Minutes 4/6/2006

DRAFT Minutes
New York-New Jersey Trail Conference
Trails Council
April 6, 2006

     1.  Trails Council Chair Dan Van Engel called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. at the Trail Conference office in Mahwah, N.J.  Present were: Dan Van Engel - Chair, Larry Wheelock - Trails Director, Maureen Edelson - Development Director, Dennis Schvejda - Advocacy Director, Richard Benning - Land Acquisition Specialist, Estelle Anderson, John Blenninger, Bob Boysen, Larry Braun, Ken Card, Daniel D. Chazin, Chris Connolly, Ellen Cronan, Jane Daniels, Walt Daniels, Jack Driller, Bill Fisher, Jakob Franke, Joe Gindoff, Suzan Gordon, Josie Gray, Pete Heckler, Bob Jonas, Peter Kohlberger, Mark Liss, Ron Luna, John Mack, Bob Marshall, John Moran, Glen Oleksak, Sandy Parr, Trudy Schneider, Manny Silberberg, Ike Siskind, June Slade, Peter Tilgner, Denise Vitale and Bob Ward.

     2.  Minutes.  The minutes of the Trails Council meeting February 3, 2006 were approved, with several minor corrections.

     3.  Ramapo-Dunberberg Trail Relocation in Tuxedo.  Manny Silberberg reported that the western most section of the Ramapo-Dunderberg Trail, from the Tuxedo railroad station to the Thruway overpass, has been relocated.  He noted that hikers are no longer permitted to park, even on weekends, at the parking lot immediately adjacent to the station.  Rather, they now must park at the commuter parking lot north of the station, with free parking on weekends and holidays ($2.00 on weekdays).  Manny Silberberg explained that the R-D Trail still starts at the station, but instead of heading south along the tracks, it goes north to East Village Drive, turns right onto East Village Drive, passes the entrance to the commuter parking lot and continues along the road to the Thruway overpass.  This relocation was unanimously approved by the Trails Council.

     4.  Report of Publications Committee.  Daniel Chazin reported on the following matters:

          a.  West Hudson Maps.  He noted that the new digital edition of the West Hudson map set is currently at the printer, and that proofs are expected to arrive tomorrow, with the map hopefully being printed in about two weeks.  He pointed out that the new maps do not incorporate an important change that may soon be made to trails on Schunemunk Mountain, but commented that we are nearly out of the West Hudson maps (and the South Taconic map, which will be printed on the same sheet), and that we do not want to delay the printing of these maps any further.

          b.  Hiking the Jersey Highlands.  He reported that the maps for the forthcoming Hiking the Jersey Highlands book by George Petty have been posted on the web, and that revised hike descriptions are available to all supervisors who wish to review them.  He encouraged supervisors and others knowledgeable with regard to the trails covered in this book to review the maps and hike descriptions and inform Ruth Rosenthal, the project manager, of any changes that need to be made.
 
     5.  Report on Land Acquisitions.  Rich Benning reviewed with the Trails Council the various land acquisitions that the Trail Conference has made and is currently working on along the Shawangunk Ridge and the Long Path in New York, as well as in New Jersey.  He pointed out that the Trail Conference has encouraged Orange County to purchase an abandoned railbed, currently owned by Norfolk Southern, which parallels the Shawangunk Ridge and serves as the route of the Shawangunk Ridge Trail.  He also noted that plans are underway to extend the Highlands Trail east of the Hudson River and into Connecticut, and that we are also working on extending the Highlands Trail to the Delaware River in New Jersey.  Finally, Rich Benning noted that we are working with the New York City Department of Environmental Protection to construct trails on their lands in the Catskills and East Hudson areas.

     In response to a question, Jane Daniels commented that the Board oversees the fiscal responsibility of the organization, and that Board members carefully monitor the element of risk that the Trail Conference assumes in connection with the purchase of trail lands. 

     6.  Advocacy Report.  Dennis Schvejda reported that, following considerable pressure by the Trail Conference and other organizations, a New Jersey Assemblyman has introduced legislation to strengthen the regulation of ATVs.  He also noted that a representative of a responsible ATV group has met with him and has agreed with our position on ATV regulation, provided that areas are established where ATVs can legally be ridden.  Dennis Schvejda explained that we are trying to find two places in New Jersey where ATVs can legally be used, and noted that these would have to be places that are accepted by the local communities. 

