Forest fires last fall resulted in the discovery of old military shells in sections of Storm King State Park. As a result, the Palisades Interstate Park Commission (PIPC) was forced to close this immensely popular park to the public. Since then, the Trail Conference and the Adirondack Mountain Club (ADK) have been working with our Hudson Valley Congressional delegation, notably Representative Sue Kelly (R-Katonah), and Carol Ash, the Executive Director of PIPC, to persuade the Department of Defense (DOD) and the United States Army to arrange a clean-up of the unexploded munitions. At an April meeting, Trail Conference and ADK representatives emphasized the importance of reopening the hiking trail network by summer 2000, and of preserving the aesthetics of this magnificent park by limiting the construction of firebreaks.

After some discussion, DOD and Army officials agreed that all hiking trails would be swept clear along with a 25-foot buffer on each side of the trails. This work was to begin by June, 2000. If this timetable is kept, we might expect that public trails could be reopened by this August. The Army Corps of Engineers already has the money ($400,000) in the FY 2000 budget for clearance of the hiking trails.

Our thanks to Congresswoman Sue Kelly, Congressman Ben Gilman (R-Middletown) New York Senator Charles Schumer, PIPC's Carol Ash, and their staffs for their efforts to date to secure the clean-up of trails areas.