www.nynjtc.org Connecting People with Nature since 1920 March/April 2008

New York-New Jersey Trail Conference — Maintaining 1,683 Miles of Foot Trails

In this issue: New East Hudson Map Set...pg 3 • Staff Reorganization...pg 3 • Trail Work Season Begins...pg 5 • Monitor Invasives...pg 7 Sign Up for New Trails Project at Wonder Lake S.P. in Putnam County By Gary Haugland 2008 CAMPAIGN onder Lake State Park in New York’s Unmarked woods roads lead to the lake topography and scattered ravines. Most of eastern Putnam County has been and other parts of the park. For the time the site is covered with mixed hardwood, Wgenerally overlooked and unknown being, however, there are no maps; hikers ledges, seasonal streams, and rivulets; locat - since its acquisition by New York State Parks in and other users essentially are on their own. ed in the southeastern portion of the 1998. Ten years later, in mid-January 2008, the A kiosk at the park entrance stands blank, property is a series of meadows surrounded park was still unmentioned on the State Parks ready for a map that will feature trails yet to by stone walls. There are abandoned website. The problem during most of this time be constructed. orchards and, of course, Wonder Lake. has been one of access; the park was essentially Recently, Bill Bauman, manager of Woods roads cross the property and are landlocked by surrounding private property. Wonder Lake State Park as well as of most suitable for equestrian use; a network of trails for other park users needs to be built. One of these will be the Highlands Trail, which is being extended through Put - nam County to the Connecticut border; it March has arrived and that means it is time will form a core hiking trail through Won - to go out and find new members for our der Lake S.P. from which loops and side second annual Member-Get-A-Member trails can be built. campaign! As announced in the last Trail The Trail Conference is planning for this Walker , from March 1 through May 31, burst of activity by holding several trail 2008, the New York-New Jersey Trail Con - workshops in Putnam County this spring: ference challenges its members to Layout and Design (April 4 and 5), Main - encourage their friends, family, neighbors, tenance 101 (April 12), and Construction colleagues, and others to join the Trail and Restoration (April 13). [See the com - Conference. Each current member who plete list of spring workshops, including a sponsors a new member will become eligi -

R Maintenance 101 in New Jersey, on page ble for special recognition and prizes! I E

W 5.] Field sessions will be conducted at The members who enlist the most new E T T

E Wonder Lake S.P. after classroom meetings members during the MGM Campaign will G R O

E in facilities at nearby Fahnestock S.P. win this year’s prizes, which are: G A hiker enjoys a view of wintry Wonder Lake in January. Members—especially those living in the • Grand Prize: Camping Equipment area east of the Hudson River—are encour - Package from Campmor. In 2006, however, the Trust for Public Hudson Highlands and Fahnestock State aged to take advantage of these workshops • Second Prize: One-night, mid-week Land and the Open Space Institute negoti - Parks, invited the Trail Conference to help and help us design and build the trails and stay in a Jr. suite and dinner for two ated the purchase of 106 adjacent acres, develop this trail system. Wonder Lake fill the maintainer slots that will open when at the Phoenix Restaurant at the simultaneously expanding the park to 963 State Park presents the Trail Conference the trails are completed. Emerson Resort and Spa. acres and providing the needed public with an excellent opportunity to establish Join us, and be prepared to fall in love • Third Prize: Lunch and hiking passes for access. From a parking area on Ludding - new trails for hiking, and to serve as a with this recent addition to the New York two at the Mohonk Mountain House. tonville Road, which runs parallel to natural laboratory for upcoming trail State park system. It’s not hard to win. Last year’s winner Interstate 84 between exits 17 and 18, a workshops. won the top grand prize by recruiting just single marked trail, blazed yellow, now The park, the bulk of which was once a seven new members! extends into the heart of the park. country estate, is characterized by rugged For each new member you recruit, you will have one entry into our drawing for various outdoor goods donated by our Volunteer Profile a member about a year ago, and, very about a decade working as a set designer in retail partners. Items you might win quickly, a volunteer. New York City for stage and television, he through the raffle are: Thesis Project A recruitment ad in Trail Walker caught had “no knowledge specific to trail work. I • 3-day free rental of outdoor equipment his attention. Larry Wheelock, then trails had to get involved.” Last summer he packages from EMS, Paramus, NJ Leads Grad Student director (now West Hudson regional coordi - worked with several trail crews, including • Daiwa Executive Travel Pack Fishing nator, see page 2) was looking for volunteers with the West Hudson North Crew on the Pole and Reel from Matt’s Sporting to Trails Work to help create a manual for building trail Stillman Bridge project on Storm King Goods, Haverstraw, NY structures. Both parties recognized a perfect Mountain and with Ollie Simpson, who • Overnight camping package that match. Steever incorporated the manual was building picnic tables at shelters on her includes a Slumberjack ® sleeping bag, Andrew Steever “bumped project as part of his master’s thesis; the Trail section of the AT in Dutchess County. “I sleeping pad, lantern, and pot set into” the Trail Conference Conference benefited from his professional had to find out not only what the structures from Ray’s Sport Shop in North while doing research for and academic design background. continued on page 3 Plainfield, NJ a thesis project on his “Andrew really jumped into this proj - • $50 gift certificate to Hudson Valley way to a master’s ect,” Wheelock says. “He got out in the Volunteers Needed to Complete Outfitters in Cold Spring, NY degree in industrial field and learned what was needed. Then Trail Structures Guidebook • $50 gift certificate to Basecamp design. “I was he came back and developed a chapter of You can help by providing notes and Adventure Outfitters in Basking investigating how the manual and a template for developing Ridge, NJ people interact other chapters. We now have good docu - photos of past projects; research • Wooden Walking Stick from Blue with the outdoors, mentation for a project that can be used by materials, codes and resources; or Ridge Mountain Sports, Madison, NJ particularly casual volunteers in the field. They won’t have to take on a trail structure and get • $20 gift certificate to Dover Sport users such as hik - start from scratch in terms of design when directly involved in the creation of Online in Dover, NJ ers,” the New they need to build a picnic table. The mate - York City-based rials and tools that are needed are listed a set of plans and instructions. The more new members you recruit, the Steever recalls dur - right in the manual, along with step-by- Contact [email protected] or better your chances are at winning any of ing a January phone step instructions on how to build these 201-512-9348, ext. 17 to indicate your these great prizes! interview. “That led items. It’s great. interest or get more information. To learn how to participate, see our me to looking at “Andrew’s work also gives us a template special insert in this edition. organizations that that can be used to document other struc - VOLUME XXXV, N UMBER 2 ISSN 0749-1352 focused on those tures that are commonly built on our Non-Profit concerns. That’s how trails,” says Wheelock. “And it helps estab - US Postage Paid Permit No. 1239 I bumped into the lish standards for volunteer-built structures. Bellmawr, N.J. Trail Conference.” What we need now are additional volun - He became teers who can follow Andrew’s template and compile the necessary information.” Andrew Steever was studying industrial Andrew notes that he embarked on this design when he volunteered to help develop project as a trails novice. Though he was a structures manual. studying industrial design at Pratt after Page 2 March/April 2008 Tim Sullivan Honored for 61+ Years with PIPC

