December 12, 2022 — Albany, NY — In a letter to Governor Kathy Hochul, twenty-nine organizations and municipalities have outlined three key actions that they would like to see taken in the 2023/24 state budgeting process to address high recreational use in the Catskill and Adirondack Forest Preserve Parks. The signatories also applauded this year’s historic commitment to the
The New York-New Jersey Trail Conference is the recipient of the 2022 Governor’s Environmental Excellence Award in the Healthy Communities category for its ongoing work on the Lenape Trail in Essex County, New Jersey. The Lenape Trail is a 36-mile, unique urban-suburban trail named in recognition of the Lenape people, the original inhabitants of the
The Nominating Committee of the Trail Conference presents the following candidates for the Board of Directors for three-year terms and At-Large Voting Members for one-year terms. These nominations will be voted on at the Annual Meeting to be held on Saturday, Nov. 19, via a virtual Zoom call from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. If you have agenda items to suggest,
We celebrate exemplary environmental leaders who are dedicated stewards and advocates in protecting the land we love to explore. Thank you for helping to safeguard our trails, so future generations may bond with nature, learn to value it—and pass their environmental values on to the next generation. Trail Champions: John and Marianne Gunzler Trails were
Creating Open Spaces for All The statewide plan outlines strategies to better connect people and protected land. The New York-New Jersey Trail Conference has announced their support of Open Spaces for All, a report issued by the Open Space Institute (OSI), in partnership with the New York Outdoor Recreation Coalition (NYORC). The Open Spaces for All report presents a
Did you know there is a fish (with teeth!) that can live days out of water that is threatening the waterways of the Lower Hudson Valley? Allow me to introduce you to the invasive northern snakehead (Channa argus), a predatory fish native to Asia most likely introduced to New York through natural dispersal and potentially through aquarium dumping and
The New York-New Jersey Trail Conference’s Terrestrial Invasives Strike Force (TISF) crew has been hard at work targeting an infestation of invasive sticky sage near the Appalachian Trail corridor in Dover, NY. With only three known occurrences in the entire United States, sticky sage is a prime example of an emerging invasive species. The crew has been
The New York-New Jersey Trail Conference (Trail Conference) Conservation Dogs Program has partnered with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Natural Heritage Program (NJ NHP) to find a rare, native orchid; a small whorled pogonia. Small whorled pogonia (Isotria medeoloides) is federally listed as threatened and state-listed as endangered in New Jersey and New York. This charming plant
We are excited that the Athletic Brewing Company selected the Trail Conference as a recipient of their Two for the Trails grant program. The generous $5,000 grant will help fund trail improvements in the Northern Region NJ State Parks with minimal project restrictions, which is incredibly valuable for the work we do – this flexibility
Through the Share the Love event, Liberty Subaru has donated more than $38,000 to the Trail Conference mission. Subaru is committed to giving back to local charities and doing their part to protect the environment. That philanthropic spirit is helping to improve our trails with generous unrestricted funds in support of the Trail Conference mission. Liberty
Visitors to the Highlands Trail in New Jersey experience brand-new signs installed along the length of the New Jersey section. This is the result of a successful collaboration between the New Jersey Highlands Water Protection & Planning Council (Highlands Council) and the Trail Conference. The New Jersey section of the Trail extends approximately 130 miles from
Our Publications Committee has continued to be quite busy recently, so here is an overview of recently published titles and upcoming updates as of mid-September. Recent Maps and Books: Northern New Jersey Highlands Trails map setCheck out the Northern New Jersey Highlands Trails map set, an updated version of our popular North Jersey Trails map,
