In the Town of Yorktown’s version of Monopoly, everyone gets to own Boardwalk! Well, at least the boardwalk on the Mohansic Trailway in Westchester County. It is valuable because it connects the North County Trailway with the east side of FDR State Park along a 0.4-mile former rail bed. But more importantly, during its construction it connected youth and…
The Munsee-Eagle Trail was built and the Hutchinson Trail was improved this season to complete the new multi-use loop in Sterling Forest. The Trail Conference and New York State Parks held a grand opening of a 7-mile, multi-use, single-track trail loop at Sterling Forest State Park on Sept. 30. The ribbon-cutting was followed by a guided ride,…
The Ramapo Trail Crew completed the construction of a stone staircase near a popular waterfall on the Vista Loop Trail in Ramapo Valley County Reservation. The backbone of the crew was Conservation Corps members Shane Caffrey, Ryan McLean, and Nicole Vargas, led by Emma Chilton. Building the Waterfall Staircase This season was many things. There were times when it felt…
2018 was a successful year for battling invasive species in New York and New Jersey. The invasive programs at the Trail Conference provided almost 3,200 hours of volunteer surveying, data management, and invasive species removal, as well as nearly 5,000 hours of intern and Conservation Corps work protecting our natural areas. We continued our Invasives Strike Force surveyor program for the eighth year and…
The Trail Conference welcomes Dylan, Justin, Susan, Katina, Kathy, Joshua, and Dia to our trail family. Five New Board Members Appointed At the Annual Meeting held Nov. 3 at Trail Conference Headquarters, four new Board members were approved to serve three-year terms: Dylan Armajani, Justin Bailey, Susan Barbuto, and Katina Grays. Directors Ken Posner and David Stuhr were re-elected. Additionally, the…
From layout and design to construction, Trail Conference field manager Erik Mickelson has been a driving force behind the new multi-use trail loop in Sterling Forest coming to life. In recognition of this and support of his past and future trail advocacy and builds, Santa Cruz Bicycles presented him with a new 2019 CC XO1 Reserve bike in November.…
he Taconic Crew built steps along the Undercliff Trail to provide a safe route for Breakneck hikers. The Taconic Trail Crew— comprised of Conservation Corps members Matthew Shannon, Matthew MacDermant, Devin O’Donnell, leader Josh Delrio, and a rotating cast of volunteers— served on trails around Breakneck Ridge to create safer, more sustainable routes for hikers. Better Trails for Breakneck Leaves…
The Bear Mountain Trail Crew started the 2018 season with one goal: to finish the Appalachian Trail. I have to admit—I wasn’t sure we would be able to complete the project on time. But through a lot of blood, sweat, and wasp stings, we finished the Trail ahead of schedule. Five Conservation Corps members, including myself, worked on the Trail…
The fifth edition of the Shawangunk Ridge Trail Race (SRT) took place Sept. 14-15. Over 200 participants took on the half marathon, 30, 50, or 70-mile courses on the rugged Shawangunk Ridge Trail, which runs from High Point, N.J., to Rosendale, N.Y. Why two days? Because the 70-mile racers start the evening before, run through the night, and…
Emma Chilton, leader of the Trail Conference’s 2018 Conservation Corps crew at Ramapo Valley County Reservation, is the embodiment of a burgeoning environmental leader: engaging, passionate, knowledgeable, selfless. And on Sept. 14, she was honored by the Hudson Highlands Nature Museum as a Rising Environmental Leaders of the Hudson Valley at their annual Champagne Brunch. A recent environmental engineering graduate of Cornell, Emma has faithfully spent…
The Trail Conference is resilient because we have one of the most valuable and renewable natural resources of all: members and volunteers with passion and purpose. The Trail Conference was founded in 1920 on the fundamental philosophy of connecting people with nature. Nearly 100 years later, we continue to achieve this by partnering with land managers…
Remember when you were first inspired to protect or help the environment? Was it from reading a book or from interacting with a fellow trail lover? Since 2013, the Trail Conference has been fielding Trail Stewards at popular destinations throughout the region to cultivate these one-on-one connections in nature. If you’ve explored the Appalachian Trail at Bear Mountain on weekends or…