VOLUME XXXV, NO.2 MARCH /A PRIL 2008 Chief Ranger Timothy Sullivan has been agency and has left a lasting legacy.” assisting with all phases of the agency’s GEORGETTE WEIR EDITOR on the job with the Palisades Interstate Sullivan began his career with State Parks acquisition of Sterling Forest. LOUIS LEONARDIS GRAPHIC DESIGNER Parks Commission (PIPC) for an incredi - in 1946 as a seasonal park patrol officer. In “Most any time, when our maintainers The TRAIL WALKER (USPS Permit #1239) ble 61-plus years. Throughout the course 1965, he was named chief ranger of the have asked for something special, like signs (ISSN 0749-1352) is published bi-monthly by the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference as a of that time he has been a good friend and Palisades region. Throughout six decades, at road crossings, or the crews have request - benefit of membership. Subscriptions are partner to the New York-New Jersey Trail Sullivan also had a number of special ed help with moving materials and available to libraries only at $15.00 a year. Conference and extended hiking commu - assignments, including assisting the equipment, Tim and those under him have Periodical postage paid at Mahwah, N.J., and nity. In 1988, the Trail Conference National Park Service with their back - jumped to help,” says Larry Wheelock, additional offices. Postmaster: Send address recognized Sullivan’s “above the call of woods camping surveys in Shenandoah who often works with Sullivan on trails changes to the address below. Opinions expressed by authors do not necessarily represent the policy duty” support of hiking, hiking trails, and National Park, serving on the planning issues. or position of the Conference. Contributions of trail lands by honoring him with our Major committee for the original purchase of “He helped Elizabeth Levers relocate typed manuscripts, photos, and drawings are William A. Welch Trail Partner Award. Minnewaska State Park Preserve, and some sections of the AT in the ’70s, he welcome. Manuscripts may be edited for style In January, Sullivan was again honored, helped lay out the trails in the Indian Hill and length. Send SASE for writers’ guidelines. this time by his employer, New York State area of Sterling Forest, he worked closely Submission deadlines for the TRAIL WALKER are January 15 (Mar./Apr. issue), March 15 Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic with us through the Storm King Mountain (May/June issue), May 15 (July/Aug. issue), Preservation (OPRHP), of which PIPC is a ordnance cleanup, and has done what he July 15 (Sept./Oct. issue), September 15 component. OPRHP Commissioner Carol could to provide materials and help when (Nov./Dec. issue), November 15 (Jan./Feb. Ash presented Sullivan with a Special Serv - we were challenged with rebuilding bridges issue). Unsolicited contributions cannot be acknowledged unless accompanied by SASE. ice Award at a ceremony held at Saratoga and other projects throughout Harriman For information on advertising rates, please write Spa State Park. and Storm King State Parks. or call. “Tim’s exemplary career in the Palisades “All in all, I can think of few people at his Copyright 2008 by: has spanned six decades, and in that time it level of responsibility who have remained New York-New Jersey Trail Conference, Inc. is likely he has hiked every square inch of consistently true to his appreciation of the 156 Ramapo Valley Road (Rt. 202) Mahwah, NJ 07430 park property in the region,” Ash said. “He volunteers and their work through thick 201-512-9348 is one of State Park’s most knowledgeable and thin.” e-mail: [email protected] and dedicated employees. He is consulted The Trail Conference congratulates Tim editorial e-mail: [email protected] on a daily basis in reference to a host of Sullivan on receiving this well deserved World Wide Web: www.nynjtc.org park related issues and his expertise is award. unparalleled. He is an inspiration to the

AT User Survey Invites Online Participation I am currently working on my thesis at Old Dominion Universi - ty. I have chosen to research AT user motivations, AT benefits, Mission Statement and trail preferences because I am very passionate about both hik - The New York-New Jersey Trail Conference is a ing and the AT. I would like to use my research time to gather federation of member clubs and individuals information useful to AT maintaining clubs and the Appalachian dedicated to providing recreational hiking Additional Credits For Warner Creek Trail Trail Conservancy (ATC). My survey seeks to examine the attrib - opportunities in the region, and representing the Editor’s note: In acknowledging the contributions of the Catskill utes, benefits and outcomes associated with your Appalachian interests and concerns of the hiking community. The Conference is a volunteer-directed public Mountain Club in building the new Warner Creek Trail in the Trail (AT) hiking experience. Information gathered will be shared service organization committed to: Catskills in the January/February issue of Trail Walker , we failed with AT maintaining clubs and the ATC with the hope that it will • Developing, building, and maintaining to recognize two individuals who also made significant contribu - be useful in both better understanding current AT users as well as hiking trails. tions to this trail. Catskill Committee Chair Pete Senterman in acquiring funding for continued maintenance of the AT foot - • Protecting hiking trail lands through support and advocacy. sends word that Doug Egeland and Cal Johnson respectively path and preservation and protection of its surrounding corridor • Educating the public in the responsible spent 122 hours and 69 hours helping to make this new connec - lands. If you would be interested in participating in this study, use of trails and the natural environment. tion between the Long Path and Devil’s Path. The Trail please go to: https://periwinkle.ts.odu.edu/surveys/PWXZAR/ Conference thanks everyone who worked on this exciting and The survey should take 10-15 minutes to complete. Survey Board of Directors beautiful new trail and congratulates them on a job well done! respondents should be at least 18 years of age, and AT hikers of Robert Boysen Chair Chris Connolly Vice Chair all types (“dayhikers” to “thruhikers”) are welcome to take the Mac Highet Treasurer Police Seek Help survey. For the purposes of my thesis, I hope to have enough Daniel Chazin Secretary Investigator Christopher Quick of the New York State Police in respondents by March 15 to begin data analyses. Directors Monroe, NY, seeks information about recovered skeletal remains Henry Atterbury Peter Kennard found in Sterling Forest State Park, on a hilltop west of Sterling Barbara Freidt, Graduate Teaching Assistant Ellen Cronan Seth McKee Forest Lake (Blue Lake) by hikers on February 16, 2005. Police Department of Exercise Science, Sport, Physical Education Jane Daniels Anne Osborn have so far been unable to identify the remains. Some clothing and Recreation, Old Dominion University Matthew Garamone Mary Smart Josie Gray Malcolm Spector was recovered along with a pair of Nike sneakers, size 12 or 13. John Gunzler Daniel Van Engel Examination determined the individual to be a male between 40 Send Us a Letter and 70 years of age; there was significant wear on the teeth and Staff Email it to [email protected]; in the subject line, put “letter to some of the teeth were prepared for crowns. Anyone who thinks Edward Goodell Executive Director TW editor”; or send it to Trail Walker Letters, NY-NJ Trail Joshua Howard Director of they may have information that may help in identification Conference, 156 Ramapo Valley Rd., Mahwah, NJ 07430. Membership & should contact Investigator Quick at 845-782-7574. Development Larry Wheelock West Hudson Regional Coordinator Bill O’Hearn Conservation New Membership Benefit! Director Brenda Holzinger New Jersey As a member of the Trail Conference, you’re given several dis - Additional benefits are offered for travel outside of the United Regional Coordinator counts through unique partnerships we develop with retail States, which you can review when you receive your Hertz Mem - Jeremy Apgar Cartographer partners. Recently, the Trail Conference added a new partnership bership Discount Card. Gary Willick Fulfillment with Hertz Rental Corporation! The Trail Conference will also receive credit for your rental pur - Coordinator The following discounts are just a few of the perks you can get chase when you use your Hertz Card. If Trail Conference Catherine Gemmell Administration & Information from Hertz for being a Trail Conference member. Once you obtain members accumulate $6,250 in net revenue per quarter through Manager your Hertz Membership Discount Card, you are able, within the Hertz rentals, the Trail Conference will receive at least 2% of that Matt Townsend Bear Mountain United States, to: money! So, by renting through Hertz you may also help further Project Manager • Take 10% off Daily the work that we do. Leslie Rapparlie Membership & Member Benefit Rates In order to access this discount, you must obtain your own Development Program Manager • Take 10% off Standard Daily, Hertz Membership Discount Card from the Trail Conference’s Katy Dieters Volunteer Weekly, Weekend and Monthly Rates main office in Mahwah, NJ; call 201-512-9348 or email Coordinator • Take 5% or greater off Leisure Daily, Weekend, Weekly and [email protected]. J. Cal Rizzuto Help Desk Monthly Rates Administrator Part Time Hedy Abad Membership & Volunteer Associate Kathy Goldman Office Assistant The New York-New Jersey Trail Conference is a volunteer, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. It is a federation of 103 hiking and outdoor groups, and 10,000 individuals. printed on recycled content paper