     7.  New York State Trails Council.  Jane Daniels reported that she attended a recent meeting of the New York State Trails Council, held in Albany.  She stated that, at the meeting, there was generally an air of cooperation between the various trail user groups.  Jane Daniels also reported that New York State is GPSing trails in state parks and intends to use the resulting data to create trail maps that would be distributed for free to all park users.  She also noted that the state is trying to create an inventory of all trails in New York.

     Jane Daniels also stated that she is looking for someone who is willing to serve as the Trail Conference’s representative to the New Jersey Trails Council. 

     8.  Schunemunk Mountain.  Larry Braun reported that there have been two recent developments at Schunemunk Mountain.  First, he pointed out that a private landowner has closed hiker access to Schunemunk Mountain via Shaw Road, and that the trail was relocated across a meadow, but that there is a steep slope that has to be traversed.  Second, he noted that the two crossings of the railroad by the Sweet Clover Trail and the Jessup Trail have never been formally approved by the railroad.  He pointed out that a proposal has been made to relocate the railroad crossings to one single location, between the two existing crossings, which is in the middle of mile-long straight section of the tracks, and that a meeting was held this morning between representatives of the Metro-North Railroad, the park and the Trail Conference to discuss this matter. 

     Larry Braun reported that, after discussions among the parties and an inspection of the site, it was agreed that the park would pursue obtaining a crossing easement from the railroad and would also investigate whether prior agreements may exist to allow a crossing of the tracks in this general area.  If agreement can be reached among all the parties to establish the new crossing, the Sweet Clover and Jessup Trails would be rerouted to follow the existing route of the Otterkill Trail (which would terminate at the Jessup Trail), a new trail route would be established leading east from the new railroad crossing, and portions of the existing Sweet Clover and Jessup Trails east of the railroad would be eliminated.  He also stated that the railroad will require that any trail constructed within their right-of-way be sloped, rather than incorporating steps.  However, it was also pointed out that Norfolk Southern is the owner of the railroad and that they would also have to approve any new crossing of the railroad.  Larry Braun concluded by noting that this process may take several years, and in the meantime, it is anticipated that the existing trails and the two railroad crossings will remain in their current locations.

     9.  Chainsaw Safety.  Larry Wheelock reported that, in cooperation with the Trail Conference, the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation is considering sending one or two rangers to courses that would result in their being certified to train others in safe chainsaw use, so that they could in turn certify our maintainers in chainsaw safety.  He explained that there are different levels of certification in chainsaw safety, with those passing a course for the first time getting a limited certification, which requires them to work with others until their certification is upgraded.

     10.  Shore Trail.  Daniel Chazin reported that the Edgewater Colony recently received approval for construction of two new homes on property that adjoins the southern end of the Shore Trail along the Palisades, at the point where the trail leaves Henry Hudson Drive and descends stone steps to the river level.  He pointed out that the number of new homes permitted was reduced from four to two, and that, as a condition of approval, the developer was required to make repairs to this section of the trail and to give the park an easement for the trail, which crosses their private property.  He noted that this is a favorable outcome, as it ensures the continued existence of the trail.

     11.  “Hiker Crossing” Signs on Skyline Drive.  John Moran reported that the Borough of Oakland has recently installed “Hiker Crossing” signs at three locations along Skyline Drive.  He noted that this occurred as a response to the Trail Conference’s decision to provide to the borough a copy of our North Jersey Trails map set and the New Jersey Walk Book, in order to better enable them to respond to emergencies on the trails.  Jane Daniels stated that she would send a letter to the borough thanking them for installing these signs.

     12.  Extension of Pine Meadow Trail to Ramapo Equestrian Center.  Pete Heckler reported that the Town of Ramapo has acquired an equestrian center along Route 202, and that the park has approved the extension of the Pine Meadow Trail, using the Suffern-Bear Mountain Trail and several woods road, to descend the east slope of the mountain and end at the equestrian center, where parking is available.  He noted that it is hoped that this trail will be opened on Trails Day, June 3rd.  In response to a question by Sandy Parr, Pete Heckler stated that he did not foresee a problem with horses on our hiking trails, as they use other trails.  After a brief discussion, the Trails Council unanimously approved this extension of the Pine Meadow Trail.

