The second round of negotiations with Sterling Forest LLC has come to a close. New York State Governor George Pataki announced that 1,350 acres will be added to Sterling Forest State Park; 1,100 acres will be purchased and another 250 acres will have a conservation easement placed on them. On February 7 at a press conference in the Bear Mountain Inn, Governor Pataki said the latest purchase from the Corporation will cost $8 million; the Governor has committed $4 million from New York State toward this latest acquisition. Governor Whitman has committed $1 million, and the balance is being sought from the Federal government and private sources. Additionally, it was announced that 650 acres were bought from New York University and 200 acres from Mr. B. Sears Hunter, a private landowner near Greenwood Lake.

In making the announcement about these new acquisitions to Sterling Forest State Park, now the largest park in New York at 19,000 acres, Governor Pataki stated, "this latest acquisition is for the children of the 21st century." The Governor spoke before representatives from the Public/Private Partnership and a class of elementary students from nearby Fort Montgomery School. Ralph Odell, Director of New York State Natural Resource Protection, noted "the second most exciting thing today is having these children here to witness this history that will so affect their generation." Bernadette Castro, Commissioner of State Parks, Recreation and Historical Preservation, compared Governor Pataki's legacy in land conservation to that of President Teddy Roosevelt.

Gary Haugland, President of the Trail Conference, stated "all these nearly 2,200 acres make a wonderful addition to this wildlands within our metropolitan area, but our work is not done until we have protected the remaining acreage. Executive Director Jan Hesbon, who is also President of Sterling Forest Partnership, also expressed his elation and noted, "We want to continue the negotiation until we save the entire heart of Sterling Forest."

In addition to thanking Governor Pataki for his leadership, both Haugland and Hesbon are especially grateful to JoAnn and Paul Dolan, saying, "this acquisition today is a continuation of the Dolans' dream and a testament to the wisdom of their vision more than 15 years ago."

The New York-New Jersey Trail Conference has been at work on its first map of Sterling Forest, and with these latest parcels now confirmed, the map is projected to be completed for sale in spring of this year.

The Marie Baier Foundation has recently made a third gift - of $40,000-to the Trail Conference. Each of these gifts has been designated for trail lands protection in the Appalachian Countryside, for our Long Path and Highlands Project. One of JoAnn Dolan's last duties as Executive Director was to formally thank the Foundation. JoAnn wrote,

"We are so grateful to begin this landmark year with funding to support our most critical projects. After years of negotiations on parcels for the Long Path North, we see 2000 as the time to complete a complex land protection of trail stretch involving 14 parcels. We will be better equipped to address trail issues in New Jersey and work effectively with our state agency partners in protecting a trail and greenway corridor with the Baier funds used to match other gifts. Additionally, we are working with land trusts to protect critical viewshed lands for the Appalachian Trail. The year 2000 is a symbolic turning point for where we are headed in the next century for future generations."

Thanks to the Baier Foundation's previous gifts, the expansion of the Long Path and the Highlands Trail has continued. John Myers, Trail Lands Consultant for the Trail Conference, stated, "it has been a slow year for acquisitions, but a significant one for laying the ground for acquisitions to be completed in the next few years." This year, John has succeeded in re-opening a ten-mile section north of the Catskills with the last option being completed on Ginseng Ridge. New York State will buy six of the properties within a few years and five more within five years. On nearby Huntersfield Ridge, John is involved in negotiations with five other landowners for acquisition to re-open a closed section of the Long Path. The Trail Conference contributed $1,000 toward purchasing another parcel for a parking area in the Catskills near Shandaken. Further south on Schunemunk Mountain, John is talking to property owners to protect the Highlands Trail there.

"We are fortunate to have the expertise of John Myers at the Trail Conference," commented Trail Conference Board President Gary Haugland. "Along with Bob Augello, our attorney for land acquisition and conservation in New York State, John has an excellent track record in protecting open spaces for the hiking community. As important is the funding from the Marie Baier Foundation that makes it all possible."

Along the Highlands Trail in New Jersey, John has nearly closed a 10-mile gap between Mahlon Dickerson and Allamuchy Mountain State Park. Permissions have been gained from a quarry owner and the Lake Lackawanna Association. With John's assistance, Bethlehem Township has included the Highlands Trail in its open space plan, and Hunterdon and Warren Counties are pursuing open space acquisitions for the near future.

Trail Conference Executive Director, Jan Hesbon, observed, "Land acquisition is a slow process. Much of these trail systems are built on and around individual landowners, and each negotiation is a time-consuming process. With my experience in land protection through The Nature Conservancy, I learned that each person's attachment to land is an emotional bond in addition to an economic one, and parting with sentiment is often more painful than parting with money. I am impressed with how many different negotiations and acquisitions John Myers is able to juggle."

In the next issue of the Trail Walker, we will continue describing how the grant from the Marie Baier Foundation is supporting our initiatives in New Jersey since the appointment of our NJ Field Representative Larry Wheelock.

Digital Mapping Is Here

The TC's first digitally produced trail map-of Sterling Forest-is on the way. For our next digital mapping projects, we need volunteers for both digital cartography, which requires a high-end PC, and for GPS measuring on weekdays. Full article

Grown-ups, are you taking the children in your life-of whatever age-hiking? It's a priceless way to experience the world of open spaces, and share an intimate time together. Start the new millennium on the "right foot" by deciding to take the children you know hiking.

You can hike together by yourselves, or, in the New York/New Jersey metropolitan area, take advantage of the many opportunities for guided hike programs, combining hiking with learning, at parks and nature centers. Below is a beginning list of ideas for you to implement the Green Bonding challenge in YOUR life.