Visit Us Today! www.NYNJTC.org March/April 2008 Page 3

From the Executive Director communications—in our central office. Leslie Rapparlie , for - Membership & Develop - This should allow us to better leverage the merly Bear Mountain ment; Bill O’Hearn , Reorganizing from efforts and expertise of the hundreds of Project Manager, is now Conservation Director; partners and thousands of volunteers we Membership & Develop - Gary Willick , Fullfilment the bottom up work with each year. Staff changes are ment Program Manager. Coordinator; Jeremy being made to accomplish this, including Matthew Townsend Apgar , Cartographer; Over the past six years the following: has joined the staff as Bear Hedy Abad , Membership Trail Conference staff Larry Wheelock , long- Mountain Project Man - & Volunteer Associate; has grown to support a time Trails Director, is ager. Matt started with and Kathy Goldman , variety of programs— now the West Hudson the Trail Conference as an Office Assistant. trails, land acquisition, Regional Coordinator, SCA (Student Conserva - These staff and office publications, advocacy, and also will cover the tion Association) intern in resources are in place for science, volunteers, East Hudson position October 2006. He stayed on as a Trail you, our volunteers. Trail membership, and until it is filled. Crew Supervisor to finish up the 2007 Conference volunteer fundraising. As I men - Brenda Holzinger , season at Bear Mountain before his recent efforts, originally shoul - tioned in my January column, we are formerly Conservation & promotion. dered entirely by member currently reorganizing our staff structure to Advocacy Assistant Direc - Catherine Gemmell , clubs, are now largely dis - put more people in the field as close as pos - tor is now New Jersey formerly Information persed among thousands sible to the trails and volunteers that Regional Coordinator. Manager, is now Admin - of individual members, embody our mission. istration & Information from central New Jersey The new arrangement is intended to Other changes: Manager. to north of the Catskills. more tightly focus our efforts on providing Georgette Weir , who has Cal Rizzuto , formerly Our new structure will access to quality open space and to simpli - edited the Trail Walker for Administrative Assistant, make these resources fy the work of volunteers and agency seven years, is expanding is now Help Desk more easily accessible for partners by providing them with a single her role as Trail Walker Administrator. you. Together, we will point of contact in the field. and e-Walker editor to In addition to the East continue to protect and Regional coordinators are the linchpin of take on web content, Hudson Field Coordina - preserve for public access the strategy. Initially we will deploy coordi - public relations and advocacy as our tor, we are also hiring a the 1,683 miles (and nators into three regions—New Jersey, Communications Specialist. Trail Construction Specialist to lead our growing) of hiking trails New York East of the Hudson, and New Katy Dieters , formerly major construction and training projects and trail lands in our rap - York West of the Hudson. Membership & Volunteer such as the one at Bear idly developing region. We will extend our These regional coordinators will support Associate is now Volun - Mountain. For more 88-year success story of connecting people the Trail Conference volunteers in their teer Coordinator. details, see www.nynjtc.org. with nature. regions and will, in turn, be supported by Still with us in familiar staff specialists—in volunteer coordina - titles are: Joshua – Ed Goodell, [email protected] tion, land acquisition, cartography, and Howard , Director of

Three Trail Grants Support TC Projects in NY and NJ

The Trail Conference has received a • in the Town of Warwick, developing a grant to the Trail Conference in the $10,000 grant from the Marie Baier Foun - trail corridor that will link municipal, amount of $5,000. This money will help dation to support our Community Trails county, state, and federal open space (the pay the costs of building a 28-foot timber Program in the West Hudson Region. This AT) to add several loop trails in the eastern bridge across a cliff face on Bear Mountain grant will help us to expand our capacity to Warwick-Greenwood Lake area. as part of the Appalachian Trail relocation provide assistance to local trail programs • assisting New York State Office of project there. in Rockland, Orange, Sullivan, Ulster, Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preserva - In November, the New Jersey Dept. of Greene, and Delaware Counties. Specific tion with the development of the Sterling Environmental Protection announced the projects now targeted include: Forest State Park Master Plan, including award of $25,000 to the Trail Conference • completing a 63-acre land acquisition hiking connections between Greenwood for its Highlands Trail project in central in Monroe on the northern border of Ster - Lake on the west and Blue Lake on the east. New Jersey. This project was one of 48 trail ling Forest which is visible from the • creating a permanently protected trail projects recommended for funding by the Appalachian Trail. Along with Arrow Park corridor in the Town of Chester for the New Jersey Trails Council and funded by and another proposed acquisition, this land Appalachian and Highlands Trails. the Federal Highway Administration’s would add more than 500 acres of contigu - In January, the Greenway Conservancy Recreational Trails Program. ous open space to Sterling Forest State Park. for the Hudson River Valley announced a

