigh.org/explore-the-corridor/plan-your-trip/
• Take Action website: https://delawareandlehigh.org/take-action/

Thank you for joining DLNHC for our 2024 State of the D&L Trail Address. DLNHC’s Trails & Conservation Department went live at 6PM on Tuesday April 16^th to discuss tips for planning your 2024 Trip along the D&L Trail.

You can find the recordings on both YouTube and Facebook.

The Trails & Conservation Department went live on Tuesday April 11^th at 6PM for the 2023 State of the D&L Trail Address! This event was be be fully virtual via zoom and livestream. You can find the recording on YouTube. Make sure to skip to the 13 minute mark!

What is the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor? Claire Sadler, Executive Director, will provide a brief overview of the organization, introduce staff and board members, and highlight upcoming events.

What’s Useful? Charles Stonewall, Trails & Conservation Associate, will provide a refresher on what resources we provide and where you can find them.

What’s New with the D&L Trail?  Liz Rosencrans, Director of Trails & Conservation, will discuss current trail projects and go over any updates regarding development and maintenance.

Exploring THE LINK! Brit Kondravy, Conservation Coordinator, will discuss how the D&L Trail acts as a spine for three different trail networks, and how you can explore them on your own.

Programs, Programs, Programs!  Education Manger Whitney Davison, Charles, and Liz will go over some of the programming we have available that utilizes the D&L Trail as a main focal point. Learn about our free health and wellness initiative with St. Luke’s, explore Trail Friendly Businesses throughout the Corridor, or get involved and volunteer with DLNHC!

How we Can Help You!  Claire will provide some additional information regarding funding opportunities available through DLNHC.

We want to hear from you! The final portion of the event will be a Q/a section to answer pre-submitted and live questions. Pre-submitted questions are guaranteed an answer during the live and we will try to answer as many live questions as possible. However, we will provide follow up materials after the event that answers any questions we could not fit in the event.

The Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor’s first Annual State of the D&L Trail Address was held Tuesday, March 29 at 7pm. You can watch the recording on Facebook here.

What is the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor? Claire Sadler, Executive Director, provided an overview of the organization, introduced staff and board members, highlighted upcoming events, and discussed how the D&L Trail is the spine of many local trails and an integral part of the regional trail network.

Tell me more about the D&L Trail!  Liz Rosencrans, Trail & Stewardship Manager, discussed the current trail projects in each county including future projects to address trail gaps and maintenance, as well as recently completed projects. She explained where to find trail resources for trip planning and defined trail terms such as tow-path, rail trail, and the difference between “Open and Improved,”  “Unimproved,” and “Future” sections of D&L Trail.

How can I get more involved?  Imogen Wirth-Granlund, Program Coordinator, led the discussion on trail programs at the D&L and highlighted how our audience could get more involved through opportunities like Trail Patrol, Trail Tenders, Get Your Tail on the Trail, and our various Trail Towns programs.

How does the D&L support regional conservation efforts?  Brit Kondravy, Conservation Coordinator, discussed Lehigh Valley Greenways, the D&L’s main conservation program, THE LINK Trail Network, and provided an example of a Lehigh Valley Greenways mini-grant project that supports water quality.

We want to hear from you!  Mandy Tolino, Director of Trails and Conservation, provideed an example of how the D&L community can elevate the message of the D&L by participating in a postcard campaign, following us on social media, and/or becoming a member of the D&L. Mandy wrapped up the program with a Q&A session.