H. Neil Zimmerman, a steadfast leader of the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference in various capacities for multiple decades, passed away in February. He was 77. Neil served as president of the Trail Conference Board of Directors from 1987 to 1999, was an honorary life member, and received the Raymond H. Torrey Award, the Trail
Conservation Corps member Brandon Elgun shares the story of his rewarding leap from a job in healthcare to serving as an AmeriCorps volunteer.
After about 15 years primarily spent in the public health sector, I told bewildered friends and colleagues that I was taking a “hard left turn” in my career. I left a job working for New York’s largest hospital system, and with that, a decent salary, a manager title, and probably the best benefits I will
From an early age, the natural world has been a place of refuge for me. Growing up in the metropolitan area, I became acutely aware of the beauty and splendor of the untouched landscapes of the region. They stood in clear contrast to the human-built world that permeates our daily existence. Similarly, to New York-New Jersey
Final Report Recommendations Build on DEC’s Ongoing Efforts to Promote Sustainable Recreation, Diversity, and Protection of the Park’s Natural Resources The Catskill Strategic Planning Advisory Group (CAG) submitted its final report on promoting sustainable recreation in the Catskill Forest Preserve to New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos. Comprised of stakeholders
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