ANDREW STEEVER New Edition of continued from page 1 And for Extra Credit... were about, but also about the people doing While working on the Stillman Bridge project at Storm King and on picnic East Hudson the work—what they know, what they don’t tables on the AT, Andrew Steever experienced first-hand one of the logistical Map Set know.” difficulties volunteers face: carrying material — particularly heavy, awkward He chose picnic tables—relatively sim - ple, straightforward structures—as his pieces of lumber — to worksites, sometimes long distances over rough terrain. Available demonstration project. He documented He set himself the goal of devising an aid that would relieve the bodily stress the materials and tools required, drew con - of hand-carrying. “I came up with a simple design of a metal hook and strap by April struction diagrams with a simple software product, and outlined the process step-by- on a belt that allows people to carry step. Another volunteer tested his material on the hip, rather than by The Trail Conference is pleased to instructions by using them to build a table. hand. I made a couple of prototypes. announce the publication of the eighth “The people who are coming out to these edition of our popular East Hudson projects have a wide range of experiences and It needs some more testing.” Andrew Trails map set. This new, digitally-pro - skills,” Andrew notes. “The idea is the man - is looking into the possibility of duced map features 20-foot contours ual is something that anyone can bring into patenting and manufacturing his and incorporates various enhance - the field and can understand and follow.” ments from the previous edition, design. “I’m not taking orders yet,” To produce the early chapters and tem - including several revisions to the trails. plate of the Structures Guidebook, Andrew he says. Of special note for GPS users, grid used a free and “simple-to-use” 3D software lines and projections are corrected called SketchUp. “We’re looking for people from the previous edition. The set will who will be able to create other chapters of be available at the beginning of April. the guidebook using this software and based The cost of this map set is $10.95, on the template.” He gave a tutorial on its with the members’ discounted price use to volunteers in February. being $8.21. To obtain the new map As of the deadline for this issue, Andrew’s set, see Hikers’ Marketplace on page personal plans were up in the air. He fin - 12, call 201-512-9348, ext. 11, visit ished his master’s program in December www.nynjtc.org, or stop in at the Trail 2007 and was working part time with a Conference office. Brooklyn-based backpack manufacturer while interviewing around the country for a full-time job. “I hope to stay in the out - A prototype of Andrew’s load-carrying belt. David Kinoski models the latest in trail door industry in some capacity.” volunteer fashion. His hip carries the weight of a table component thanks to a waist belt devised by Andrew Steever. The belt was tested during construction of a picnic table at Telephone Pioneers shelter on the AT. Page 4 March/April 2008 Trail U Conservation Advocacy Workshop & Catalog From the (including the big developers like Toll Potential buyers may be limited to land Conservation Director: Brothers and Pulte) of sites that seemed like trusts and, in New Jersey, the Green Acres William P. O’Hearn a lock for development only last year. This program. To remove publicly-funded buy - Learn trail skills and put them to work as Now Is the Time to Buy means that we have a two- to three-year ers from the market is going to leave many window to purchase property before the of these owners stranded and may make a trail volunteer. Open Space, Especially market correction runs its course. the real estate inventory situation worse The Trail Conference offers workshops in the NJ Highlands Secondly, we are using public money than it already is. for levels from beginner to advanced. generated by county and municipal resi - Fourth, to a community open space is Enjoy time in the field, learn a new You have probably heard the standard dents who have been willing to tax a low-cost use of land, requiring little if skill, and help connect people with argument going around these days: Sink - themselves for this purpose. The reason we anything in the way of services. It is nature by training and volunteering ing property values = recession = dropping have created separate public open space essential for sustainable communities. with the Trail Conference. local tax revenues = no money available funds is so that local officials cannot tap Parkland adds to property values, stabi - Check the schedule online; go to for such things as public acquisition of those funds to cover short-term govern - lizes taxes, provides passive and active www.nynjtc.org and click on Work - open space. In fact, two counties in New ment shortfalls. In other words, the public recreation, protects our water quality and shops in the “Frequent Pages” list at left. Jersey recently proposed cutting their col - has made a long-term investment in open quantity, can generate ecotourism rev - For more information please contact lection of open space funds, citing space funding, and now is the time to use enues, and maintains our small town [email protected] or call 201-512- recession worries. As someone who buys those funds to their fullest. And don’t for - semi-rural character and quality of life. 9348, ext. 17. open space for a living, I’m here to tell you get that local towns are able to use their That’s a good deal, and it’s why open that this conventional wisdom is wrong - modest open space dollars to leverage con - space programs have been so popular Trail Maintenance 101 headed. Now is the time for taxpayers to tributions from county and state funds to with the voting public. Let’s utilize our This one-day training session teaches get more for their open-space dollar. preserve property for a fraction of the total public dollars to their fullest, and avoid maintenance techniques, trail standards, First off, consider basic economics and selling price. missing what may be our last opportuni - and what problems to expect on the the contrarian rules of the marketplace. Third, there is the issue of fairness to ty to purchase some these of priceless trails and how to solve them. If you are When the market is dropping, when property owners whose right to develop open spaces and preserve them for future interested in becoming a maintainer or owners are panicking and looking to their land has been restricted by government generations, long after the current eco - enhancing your maintenance skills, this dump inventory, that is the absolute best for reasons of public interest and who may nomic crisis has run its course. is the perfect workshop for you. No pre - time to buy. As the real estate values con - decide they no longer want to pay property vious experience is necessary and tinue to slide, we will find willing sellers taxes and other carrying costs of their land. beginners are welcome. Students will spend the morning in a classroom envi - ronment and then head out into woods Conservation & Advocacy News Notes for a hands-on exercise. Introduction to Trail Construction NEW JERSEY an Amended Findings Statement. Executive Director Ed Good - and Restoration 2008 Most Critical Year for GSPT ell testified at the first Planning Board hearing in November, and If you have wanted to help on a trail During the past decade, the Garden State Preservation Trust Fund C&A Director Bill O’Hearn testified and submitted Trail Con - crew, this is the workshop for you. Dur - has made it possible to preserve land in New Jersey at a rate about ference maps on a second hearing held January 22. ing this day-long workshop participants 2-3 times faster than the state is losing land to development. NJ will work on a section of trail by voters approved a one-year, $200 million, stop-gap addition to the constructing steps and/or waterbars, fund last November, but this money will be exhausted next year side-hilling, and use other basic trail without a long-term, stable source of funding. construction techniques for building The Keep It Green Campaign, an alliance of nearly 100 new and restoring eroded trails. There is groups statewide, including the Trail Conference, kicked off its a preliminary overview of the course in 2008 campaign in support of the Garden State Preservation the morning, and then we head off for a Trust Fund on January 28th with a well-attended legislative hands-on training session. No previous reception. Both the Senate and the Assembly were in session, experience is necessary and beginners and the event offered an outstanding opportunity for legislators are welcome. and campaign members to discuss different possibilities for renewing the trust fund, while at the same time enjoying a quick Advanced Trail Construction lunch break amidst a hectic day in the state capitol. and Restoration Techniques The Keep It Green Campaign is currently investigating open Learn how to build and repair hiking space funding mechanisms in other states to choose the best trails using advanced rock work, high-line approach for New Jersey. Funding possibilities include: a water use rigging techniques with a grip hoist sys - fee, a dedicated portion of the sales tax, a tax on sewer services and tem, bridge construction, and other septic systems (“flush” tax), a real estate transfer fee, a building LaFarge Clean-up Is a Green Success! exciting methods. Prior trail crew or trail material tax, state park and forest use fees, unclaimed lottery win - There is more good news from the clean-up of Trail Conference building experience is recommended. nings, a sporting goods tax, and a returnable bottle fee. preserved property in the Shawangunks known as LaFarge (see This class is held in the field and is a If you would like to join the Keep It Green Campaign and the cover story of January/February 2008 issue). LaFarge North hands-on learning experience. Class size is Trail Conference to fight for open space conservation in 2008, America, the previous owner, has agreed to take away for free the limited for the safety of the participants. please contact Brenda Holzinger, NJ Field Coordinator, via email four tons of tires that had been dumped on the property. Trail ([email protected]) or telephone (201-512-9348, ext. 25). Conference volunteers collected the tires, along with other trash, Trail Layout and Design over two weekends of clean-up at the site last fall. LaFarge is This two-day workshop is devoted to Off-Road Vehicle Legislation Reintroduced going to take the tires to a cement plant in Pennsylvania that establishing guidelines for laying out a The New Jersey ORV bill (Assembly-4172 and Senate-3024) generates part of its energy by burning tires. “But even more safe, exciting and ecologically sound trail was introduced and voted out of the Assembly Transportation & exciting,” says Brenda Holzinger, who, as former assistant direc - with special attention paid to digital Public Works Committee on December 6, 2007, and intro - tor of conservation and advocacy (now NJ field coordinator) route making, dealing with sensitive duced in the Senate, but it was not passed during the lame duck organized the cleanup effort, “is the fact that only 5% of the 20 environmental and archeological condi - session. The bill, with some new amendments, has now been tons of trash will end up as trash in a landfill. The other 95% is tions, designing for single and multiple introduced in the Assembly (A-823) and will be brought forward all getting recycled and/or reused. Taylor Recycling, which got user groups and designing for a fulfilling in the next few weeks in the Senate. The Trail Conference testi - the other 16 tons of trash we picked up, recycles 95% of every - hiking experience. Class participants will fied at the December 6 committee meeting, a stakeholders thing they take in. They are actually a global leader in this trash spend one day in a classroom environ - meeting sponsored by Assemblyman Reed Gusciora, and at a recycling technology.” She notes that thanks to all the volunteer ment and one in the field. press conference held with our partners, Pinelands Preservation efforts, the Trail Conference will have spent just $500 to clean Alliance and New Jersey Conservation Foundation. Watch your up the 150-acre site in preparation for sale to New York State. email for updates as this legislation moves forward. Funding in Works for NYS Parks NEW YORK Governor Spitzer's budget proposal for 2008 provides $110 mil - Byron Hill (formerly Pierson Lakes), Phases II and III lion for capital improvements to state parks facilities, Dept. of This proposed 49-unit development, located on 200 acres at the Environmental Conservation campgrounds, improvements to intersection of four major parks—Sterling Forest and Harriman state fair facilities, and transformation of an old railroad bridge State Parks in New York, and Ringwood Manor State Park and over the Hudson River between Poughkeepsie and Highland into Ramapo Reservation County Park in New Jersey—would cut a a walking/bicycling park. In addition, Spitzer has recommended prime trail corridor linking the two states and break an eight and appropriating $250 million into the Environmental Protection a half-mile long corridor of unfragmented forest only 29 miles Fund, the same as the current year’s budget, and has once again from New York City. put forward the Bigger, Better Bottle Bill. This proposal would The Trail Conference has joined with the Ramapo Highlands earmark unclaimed nickel deposits for the Environmental Protec - Coalition, the New York Committee of the Four-State High - tion Fund and would add 5-cent deposits to plastic bottles for GPS and GIS for Trail Management lands Coalition, Torne Valley Preservation Alliance, and other beverages such as sports drinks, iced tea and water, among others This one-day workshop provides a basic groups to oppose this development and urge that the developer not currently part of the deposit system. Anyone interested in level of skills for using Global Position be required to submit a Supplementary Environmental Impact keeping up with developments on these proposals as the budget Systems and Geographic Information Statement (SEIS) rather than a much simpler document called continued on page 11 Systems to aid in trail layout, design and inventory keeping. This is a great work - shop for all you “techies” who love to hike. Visit the new TC advocacy site (http://capwiz.com/nynjtc/home/) and take action! continued on page 11 March/April 2008 Page 5 Trail Crew Teaching Practical Skills to Schedules Trails Volunteers at Locations

