FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MAY 12, 2016

Ridge Runners of the Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail wins 2016 Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Award
(Camp Hill, PA) – The Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation (PPFF) today recognized the outstanding stewardship of Pennsylvania’s state park and state forest systems by the Ridge Runners of the Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail, awarding them the 2016 Improvement Award. This year’s award is sponsored by Somerset Trust.
The Ridge Runners are a group who volunteer their time and talents to the Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail. They gather two to three times each year to tackle large projects, as well as doing small projects on their own. With 80,000 visitors each year to the Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail, the Ridge Runners are needed to keep up with the maintenance of the 70 miles of trail which traverses state park, forest, and game lands.
Some key accomplishments include:
• Trail reconstruction
• Footbridge replacement
• Event planning, such as Laurel Highlands Ultra Run, The Crucible, and Xtreme
The Ridge Runners were honored at PPFF’s 10th annual awards banquet on May 11, 2016 at the West Shore Country Club in Camp Hill, PA.
Other 2016 PPFF Award Winners:
Cliff Jones Keystone Legacy Award: Rob Wonderling
Joseph Ibberson Government Award: Penn Nursery
President’s Award: Greenwood Furnace State Park Complex
Park of the Year Award: Gifford Pinchot State Park
Forest of the Year Award: Tuscarora State Forest
Volunteerism-Individual Award: Stephen Smetana
Volunteerism -Group Award: S.O.N.S. (Save Our Native Species) of Lake Erie, Presque Isle State Park
Volunteerism -Education Award: Pamela Karhan, Cherry Spring State Park

About the Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation
Founded in 1999, the Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation supports 120 state parks and 2.2 million acres of forest by coordinating volunteers, activities, and donations through its 40 chapters. The mission of the foundation is to inspire stewardship of Pennsylvania’s state parks and forests through public engagement in volunteerism, recreation, and conservation. paparksandforests.org @PaPFF