link to article for class: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/01/25/realestate/25hunt-simons.html
Alana Jacko’s position as Communications Director for the Susquehanna Greenway Partnership (SGP) combines her love for the outdoors and her skillset. Jacko graduated from Bucknell in 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in English and Studio Art and received her masters in English Literary Studies. Jack describes working at SGP as a “happy coincidence” because she spent her childhood growing up around the Susquehanna River.
The Susquehanna Greenway is a corridor of land and water trails, parks, river accesses, and communities along the Susquehanna River. Once complete, the greenway will be 5,000 miles, making it the largest in Pennsylvania; it extends one to three miles on either side of the Susquehanna River (depending on the geography). Jacko says, “A good rule of thumb is if you can see the Susquehanna River, then you’re standing in the greenway”. The greenway comprises four regions: The West Branch, The North Branch, The Middle Section, and The Lower Section.
If you enjoy hiking, biking, paddling, and more, the Susquehanna Greenway provides parks, water, and land trails encompassing a variety of outdoor activities. The SGP puts out newsletters, offers resources for outdoor recreation, and holds events. “We like to get people out and about,” says Jacko. SGP’s efforts also include an interactive map with icons representing hiking trails, river towns, boat launches, and parks.
While the greenway is the physical, on-the-ground entity, the Susquehanna Greenway Partnership is the nonprofit behind it. The SGP programs include trails, river towns, and Education & Outreach, which is Jacko’s expertise. Whether from point A to B, active/healthy living, connecting people, or connecting individuals with another time and place – Jacko says the greenways are all about connections.
Jacko showcases her passion for the outdoors by informing the public about the greenway’s offerings. Although when first interacting with the public at tabling events, she recognizes greenway is not a familiar term for most. Jacko’s enthusiasm leaves people wanting to know more. “They always get excited about it [and] they end up walking away with a stack of information” in reference to the resources SGP provides.
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