Throughout the NY-NJ Area March – April 2008 For the latest schedules and additional Spring Workshops details, go to nynjtc.org and click on “Trail crews/Work trips.” Details about listed workshops can be TBD = To Be Determined found in Trail U Workshop Catalog (page For all trips bring work gloves, water, 4). For information or to register for a lunch, insect repellent. In some cases, workshop, go to www.nynjtc.org and click tools are provided. Contact leaders in on "Workshops" in left-hand column or advance for meeting times and places. contact [email protected] or call 201- Volunteers must become members of 512-9348, ext. 26. the Conference to participate in these projects. A one-time “guest” participa - A work outing on our Bear Mountain Trails Project last year. This is the biggest of many Additional workshops may be added at our tion is allowed, so bring your friends. Trail Conference projects in our region. All of them welcome and train new volunteers. Bear Mountain Trails Project (BMTP) by group request or popular demand. Contact NORTH JERSEY WEEKEND CREW HIGHLANDS TRAIL CREW WEST HUDSON SOUTH CREW Matt Townsend, BMTP manager, at Leader: Sandy Parr, 732-469-5109 Leader: Glenn Oleksak, [email protected] Leaders: Chris Ezzo (Crew Chief): 516-431-1148, [email protected] or 201-512-9348. [email protected] Second Sunday of each month We meet on the first or second Sunday of each Brian Buchbinder: 718-218-7563, Trips start at 9:30 am; call for location and month, with additional trips sometimes scheduled. We [email protected] details during the week before the scheduled trip tackle a variety of Highlands Trail projects from trail Claudia Ganz: 212-633-1324, [email protected] day. Tackle a variety of projects ranging from trail maintenance to trail building. Most upcoming spring Robert Marshall: 914-737-4792, repair to bridge building in northern New Jersey. trips will be in Hunterdon County, NJ. For details on [email protected] trips, go to www.nynjtc.org and click Monica Day: 732-937-9098, Cell: 908-307-5049, NORTH JERSEY WEEKDAY CREW on “Trail crews/Work trips” at left. Please contact [email protected] Leader: John Moran, [email protected] leader if you are coming on a trip so that you can be notified of cancellations. April 19 (Saturday) This crew covers the NJ Ramapos, Ringwood S. P., Popolopen Gorge Trail Norvin Green S. F., and NJ Palisades area. Its METRO TRAILS CREW Leader: Chris Ezzo purpose is to respond quickly to immediate Leader: Joe Gindoff, 718-614-2209 needs, rather than to schedule definite events far [email protected] April 24 (Thursday) in advance. If you’re interested in being on call Popolopen Gorge Trail for this work, contact John Moran by email. March 15 (Saturday) Leader: Bob Marshall March 29 (Saturday) Pelham Bay Park, Hunter Island WEST JERSEY CREW #333: Bear Mountain Overview and Orientation Meet 9am at the SW Corner Orchard parking lot April 26 (Saturday) Leaders: Monica and David Day Coordinator: Matt Townsend Build stone waterbars and check dams Popolopen Gorge Trail Phone: 732-937-9098 Cell: 908-307-5049 Location: Bear Mountain State Park Leader: Chris Ezzo Email: [email protected] April 12 (Saturday) March 30 (Sunday) Website: www.trailstobuild.com Staten Island Greenbelt May 8 (Thursday) #332: AT Lands Monitor Training Workshop Meet 9am at the Nature Center, 200 Nevada Popolopen Gorge Trail Contact: Ron Rosen, 845-454-4936 or Jim Beginners are welcomed on all work trips. Trail Maintenance in various sections of the park. Leader: Bob Marshall Haggett, 845-462-2893 for more information. All events begin at 9:00am. Please phone/email the Beginners are welcome with basic trail maintenance as Sign up is as above. leaders for meeting location and driving directions. our focus. NEW JERSEY APPALACHIAN TRAIL FIELD CREW Location: RPH Shelter on AT in Dutchess County, There is usually a walk to the work site, so please Leader: Gene Giordano, NY (just off the Taconic Parkway) be there on time (call the leaders’ cell phone if you May 17 (Saturday) [email protected] are coming to an event and are running late). Rain Pelham Bay Park April 5 & 6 (Saturday & Sunday) cancels – if in doubt, call the leaders between 6:00 Contact: Liz Gonzalez, 646-319-5159 Second Saturday of Each Month, #326: Trail Layout and Design and 6:30 that morning. Meet 10am at the canoe launch next to the Orchard April through November Instructors: Eddie Walsh and Larry Wheelock Beach Parking Lot. Coastal Cleanup Work begins at 9am and is finished before 4pm. Location: Fahnestock State Park, NY (classroom), April 12 (Saturday) Covers the entire NJ section of the AT, blue-blazed and Wonder Lake State Park, NY (field work) Warren Trail, Jenny Jump State Park May 18 (Sunday) side trails, and shelters. Supplements work by our Attendance at both days is required. We will continue work on this new trail. Alley Park, Queens individual maintainers as requested and for special Meet 9am at the corner of 233 St. and 67 Ave. work projects. Workers bring gloves, lunch, and April 12 (Saturday) April 26 (Saturday) Trail maintenance / Waterbar construction water; all tools, equipment and training provided. #327: Trail Maintenance 101 Douglas Trail, Worthington State Forest Email leader to be placed on email notification list. Coordinator: Gary Haugland We will build water management structures June 6, 7 & 8 (Fri. Sat. & Sun.) Location: Fahnestock State Park, NY (classroom), (water bars and check dams). National Trails Day, Eagle Scout Projects BEAR MOUNTAIN TRAILS PROJECT and Wonder Lake State Park, NY (field work) Alley Park, Queens Project Manager: Matt Townsend, April 12 (Saturday) CENTRAL JERSEY TRAIL PROJECT Meet 9am at the upper parking lot, across from [email protected] or 201-512-9348 #334: Stone Splitting Contact: Ellen Cronan, [email protected] the Sanitation Department, off Winchester Blvd. For info and to register: [email protected], Coordinator: Matt Townsend Join us in building two bridges (17’ and 30’ long) or call 201-512-9348, ext. 17 Instructors: TBD April 27 (Sunday) Location: Fahnestock State Park, NY Newark Watershed, West Milford, NJ June 21 (Saturday) Second Saturday of Each Month Work trip starts at 9am and will last all day. Van Cortlandt Park, John Muir Trail Beginner work trips. April 13 (Sunday) Contact Ellen Cronan for more information. Meet 9am at the riding stable parking lot #328: Trail Construction and Restoration Trail maintenance Weekly Work Trips Coordinator: Gary Haugland Scheduled Thursday through Monday Location: Fahnestock State Park, NY (classroom), EAST HUDSON CREW (including on weekends that have workshops) and Wonder Lake State Park, NY (field work) Work dates to be announced on website. Sign up for email notification at www.nynjtc.org; click on “Trail Save the Date April 19 & 20 (Saturday & Sunday) Crews,Work Trips” then Sign-up for Trail Crew at top June 7 (Saturday), National Trails Day #329: Stone Step Construction of page. Work trip at Bear Mountain for Novice Trail Builder Coordinator: Matt Townsend Instructor: Eddie Walsh Location: Bear Mountain State Park Attendance at both days is required. New This Year! April 26 (Saturday) Two Dates & Two Locations #331: Trail Maintenance 101 Registration deadline: April 18 (NY & NJ) for Our Most Coordinator: Ellen Cronan Popular Trail U Workshop — Instructors: Estelle Anderson and Bob Jonas Location: Newark Watershed Visitors Center Trail Maintenance 101 on Echo Lake Road, West Milford, NJ May 3 & 4 (Saturday & Sunday) Check the Trail U schedule #333: Basic Stone Cribbing (May 3) #334: Basic Stone Cribbing (May 4) on this page for details on Coordinator: Matt Townsend Instructor: TBD these workshops and others Location: Bear Mountain State Park that meet your needs and May 17 & 18 (Saturday & Sunday) skill levels! #337: Stone Paving (May 17) #338: Stone Paving (May 18) Coordinator: Matt Townsend Instructor: TBD All Trail Conference Workshops, Location: Bear Mountain State Park regardless of location, will be listed under Trail U. Page 6 March/April 2008 * TRAIL REFLECTIONS * Volunteer Classifieds: Get Involved! Attention trail workers: Have you enjoyed a good day on the trail while doing maintenance, construction, or ecology monitoring? Volunteers Needed to Complete Maintainer Openings in NJ and NYC Share your experience with words or a photo. Send your contributions Trail Structures Guidebook Apply now for maintainer openings on the to Trail Walker editor Georgette Weir at [email protected]. The content of this guidebook ultimately Warren Trail in Warren County and in relies on the input and expertise of the Stokes State Forest in Sussex County, both Trail Maintainers’ Log crew leaders, maintainers and volunteers in in New Jersey. There also are openings in Metro Trails member Al Slaninka reports: the field. Anyone who is willing to devote the Metro region (New York City, includ - On January 8, 2008, four members of the some time and/or knowledge is urged to ing Staten Island). Metro Trails Crew cleared rhododendron participate. You can help by providing from a section of the Pine Meadow Trail in notes and photos of past projects; research Like to Look at Photographs? Harriman State Park. It was lead by Joe materials, codes and resources; or take on a Have we got a job for you! The Trail Gindoff of Queens, NY, who maintains a trail structure and get directly involved in Conference has tons of digital photos that section from the lake to the Pine Meadows the creation of a set of plans and instruc - need to be looked at and tagged for easy Road. Leaving the new trailhead from the tions. You can also attend a seminar on retrieval for use online and in publications. Ramapo Equestrian Center on Rt. 202 at using SketchUp, a free, simple-to-use 3D The job will involve the use of a photo 10am, the group hiked to Pine Meadow software tool, and learn to build a trail sorting software. Lake while filling in blazes and adding structure virtually from which you can reflective centers to the Red Square Trail provide illustrated instructions for others. Join the Friends of blazes. On the return trip, after lunch at the Darlington Schoolhouse lake, rhododendron was cleared from the Four Metro trail maintainers got out of the AT Lands Monitors Needed; The Friends of the Darlington Schoolhouse lower section of the trail. The weather was city on a spring-like January day to clear Training Scheduled for March 30 seek volunteers to help in the following outstanding for January, with many area a section of the Pine Meadow Trail in Anyone with an adventurous spirit, a love areas: locations hitting record high temperatures. Harriman State Park. Among them was of getting off-trail, and a strong land con - • Technology: A volunteer to help At the lake, at 1pm the temperature was Linda Sullivan, pictured above with servation ethic is encouraged to sign up for digitize the Darlington archives and recorded at 75°F, due to the radiant heat maintainers Al Slaninka and Joe Gindoff, training to become a volunteer AT corri - maintain the website captured by the rocks and the reflective the new Chief of the Metro Trails Crew. dor monitor and to experience ‘Life on the • General: Volunteers to join the heat of the sun off the ice. They returned to The fourth member of the group, known Edge’ firsthand. AT monitors are needed committee and help direct the future the Ramapo Stables trailhead at 4pm. only as David, snapped the photo. in New York, and training is required for of the schoolhouse all. Find out if monitoring is the right vol - If interested, please contact Chris Tausch The Poetry of Side-hilling, and Other Inspirations unteer opportunity for you by taking the at [email protected] for course offered on March 30 (see Trail U more information. schedule on page 5). Talk to New Jersey Help spread the word about the Trail Conference in New Jersey and enjoy some interesting events. Support TC state field coordinator Brenda Holzinger by staffing our information table at events in New Jersey during April, May, and June. Catskill Trailkeeper Project Manager The Trail Conference seeks a project manag - D

