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Working for You in the Northeast: Carl Knoch
When Rails-to-Trails Conservancy brought Carl Knoch on board in April 2006 as manager of trail development for the Northeast Region, he was no stranger to trail building. "Having worked for eight years as a volunteer in trail development, I jumped at the opportunity to make it my vocation," says Knoch, calling it his "dream job."
Knoch, an avid outdoorsman who lives in New Freedom, Pa., became involved with the trail community near his home when he joined the York County (Pennsylvania) Rail Trail Authority in 1998. The authority is a 10-member volunteer board charged with development of the county's recreational trails. Their first project, the 21-mile Heritage Rail Trail County Park, was completed in 1999. Drawing on a marketing background with ad agencies and commercial banks, he consistently promoted the trail, which currently attracts almost 300,000 visits annually. In 2000 Knoch was elected board chairman.
An engaging speaker with a dry wit, Knoch made his first contact with Rails-to-Trails Conservancy when he presented on the economic benefits of trails at RTC's 2003 TrailLink international conference. The following year he started a business, Trail Facts, consulting with the trails community and working with RTC's Northeast Region on trail user surveys. A graduate of Penn State University with a Masters in Administration, he has substantial management expertise and grant writing experience, both of which come in handy in trails work.
If you pedaled the Pennsylvania Greenway Sojourn this year, you'll remember Carl as the guy who kept the ride on route with signage and cue sheets, and whose one-liners kept us laughing at announcement time. Back in the office, he handles all the rail-trail development questions and works on establishing contacts and relationships with trail organizations and state agencies throughout the Northeast Region's 10-state territory.
This summer, with other RTC staffers, he cycled many rail-trails in Maine and New Hampshire as part of research for Rail-Trails: New England, the newest rail-trail guide from Rails-to-Trails Conservancy due to hit bookstores in summer 2007.
"It was a great way to get to know our territory and build relationships with trail developers," Knoch says, noting that he looks forward to making more connections throughout the Northeast.
In October Knoch was honored by the Pennsylvania Planning Association with a Distinguished Leadership Award for a Citizen Planner, in recognition of his work with York's rail-trail authority and on township planning boards, of which he is also a member. Interestingly, he was unable to accept the award in person because he was up in Maine—representing RTC for trail planning—with the Sunrise Trail Coalition. Here in RTC's Northeast Region we're pleased to have him put his planning skills to work on trails throughout the territory.
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