Be Part of the Circuit Commitment Campaign (There's Something Happening Here)

To appropriate Buffalo Springfield* (not the first time it's happened):

There's something happening here
What it is ain't exactly clear
Until I read that blog post right here
A tellin' me to put my hand in the air

It's time we STOP, bikers, what's that sound
Everybody look what needs more funding

Okay, we lost it there at the end. But there IS something happening here, and if you enjoy bicycling, running, or walking on beautiful trails, this is a call for you to raise your hand just like these trail supporters did in June:

June's Circuit Caucs meetings from New Jersey (left) and Pennsylvania (right). Not shown: Muppet Circuit Caucus

We have begun the Circuit Commitment Campaign, the goal of which is to harness public support to secure funding for new trails in our region.

You are the "public support" part of this equation. If you'd like to see the Schuylkill River Trail extended south, or bring the Chester Valley Trail into Lancaster County, or build the Delaware Heritage Trail in New Jersey (for example), here's what you can do:

• Sign the online Circuit petition and post it to your Facebook and Twitter accounts.
• Educate yourself on The Circuit and the campaign with this narrated presentation.
• Help our postcard campaign by distributing postcards to your church, favorite coffee shop, bike club, or other public space. E-mail us and we'll mail them to you.
• Add the Circuit take action button to your website and hyperlink it to the petition.
• Share this 400-word story about the campaign with your bicycle club, Friend of a Trail club, or outdoorsy listserv.

Background
In late June, trail supporters in Pennsylvania and New Jersey gathered together at two Circuit Caucus meetings to learn more about how they can help build the remaining 450 miles of The Circuit. At the meeting, we laid out the components of the Circuit Commitment campaign, which is working toward the goal of replenishing the region's trail fund with $10 million. We will be asking County officials who sit on the board of the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission to allocate $10 million toward trail planning, design and construction for trails in the nine counties that are part of The Circuit. We need to make the case to decision makers that there is widespread public support for trail funding.

So please - stop, bicyclists, hear this sound, everybody say why they love their trails. (*cue harmonica solo)

*UPDATE: this was originally cited as Dusty Springfield. This error is due in part to the blog editor (NM) being born in the 1980s. Sarah would not have gotten this wrong.