er for a new Catskill Trailkeeper program. R A W

Work in partnership with Catskill Moun - O H H

tainkeeper to develop this stewardship and S O education program for trails in Catskills. J Trail maintenance connects people with Lucille Gionet Contact [email protected] or 201-512- more than dirt, splinters, and unfamiliar joined Joe and Jessica 9348, ext. 26, to indicate your interest or muscles. Sometimes, they connect with on a work trip to get more information about these or other their inner poet. Harriman State Park volunteer opportunities. Joe Gindoff, former chief of the Metro that was enlivened by Crew, forwarded the following items writ - several encounters ten by participants after recent work trips. with wild things. She The first, a poem by Jessica Kratz, con - preserved her memo - cluded a short article she wrote for ries in these lines. publications of the NY City Parks Depart - ment about a day spent with the crew on a Off to Pine Meadow on Saturday I went side-hilling project along the Blue Trail in To clear off Joe’s trail…that was the intent Thank-You! from Camp Vacamas Southwest LaTourette, Staten Island A day in the sun Greenbelt. And also some fun “...how many of us have curbed erosion It felt as if we had been heaven sent We did it! Thanks to the many generous donations from Trail Conference on a hillside, removed invasive exotic vege - members and friends, we have exceeded our goal of 25 day packs and tation, or made a portion of a trail less wet Into the truck the tools we did load and muddy, enabling others to explore and And at 9AM we were off on the road 25 back packs for teenagers so that they can do hiking trips out of Camp enjoy a ‘secret place’ for the first time?” Jes - A group of three, we Vacamas in West Milford, NJ. Michael Friedman, executive director of the sica asked her readers. “Combining Jess, Joe and then me camp, said, “We are absolutely delighted with the donations from the Trail ecological restoration with outdoor educa - To bring his short trail up to Metro’s code Conference. The quality of the packs was amazing, and we got cross-coun - tion is like combining music with lyrics; it amplifies the impact and the enjoyment of Off to the mountains our group did then race try skis, boots, and so much gear that we never even asked for! Please pass the experience, making it more concrete The downed trees and weeds and debris to erase on our thanks, and come join us on the Hewitt-Butler Trail next summer.” and memorable for all those involved.... The hills were quite steep The process of transforming the hillside And shadows were deep was dynamic. There was something medi - And one of us could not keep up the pace tative and mindful in connecting the mattock with the hillside, a sense of creat - Our water and tools and intentions we took ing a better tomorrow. As Walt Whitman To the end of the trail, and then had a look wrote in Song of the Broad Axe , ‘The axe At the lake and the sky leaps. The shapes arise!’ ” And at birds passing by At the end of her day on the trail, Jessica T’was pretty enough to put in a book “penned this exuberant commemoration of my experience”: Just one more task lay ahead for our Joe Bushwhacking some more, and then we could go The mattock descends upon the hillside But hornets did bite Dragging honeysuckle vines down from the slope And he looked like a fright Saws removing dead branches After we doused his sore ear with aloe Loppers cutting through layers of multiflora A rhythmic tapping Then on the way home we were surprised Metallic melody By nature, her beautiful creature disguised Tools keeping cadence The rattler was coiled A new energy flowing through the trail But the day was not spoiled As contours are redefined We crept away, as the books have advised Bending and picking up stones Tending to this hallowed ground And now that we are back in the Queens Forming structures and shapes, When Joe talks of trails, I’ll know what he means Inique Harris models one of 25 day packs (and 25 back packs) donated to The steps and walls He may ask again Camp Vacamas for its teen program by Trail Conference members. Points of reflection But I’ll tell him then For future jaunts and journeys Not without a flask in my jeans! March/April 2008 Page 7

Science & Ecology this humble little plant is not a tree at all water towards the female egg. (This occurs but clubmoss, and our small friend has a inside those vertical yellow cones). The fact Clubmoss: The big story to tell. that some Lycophytes require 6 to 15 years Clubmoss belongs to the genus Lycopodi - to reach reproductive maturity may explain Diminutive Giant um , and all members within this genus are why many species are rare or endangered in By Denise Hewitt called Lycophytes. Lycophytes are among some states. the oldest living land plants on earth, dat - If you come across a Lycophyte on a “What is a weed? A plant ing back about 300 million years. They are hike, you might try to identify it to deter - whose virtues have not preceded in evolutionary time only by mine if it is endangered or threatened. algae, mosses, and fungi, and are the ances - Because some of them are so rare, don’t dis - yet been discovered.” tors of all vascular plants, which includes, turb it by taking a cutting or attempting to — Ralph Waldo Emerson well…almost all the land plants we know transplant it—they don’t transplant well at today. Lycophytes were not always small or all. Better to take a picture and compare it In the Northeast we are blessed with an rare. Ancient clubmoss trees grew to be with information on the USDA plant data - abundance of trees—trees that shade and about 100 feet tall and dominated the base website (http://plants.usda.gov/). You protect the trail, provide essential habitat earth’s landscape for over 40 million years. can also contact your state office of envi - for wildlife, and make our hikes that much With major extinction events these ronmental protection for further more enjoyable with their colorful leaves, grandiose trees were buried and fossilized. information. flowers, and fresh scents. But there is an They accumulated within the Earth’s sur - If you think about it, all animals depend innocuous little “tree” that can be found in face, slowly becoming converted into much on plant life, so from an evolutionary per - moist, shaded areas along the trail that you of the coal we use today. You might say we spective we owe these ancient majestic may never have noticed before because it have fossilized Lycophytes to thank for wonders a lot of respect, and perhaps a lit - does not flower or grow over a few inches many of our modern creature comforts. tle helping hand. tall, and it can be somewhat rare. Reminis - Clubmosses are also fascinating because Ancient relatives of this inches-high cent of conifers from a magical forest, they have male and female reproductive Denise Hewitt is a student in the Graduate clubmoss towered 100 feet and many look like “tiny pine trees” with light cells. Male spores are flagellated (compara - Program in Ecology and Evolution at Rutgers dominated earth’s landscape. brown club-shaped “cones” growing verti - ble to human sperm), which means they University. cally upwards from the ends of stems. But have a long tail that propels them through Tracking the Wild Invasives – Year Three There is very little information about this in The Trail Conference and Rutgers University are looking for at least 50 hikers and nat - our region, which makes it difficult for park uralists who are interested in helping to identify common invasive species in state park managers to determine the magnitude of lands and track the occurences using GPS units. In return, these volunteers will be the problem or how to manage it. offered extensive training in plant identification and the proper use and care of GPS Using volunteer “citizen scientists” to col - devices. lect field data for scientific research is itself The actual field work will occur during the months of June and July, when teams of an explicit part of the research program. two will be asked to hike a two-mile trail segment while recording the invasive species The results will indicate whether “citizen and documenting the location with the GPS device. Volunteers will be trained in plant scientists” (ie, hikers) collect accurate data identification as well as the survey protocol, which basically consists of stopping at sur - regarding invasive plants. vey points along the trail, scanning the woods and noting the presence, identity, and The training portion of this project will Volunteers record invasive plants density of any invasive species seen. begin in late May/early June (dates to be along a local hiking trail in 2007. This will be the third and last year of this three-year project, supported by the USDA announced soon), so sign up now to ensure (US Dept. of Agriculture), which aims to better understand the spread of invasive plants your place. Contact Hedy Abad at 201-512- in forested parklands that have high conservation value and high levels of public use. 9348, ext. 17 or [email protected]. Spring Is Coming. Time to Have Fun on the Trail! This is the season to get back outside and connect with nature. Sign up for a trails workshop (page 5), join a crew (page 5), or adopt a trail (page 6). You'll find good company, satisfying work, and enjoy a good day on the trail! S A N U O S J I E B W O R Boy Scout Troop 97, of New City, blazes a trail. Members of the Chinese Mountain Club of New Work clear the Shore Trail in the Palisades. B Maintenance 101 'students' at work last year. Y N L O S I R H C Amy Olny wields an axe in the Catskills. A chain-sawyer practices skills. A 2007 season work group on Bear Mountain learns to move rocks. Page 8 March/April 2008 HI KERS’ ALMANAC A Sampling of Upcoming Hikes Sponsored by Member Clubs

