The William Penn Foundation in Philadelphia has announced 13 grants totaling more than $5.9 million to help secure healthy rivers and streams in the Delaware River watershed.

Awarded through the Watershed Protection program, the grants will support the expansion and use of the regional Circuit Trails network. Support for the Circuit Trails contributes to creating the long-term conditions for a healthy watershed by providing widespread and equitable access to the region’s waterways. 

Announced in advance of National Trails Day, which was June 4, the grantees include the Appalachian Mountain Club, which aims to increase access to, use of, and support for the Delaware River watershed’s trails, waterways, and open spaces; the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, which will provide leadership on the Circuit Trails Coalition’s advocacy efforts to advance the completion and accessibility of the trail network; and Brandywine Conservancy, which will help advance Circuit Trails and water trails along the Brandywine Creek Greenway by partnering with municipalities and other stakeholders to complete planning and design and secure funding. 

“The idea is that one day you can step on a trail that’s part of the circuit and go in any direction all day long, and be on a safe, bicycle-pedestrian trail for a good 20, 30, or 40 miles in any direction,” Sarah Clark Stuart, chair of the Circuit Trails Coalition and executive director of the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, told the Philadelphia Inquirer. “The circuit would connect so many communities and give people the ability to enjoy the outdoors.”

(Photo credit: Getty Images/Thomas Kloc)