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,…
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Help find the next problem invaders that threaten our region’s natural areas… Become an Invasives Strike Force (ISF) citizen science volunteer! SIGN UP TODAY! We are excited to announce and unroll our newly refined ISF survey program for 2022! Many of you have helped contribute to our standard, intermediate, and blockbuster surveys which were the hallmark…
The Trail Conference has been awarded a $250 grant from ExtremeTerrain’s Clean Trail Grant Program. The program provides a grant for organizations for their next trail improvement projects. The Trail Conference will use the grant to provide food and refreshments for participants at the annual National Trails Day event at Trail Conference Headquarters at the historic Darlington Schoolhouse on…
On Monday, June 20, 2022, the Trail Conference celebrated the installation of new Lenape Trail bollards in Cedar Grove Park. In partnership with the Essex County Park System, 33 new bollards were installed along New Jersey’s 36-mile Lenape Trail that connects 18 parks and 11 municipalities. This project represents the culmination of 10+ years of work…
The most important part of having a safe, enjoyable trail experience is being prepared. When you’re heading into the woods, that means having reliable navigation. These days, we are blessed with an abundance of navigation resources: In addition to traditional paper maps, there are online hike descriptions, guidebooks, trailhead kiosks, downloadable park maps, interactive Avenza Maps…