March Sunday, March 9 UOC. Birding Hike in DeKorte Park, Lyndhurst, NJ. Leader: IHC. Historic Califon, NJ, and Voorhees State Park. Leaders: WEC. Stairway to Heaven: Appalachian Trail to Pinwheel Vista George Pitcher, 732-828-1890. Easy, level hike with excellent Guy and Jen Percival, 973-984-1005. Meet: 9am at old Califon RR Saturday, March 1 with the Highlands Hikers, NJ. Leader: Charlie Toole; call Weis views of NJ marshlands; we usually find wading birds. Brunch at station; call for directions. Moderate 7 miles through Califon, then UCHC. Watchung Trail Maintenance, NJ. Leader: to preregister Ecology Center at 973-835-2160 for details and to preregister. diner after the hike. over Ken Lockwood Gorge on an old RR bridge and on to call Trailside at 908-789-3670. Meet: 9:30am, work until noon. Meet: 9:30am. Steep 3-mile climb at a moderate pace. Views of ADK-MH. Stissing Mountain plus (maybe) Thompson Pond, NY. Voorhees State Park. Shuttle required. Bring water, work gloves, bag for trash, and clippers/shears if you Sussex County, High Point, and then down into Wawayanda State Leader: Georgette Weir, 845-462-0142. Meet: contact leader for UCHC. Pyramid and Turkey Mountains, Montville, NJ. Leader: have them. No experience needed. Give back a little to the trails, Park. Fee $8. details. Moderate 1.2 mile up and down Stissing Mountain in Pine Al Verdi, 973-263-8569. Meet: 10am at Pyramid Mountain park - while meeting new people and working outdoors. Snow covered Plains, NY. Possible (depends on mud conditions) additional 3-4 ing. Moderate 4-5 miles; for experienced hikers. No lunch stop; ground or severe rainstorm cancels. GAHC. Ward Pound Ridge Reservation, Cross River, NY. Leader: Brian Kassenbrock, 718-748-0624; call to preregister. level miles around Thompson Pond, a Nature Conservancy site. expected out by noon. UOC. Delaware-Raritan Canal, from Kingston to Princeton, Meet: 10am at museum parking; entrance fee. Moderate and easy UCHC. South Mountain Reservation, Millburn, NJ. Leader: Mimi NYHC. Cranberry Lake Park, Westchester Co., NY. Leader: NJ. Leader: Charles Severn, 732-246-3387. Moderate 6 miles. hikes; cross-country skiing possible. Solomon, 973-379-3910. Meet: 10am at Locust Grove parking, Mayer Wiesen, 516-671-2095; call before 10:30pm. Meet: 9:30am Walk along the tranquil, scenic canal and along Lake Carnegie. Glen Ave. and Lackawanna Pl., across from Millburn RR station. at Grand Central Terminal upper level info booth. Moderate Inclement weather cancels. IHC. Ringwood Meander, NJ. Leader: Jane Egan, 973-636-0809; no calls after 9pm. Meet: 9am at lot A, Skylands Manor, 4-5 miles with some rocky trails; suitable for intermediate hikers. 7 miles. Easy woods walk in this park just north of White Plains; WTW. Hedden Co. Park, Dover, NJ. Leaders: Hermann and Ringwood, NJ. Moderate; may include Cooper Union Trail to WTW. Lewis Morris Co. Park to Jockey Hollow, Morristown, 4:30pm return train. Marlene Memmer, 973-267-0539; call to confirm. Meet: 10am at Governor Mountain overlook. Conditions may require crampons NJ. Leaders: Hermann and Marlene Memmer, 973-267-0539; call NYHC. Point Pleasant, Ocean Co., NJ. Leader: Ray Krant, 718- Ford St. entrance to park. Moderate 5-6 miles. or snowshoes. to confirm. Meet: 10am at Doe Meadow parking, Lewis Morris 435-4994; call before 10pm. Meet: 8:45am at Penn Station, NY, UCHC. South Mountain Reservation, Millburn, NJ. Leader: UCHC. Jockey Hollow National Park, Morristown, NJ. Leader: Park. Moderate 6.5 miles. near NJ Transit ticket windows on upper level. Moderate 7 miles. Angela Coble, 908-686-5958. Meet: 10am at Locust Grove parking, MaryDell Morrison, 908-269-6126. Meet: 10am at visitors center. Sunday, March 16 Hike through parks, canal, and beaches in areas not generally Glen Ave. at Lackawanna Pl, across from Millburn RR station. Brisk Scenic 4-5 moderate hike in this historical park. known to New Yorkers. 4-5 miles with some rocky trails, moderate terrain. Rain cancels. WWW. Pancake Brunch Hike, Norvin Green, NJ. Leader: Don ADK-MH. Easy Intro Hike – Black Creek Forest NY. Leader: Weise; call Weis Ecology Center at 973-835-2160 for details and TLR. Spring Moon Hike, Ossining, NY. Preregistration required: Sunday, March 2 Carol Gray, 845-471-1168. Meet: 2pm at Park & Ride, Rts. 299 & to preregister. Meet: 10am. Fast paced 9 miles exploring seldom- 914-762-2912, ext.110. Website: www.teatown.org; email: WM13. Manaticut and Jennings Mountains, NJ. Leader: Don 9W; carpool 5 miles to Port Ewen. Easy 3 miles for those new to seen corners of Norvin Green State Forest. Finish with optional [email protected]. Everything changes when the sun goes Weise; [email protected]. Meet: 9:30am; contact leader for hiking or those who prefer a leisurely pace. Enjoy this Scenic pancake brunch at Weis in Ringwood, NJ (including their home - down and the full moon rises. Come along for a hike to Hidden details. Strenuous 8 miles at a fast pace. Exceptionally steep Hudson park with its old stone walls and views of the Hudson made maple syrup). Fee $8; brunch extra. Valley by the light of the moon. 7 pm – 8:30 pm. No children under climbs up some of the toughest winter peaks; expected out by 5 please. Members free, Nonmembers $5. All ages welcome. River. Possible stop at Stonehedge restaurant after the hike. IHC. Lake Skannatati, Harriman State Park, NY. Leader: Roy 2:30. Fee $8. Monday, March 10 Williams, 570-828-6207. Meet: 9am at Lake Skannatati, Seven Sunday, March 23 WEC. Young Adult Hike at Hewitt State Forest, NJ. Leader: UCHC. Turtle Back Rock, South Mountain Reservation, NJ. Lakes Dr., NY. Moderately strenuous. See the little cemetery on ADK-MH. Cross Country Ski at Mohonk, NY. Leader: Pete Charlie Sontag; call Weis Ecology Center at 973-835-2160 for Leader: Len Shnitzer, 732-499-9176. Meet: 10am; call for Beech Trail, the Hasenclever Mine, and Lake Askoti. Rain or snow McGinnis, 845-454-4428. Meet: 9am at lot across from Rock and details and to preregister. Meet: 11am; carpool to trailhead. Moder - directions. Easy, level 3 miles; about 1.5 hours to Girl Scout oval cancels. Snow. Moderate ski. If adverse conditions, we will travel to Albany ately paced 7 miles along Bearfort Ridge and up to Surprise Lake; and back. UCHC. Watchung Reservation, Mountainside, NJ. Leaders: Rick to hike the museum. fantastic views of Greenwood Lake; expect to be out by 4pm. and Ellen Jeydel, 908-232-2413. Meet: 10am at Trailside parking, UCHC. Watchung Reservation, Mountainside, NJ. Leader: Social hike intended for ages 18 to 30. Hazardous driving condi - Tuesday, March 11 Coles Ave. at New Providence Rd. Very fast paced 5-6 miles, for Naomi Shapiro, 973-762-1832; call before 9pm. Meet: 10am at Trail - tions cancel. Fee $8; college students $5. UCHC. Lewis Morris Park, Morristown, NJ. Leaders: Jim and Theresa McKay, 973-538-0756. Meet: 10am at Mendham Over - experienced, strenuous hikers only. Steady rain cancels. side Nature and Science Center; Coles Ave. at New Providence Rd. ADK-R. Blauvelt Mountain Circular, NY. Leader: call 201-871- look parking; call for directions. 6-7 miles at moderate pace; for Moderate 4 miles with some rocky trails. Steady rain cancels. 3531 for details and meeting place/time. Moderate 7.5 miles; see experienced hikers. To the Girl Scout camp and Jockey Hollow Monday, March 24 Trail Conference map #118. National Park. Snow on ground may shorten the hike. RVW. Huntersfield Mountain, NY. Leader: call 845-417-8097 Monday, March 3 for information and meeting place. Meet: 8am. Moderately UCHC. Lewis Morris Park, Morristown, NJ. Leader: Betty Mills, strenuous 4.5 miles (est. 4.5 hours). Inclement weather date is 973-538-4922. Meet: 10am at Sunrise Lake lower parking area; following Monday. call for directions. Easy 3 miles; about 1.5 hours. UCHC. Jockey Hollow, Morristown, NJ. Leader: Betty Mills, Tuesday, March 4 973-538-4922. Meet: 10am at visitor center parking. Easy, level UCHC. Jockey Hollow, Morristown, NJ. Leader: Mae Deas, 908- 3 miles; about 1.5 hours to Tempe Wick house and the Primrose Path. 233-6641. Meet: 10am at visitors center. 6 miles at moderate pace; Tuesday, March 25 for experienced hikers. Mt. Kemble Trail; lunch with a view of NYC. UCHC. High Mountain Preserve Park, NJ. Leader: Vin Dryer, Inclement weather cancels. 201-264-0976. Meet: 10am at end of Indian Trail Dr. in Franklin Wednesday, March 5 Lakes. 7 miles at moderate pace; for experienced hikers. Climb UCHC. Tulip Springs, South Mountain Reservation, Millburn, Beech Mountain with views of reservoir, then up High Mountain NJ. Leader: Dave Hogenauer, 973-762-1475. Meet: 10am at Tulip with views of NY, Bergen and Passaic Counties. Short section on Springs parking. About 4 miles at an easy to moderate pace; back streets of Franklin Lakes past McMansions; enter woods moderate terrain. Hike through old Boy Scout area, along reser - again at Buttermilk Falls. voir, and up the hill to Turtle Back Trail. Wednesday, March 26 Thursday, March 6 RVW. Esopus Meadow Point Preserve, NY. Leader: call 845- AFW. Pyramid Mountain, NJ. Leader: call 973-644-3592 or visit 246-2945 for information and meeting place. Meet: 10am. Easy 2 www.adventuresforwomen.org for information and to register. miles (est. 2 hours). Inclement weather date is following Saturday. Moderate hike; meet at 10am, out by 2pm. UCHC. Hedden Park, Dover, NJ. Leader: Carol O’Keefe, ADK-MH. Bimonthly Mid-Week Hikes, NY. Leader: Lalita Malik, 973-7395. Meet: 10am; call for directions. 4-5 miles at moderate