Editor's note: There are more events and programs than shown below. Call each park for more details, because the Trail Walker's deadlines are much earlier than the parks' schedules are available.

Sterling Forest State Park � Free, guided "Hikes of the Month"

Saturdays, March 18 and April 15

Head off to Mombasha High Point on March 18 with staff of Sterling Forest State Park. This hike is a moderate, 2 mile round trip which includes a 400 foot climb. Then, on April 15, come out for a journey on the Indian Hill Loop Trail. This hike is 3 miles long with a total elevation gain of 750 feet. It is rated difficult because of the uneven terrain and sometimes rocky trails.

As always, there will be stops along the way to enjoy the view and discuss the natural and historical features of the landscape.

The "Hike of the Month" is free but registration is required. All participants should meet at the Sterling Forest State Park Information Center on Route 17, just south of Route 17A, in Tuxedo, New York, at 11AM. To register, or for more information call 914-351-5907.

Sterling Forest State Park also has a Family Nature Series, which usually includes hands-on activities and an easy hike.

New Jersey Palisades section of the Palisades Interstate Park

 � History hikes and/or treks-from easy to difficult. For a full listing of all PIP-NJ events, call the Park at 201-768-0379 or visit its web site at http://www.njpalisades.org/.

Saturday, April 1

April Fool's Hike. Moderate hike, from 10 AM to 2 PM. Meet at Blackledge-Kearny House at Alpine Boar Basin. $4. parking per car. Free admission.

Sunday, April 30

Pickletown. Moderate hike, from 11 AM to 2 PM. Meet at north parking lot, beyond Englewood Boat Basin. $4. parking per car. Free admission.

Minnewaska State Park Preserve

Saturday, March 18 Nature Hike: Spring Equinox Exploration. Moderate, starts at 1 PM.

Saturday, April 1 Nature Hike: Rainbow Falls. Moderate, 10 AM to 3 PM.

Saturday, April 8 Nature Hike: Gertrude's Nose. Strenuous. $5 parking per car.

Saturday, April 22 Family Hike: Earth Day Meander. Easy, 10 AM to 12 noon. $5 parking per car.

All Minnewaska programs are free, but require advance registration. Call 914-255-2011 for details and to register.

A calendar of events in Harriman-Bear Mountain, Sterling Forest State Park, Minnewaska State Park Preserve, and the Trailside Museum and Nature Center is available. Send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to: Special Events, c/o Palisades Interstate Park Commission, Bear Mountain, NY 10911.

$9.35M infusion for NJ open land preservation

In December 1999, the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation announced that it will provide nearly $10 million in grants for open-space preservation in New Jersey over the next four years.

The New York-based foundation will give the bulk of the grants - $8.4 million - to The Nature Conservancy and the Trust for Public Land to buy land or conservation easements in the Highlands, Pine Barrens, and Barnegat Bay regions, with the goal of preserving at least 10,000 acres in Bergen, Passaic, Morris, Sussex, Warren, Ocean, and Burlington counties.

Maureen Ogden, chair of the Garden State Preservation Trust, hailed this news as a vital infusion of funds to augment the $1.5 billion Green Acres bonding plan approved by voters last year - all of which focuses on achieving Governor Whitman's goal of preserving 1 million acres of forests, wetlands and farmlands over the next decade.

The two recipient groups seek parcels that form greenways, protect watersheds, and add to existing parklands and farms with conservation easements.

The Trust for Public Land, a San Francisco-based non-profit organization with regional offices in Morristown and New York has helped to purchase about 11,000 acres in New Jersey in the past two decades, including 3,400 acres that are now part of Bergen County's Ramapo Mountain Reservation. The Nature Conservancy, based in Arlington, Va., has a regional office in Chester, and has helped to preserve more than 42,000 acres in New Jersey since 1955, including High Mountain in Wayne.

Before Duke's death in 1993 at age 80, the tobacco heiress maintained an estate in Hillsborough, Somerset County. Her will left about $1.5 billion to create charities to advance her interests in the arts, environmental protection, and medical research. In 1997, The Duke Foundation contributed $5 million to the public-private partnership that purchased Sterling Forest. In 1991 Duke donated 1,000 acres to The Nature Conservancy to preserve a rare boreal forest-usually found near the arctic-called Mashipacong Bogs in Sussex County.

Health Hints for Hikers

The Tricky Ticks

A recent issue of the New England Journal of Medicine reported a case of a young girl who experienced a flaccid paralysis. In one day she was unable to walk and her condition worsened requiring supplemental oxygen. A tentative diagnosis of Guillain-Barre syndrome, which can be life-threatening, was made.

As astute pediatrician who was aware that tick paralysis can be mistaken for Guillain-Barre syndrome, looked for a tick. Using a fine-tooth comb, he found a 15 mm engorged tick on the scalp which he removed with tweezers. The tick was identified as Dermacentor Variabilis (a common dog tick) which is associated with Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Recovery was as rapid as the onset. In one day the patient's paralysis disappeared.

There are about 60 different ticks that can cause this paralysis but in the United States only the dog tick and the wood tick are causes. The paralysis is caused by a neurotoxin secreted by the tick. It is a rare disease usually seen in children up to 12 years of age. Although all the literature deals with children, adults who weigh around 100-pounds can also be susceptible. The reason is that the larger the body mass, the less chance for getting the disease.

If you happen to develop a flaccid paralysis in 24 hours and are diagnosed as having Guillain-Barre syndrome, ask your doctor to examine your scalp with a fine-tooth comb and tweezers. It may save you thousands of dollars in medical bills.