ADAMS TWP — Pete Ferraro was driving home on Myoma Road late one night last October when a runner dressed in black appeared out of nowhere.

“I almost hit this person,” Ferraro said. “I was thinking, 'This is ridiculous.'”

Incidents like this one are becoming more common, he said, and are one of the reasons he and like-minded residents have formed Trail Adams Area, a nonprofit group dedicated to the creation of a trail network connecting communities across southwest Butler County.

Trail Adams Area launched in April 2017 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, with members spending the past year and a half working with municipalities, developers and landowners to help plan and promote the introduction of new trails. They meet at 6 p.m. the first Tuesday of each month at the Adams Township Municipal Building.

Members come from various communities and have a variety of passions and specialties, from hiking and running to bicycling and horseback riding. Like Ferraro, they worry that roads in their part of the county have gotten too dangerous for pedestrians and others.

“When I first moved to Adams 20 years ago, we walked in the road all the time,” said member Shelley Wood. “As the township developed, it got more and more dangerous. The priority for me is to get the adults, the bikers and the kids off the roads.”

The bulk of the group's work is community engagement and reaching out to municipalities, developers and homeowners to work with property owners to add to the network of trails.

“The township has been very cooperative with us and provided encouragement and support,” said member Clay Morrow.

Members often attend local events and festivals to meet residents. They attend planning commission and municipal supervisor meetings to persuade developers to agree to allow trails in open spaces.

So far, developers and homeowners associations have been receptive to the group, members said. Their efforts, they stress, aren't restricted to one township.

“We're not just Adams Township,” Ferraro said. “We want to give back to the community as a whole.”

Morrow said the group has members in several townships and boroughs, including Cranberry and Middlesex townships and Mars and Valencia.

Ferraro said the group envisions a system of trails that reaches beyond the communities already engaged with members reaching out to groups in neighboring counties and other parts of Butler County.

“I think the happiest day for me will be hearing some kid (in Adams) got a job in Cranberry and rides his bike there,” he said.

Still in the early stages of its operation, Trail Adams Area is looking for projects and partnerships, Ferraro said.

Those who want to connect with the group should visit trailadams.com or the group's Facebook page.