UPB Students Present Trails Research to Appalachian Regional Commission

Students from the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford traveled to Washington, D.C., to present to the Appalachian Regional Commission research they conducted on the creation of a trails hub in the area.

The students are enrolled in an Applied Anthropology course taught by Dr. William Schumann, assistant professor of anthropology. During the fall, they held a series of town meetings in conjunction with the Allegheny National Forest Visitors Bureau to gauge local opinions on developing the area into a “hot spot” for trail activities.

Meetings were held in Bradford, Smethport, Kane and Warren. Students also interviewed community leaders in other successful trail towns.

The students will also present the results of their research at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday (Dec. 14) on WESB’s LiveLine show at 1490 AM.

“We’re seeing that there’s a lot of public interest,” Schumann said, but added that those who showed up for the meetings were those excited by the prospect of developing a hub.

He said that there was particular interest in equestrian and snowmobile trails because they tend to be more “destination” trails that benefit the local economy through lodging and meals eaten.

“These are cumulative gains that keep small, existing businesses in the black,” Schumann said.

One possible next step for Schumann’s students would be developing mobile applications for trails in the area that could describe points of interest. Two students have already shown interest in pursuing that as an independent study.

Another possible next step is creating a public information system – a newsletter, blog or Facebook page -- for the trail agencies that exist in the area so that they can communicate better with one another.

The presentation was made as part of the Appalachian Teaching Project, an ARC program that works with regional universities to support research on issues relevant to Appalachia.

Students from 14 colleges and universities participated. Pitt-Bradford was the only participant from Pennsylvania.

Students taking part in the research and presentation were Ernest Benkovski, a history-political science major from Pittsburgh; Jennifer Crowley, a history-political science major from Great Valley, N.Y.; Ryan Crowley, a history-political science major from Bradford; Mara Kloss, a history-political science major from Bradford; Desiree Lamer, a criminal justice major from Bradford; Lauren Marshall, an English and history-political science major Lewis Run; Michael Morrison, a history-political science major from Plainfield, N.J.; Jenna Oyler, a human relations major from Kane; and Elizabeth Tillman, a human relations major from Appleton, N.Y. The students also had time to do some sightseeing in Washington.

Pictured, Mara Kloss, a student in Dr. William Schumann’s Applied Anthropology course at Pitt-Bradford, presenting before the Appalachian Regional Commission in Washington, D.C.

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