BRODHEADSVILLE, Pa. — With a cut of the ribbon, community leaders celebrated the opening of the Little Mexico Trailhead in Chestnuthill Township near Brodheadsville.
"It's really for low-key, low-intensity recreation to be able to go bird watching, take a walk, that kind of thing," said Chuck Gould, chair of the Chestnuthill Township Supervisors.
This is the third trailhead the township has created. It connects to more than 760 acres of land. Township officials say they purchased the land piece by piece over the last 20 years in an effort to preserve nature.
"These are old existing trails that were woods and roads when they did logging a century ago, and we will continue to work on the trail system here and when that becomes available on the map," Gould said.
Along with recreation, people can use this land for hunting.
"We've entered into a hunter-access cooperative agreement with the township, which means the township will keep their properties open to hunting and trapping, and in return, the (Game Commission) will offer law enforcement patrol of the areas," said Ryan Gildea, a land management group supervisor for the Pennsylvania Game Commission.
Chestnuthill Township is also partnering with the Pennsylvania Game Commission to turn this former farmland into a thriving habitat for wildlife.
"There are some invasive species we have in the background. We have autumn olive, which is typical with any old field property, so we look to remove invasive species and promote native species, and that can be done in a number of ways," Gildea said.
The township received funding through the county, state, and area nonprofits to make the Little Mexico Trailhead possible.