     13.  A.T. Relocation in Depot Hill State Forest.  Walt Daniels explained that this minor relocation would move about a quarter of a mile of the Appalachian Trail in Depot Hill State Forest in Dutchess County further east to eliminate a view of a home recently constructed adjacent to the Trail corridor.  He pointed out that this relocation has been approved by the New York State DEC, since it goes through a state forest.  The relocation was unanimously approved by the Trails Council.

     14.  Trail Update Protocols.  John Moran gave a presentation showing the various changes made to the Yellow Trail (which connects Camp Tamarack, Camp Todd, Camp Glen Gray and Camp Yaw Paw in the Ramapo Mountains) over the last 15 years, pointing out the importance of documenting such changes for our publications.

     15.  Proposed Land Donations by PioCosta.  Bob Boysen explained that PioCosta, a private landowner in Great Meadows, west of Hackettstown, N.J., along Route 46, has proposed to donate land or an easement to create a trail along the Pequest River, using existing public property to connect two sections of private property which he would donate.  Bob Boysen noted that the property generally parallels the right-of-way of the Lehigh and Hudson River Railroad, but pointed out that although the state is acquiring most of the right-of-way of this abandoned railroad for use as a trail, it appears that they will probably not acquire the section of this railroad that goes through Great Meadows, as it is adjacent to highways and could easily be developed.  Thus, the land proposed to be donated could serve as a bypass for the section of the railbed that would not be acquired.  Moreover, in the event that this section of the railbed is acquired, the trail along the river could be combined with the railbed to create a loop hike.  It was noted, however, that since the Trail Conference does not currently maintain trails in this immediate area, the Board would have to approve the adoption by the Conference of this new trail.

     After discussion, the Trails Council unanimously voted to recommend to the Board that the Conference adopt this new trail along the Pequest River in Great Meadows, N.J.

     16.  First Aid Training and Supplies for Trail Crews.  Larry Wheelock reported that the Conference will be applying for a $10,000 grant to provide first-aid training and supplies to trail crews.  He stated that there is a good chance that the Conference will obtain this grant and that he is looking for a source of sustainable funding for this program. 

     17.  Red Trail at High Mountain.  Ellen Cronan explained that, due to construction at William Paterson College, a new parking area for trail access to High Mountain has been established on the same side of the road as the trail, with a new connecting trail leading from the relocated parking area to the Red Trail.  She pointed out that, although it was originally thought that the new connecting trail would be blazed in a different color, it has now been determined that part of the old trail will be abandoned and that the new connecting trail will become part of the Red Trail, rather than being blazed in a separate color.  This change was unanimously approved by the Trails Council.

     18.  Strategic Planning.  Jane Daniels conducted a strategic planning session for the Trails Council, asking members to comment on the Conference’s strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities.  At the conclusion of the session, Jane Daniels stated that she would be bringing the various comments by members of the Trails Council, and similar material gathered from other committees, to the Board for their consideration.

     19.  Elizabeth Levers Memorial Fund.  Jane Daniels reported that an application has been received from an Eagle Scout candidate who has requested $27 to pay for paint to be used for trail work in the Watchung Reservation.  It was pointed out that this Scout has already obtained other donations to cover the cost of the lumber that he will be using for the project.  This request was unanimously approved by the Trails Council; however, it was also suggested that a special committee be formed to review and approve requests for grants from the Elizabeth Levers Memorial Fund, so that such requests (especially requests for such minimal amounts) do not have to be brought before the entire Trails Council for approval.

     20.  Managing Visitor Usage Conference.  Walt Daniels reported that he had just returned from a conference on Managing Visitor Usage in parks.  He stated that he obtained a manual at the Conference and will be posting some information on the web.

     21.  Electronic Communications.  It was noted that a committee that has been established to review the Trail Council’s forms and operating procedures has recommended that the Council move towards developing electronic communications to replace paper forms.  There was discussion regarding the value of the information provided in these communications and to whom it is valuable, and regarding quality control of the data.  It was agreed that additional time needs to be devoted to this subject at a future Trails Council meeting.
    
     22.  The meeting was adjourned at 9:15 p.m.
                                      Respectfully submitted,

                                      Daniel D. Chazin
                                      Secretary

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