"Heart of Appalachia Project"

Mission Statement:

The purpose of Mission Velocipede is to provide an interactive learning environment for school students, promote responsible bicycling as an alternative form of transportation and increase the awareness of regional historic and natural tourism destinations throughout the "Heart of Appalachia".

• Provide an educational experience that is unique, interesting and fun
• Promote regional tourism destinations
• Provide education about the environment
• Promote economic development that's compatible with an intact natural environment
• Provide education about safe and responsible bicycling

Mission Velocipede use bicycles to travel to regional sites of historic and natural significance. Through the use of the Internet and with the technical support of Net Access, Mission Velocipede will provide educational information about the destinations and provide real-time interactive chat sessions with local schools, so students can be directly involved in the learning process. Mission Velocipede will answer questions about the mission in general and provide an on-line journal of their travels so that students and the public can read about the journey as it progresses. Mission Velocipede will make use of interpreters from the Nature Conservancy, regional tourism boards and local citizen experts to provide information about the site being visited.

Using the Internet, students will be connected to the mission, will learn about the historical significance of the various sites visited, and will find out how these areas played an important role in our history. Through interactive participation, students will discover the unique flora and fauna that exist in our region and learn why it is important to preserve and protect these natural areas and how they play a vital role in our ecosystem. By working closely with local tourism authorities and the Nature Conservancy, Mission Velocipede will help to create interest in the abundance of regional historic and natural sites so that families will visit these destinations to explore and discover on their own. By providing education about the natural environment, local people and leaders will pay more attention to the importance of these areas as tourism attractions that should be protected. 

Mission Velocipede participants will be prepared to discuss safe bicycling practices with students and other groups, following the International Mountain Bicycling Association "Rules of the Trail" and other approved safe bicycling programs.