As the weather gets warmer and more people enjoy our region’s outdoor recreational opportunities, our city’s leaders deserve credit for their efforts to improve and expand the Susquehanna Riverwalk.

As reported in Tuesday’s edition of the Sun-Gazette, City Council recently approved right-of-way easements with Lycoming County for the proposed extension of the Susquehanna Riverwalk to Susquehanna State Park.

The plan is to connect the Riverwalk to the campus of Pennsylvania College of Technology and the small state park on the banks of the Susquehanna River. Officials note that the extension could position the Riverwalk to eventually be connected with the paved walking and bicycling trail that runs from Newberry through Old Lycoming Township.

Our region’s rich array of nature affords residents and visitors many diverse opportunities to enjoy the outdoors. Hiking at Rider Park, Jacoby Falls or Mosquito Valley — to name just a few — camping, hunting, fishing, canoeing and kayaking are just a few of the recreational activities with which our region is blessed.

The Riverwalk has long offered convenient bicycling and walking, along the edge of our city. It offers a level of comfort, particularly for people new to the area, the hobby or to the outdoors that the more remote trails and sites cannot.

We appreciate the work Mayor Derek Slaughter and members of our City Council have put into the continued growth of the Susquehanna Riverwalk and we believe we all look forward to seeing that growth take shape in the coming years.