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
Everyone has a chance to be a trail angel through their passion for trails and support of Trail Conference volunteers. People who magically provide long-distance hikers with water, shelter, and food are known as “trail angels.” The volunteers who build and maintain the trails should be celebrated as trail angels, too. Everyone has a chance to be a trail angel through
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
Consistently ranked the most popular day-hike destination in North America, Breakneck Ridge was identified as a 2018 Leave No Trace Hot Spot due to overuse and misuse. In other words, Breakneck has now been nationally recognized as a place in danger of being “loved to death.” In a recent survey on Trails.com, it received more than 10 million votes—more
John Gunzler, a tireless champion of the Trail Conference for decades, was honored at an event celebrating his life this fall. Over 50 friends and family gathered around his wife, Marianne, and their daughters Melissa and Nicole at Trail Conference Headquarters on Nov. 3, nearly one year after John passed away at the age of
The Trail Conference takes land stewardship seriously. We work on the belief that the most effective way to advance change for the environment is through public participation, sustainable, on-the-ground solutions, and user education. To support that value, we are proud to announce we have five new Leave No Trace Master Educators in our ranks. The