845-592-0204 or [email protected]. Meet: contact leader by M pace. A lake and pretty hike along Hurd Brook. O C Tuesday for hike plan, dependent on weather and conditions. . S Thursday, March 27 O

Moderate hike in the Mid-Hudson Valley, followed by a stop for K Y

T UCHC. Ramapo Valley County Reservation, Darlington, NJ. refreshment or dinner. Call leader for info on hikes in different Mid S K

E Leader: Jim McKay, 973-538-0756. Meet: 10am; call for direc - Hudson areas on the first and third Thursday each month. R A

M tions. 7-8 moderately strenuous miles at a steady pace; for Saturday, March 8 Niko Stykos enjoys a woodland brook while hiking in the Hudson Highlands this winter. experienced, strenuous hikers. To Bear Swamp Lake and back on RVW. Olana State Historic Site, NY. Leader: call 845-246-4590 Halifax Trail and others. Wednesday, March 12 Monday, March 17 for information and meeting place. Meet: 10am. Easy 4 miles. Saturday, March 29 UCHC. Patriots’ Path, E. Hanover, NJ. Leaders: Jim and Theresa ADK-MH. Young Members Snowshoe Intro Hikes, NY. Leader: RVW. Peekamoose Mountain (384 3' ), NY. Leader: call 845-338- McKay, 973-538-0756. Meet: 10am at Lurker Park in E. Hanover. ADK-R. Nice and Easy Hike, NY. Leader: call 845-729-4046 Dave Koehler, [email protected]. Meet: location dependent 8772 for information and meeting place. Meet: 8am. Strenuous Easy 3 miles to Essex County Environmental Center and back; for details and meeting place/time. Easy 4-5 miles; see Trail on snow conditions. Want to give snowshoeing a try? Here’s your 6.6 miles (est. 5.5 hours); snowshoes and crampons required. For time to visit the center. Conference map #119. chance (rentals available). Moderate hike geared toward those in experienced winter hikers only. Inclement weather date is follow - ADK-R. Bear Mountain, NY . Leader: call 973-835-2832 for their 20s and 30s, but not restricted to those ages. Thursday, March 13 ing Monday. details and meeting place/time. Moderately strenuous 7 miles; UCHC. Bearfort Ridge to Wawayanda State Park, NJ. Leader: Tuesday, March 18 UCHC. Watchung Reservation, Mountainside, NJ. Leader: Joan see Trail Conference map #119. Lepselter, 908-273-4188. Meet: 10am at Trailside Nature and Kathleen Grifone, 201-891-5161. Meet: 9:30am at Wawayanda UCHC. Hatfield Swamp, W. Caldwell, NJ. Leader: Dave UOC. Great Swamp, Basking Ridge, NJ. Leaders: John Hall, Science Center, Coles Ave. at New Providence Rd. 4-5 miles at ranger station; car shuttle to Bearfort Ridge. 7-8 miles at a steady Hogenauer, 973-762-1475. Meet: 10am; call for directions. 732-321-4199, and Gene Varney, 732-873-2506. Easy, level hike. brisk pace. Steady rain cancels. pace; for experienced, strenuous hikers. Hike on Quail Trail and 5-7 miles at moderate pace; level hike in an area noted for large the AT. numbers of migrating ducks. Come prepared for ice or mud. Learn about the history of this natural area and how it was saved WTW. Patriots’ Path, Chester to Long Valley, NJ. Leader: from becoming an airport. Walk on trails, the boardwalk, and Saturday, March 15 Little known area in West Essex Park. Ernest Wagner, 973-694-3194; call to confirm. Meet: 10am at visit the Wildlife Observation Center. Chester library parking. Easy 4 miles. AFW. Sourlands, NJ. Leader: call 973-644-3592 or visit Thursday, March 20 ADK-MH. Brooklyn Nature Walk, NY. Leader: Sue Mackson, www.adventuresforwomen.org for information and to register. AFW. Ramapo Mountain State Forest, NJ. Leader: call 973-644- 845-471-9892. Meet: 7:15am at Poughkeepsie Metro North 3592 or visit www.adventuresforwomen.org for information and station to catch the 7:33 train; call leader for alternate meeting to register. Moderate early evening hike; meet at 4pm, out by place. Easy 3-4 mile walk from Brooklyn Borough Hall area will The activities listed are sponsored by member clubs of the NY-NJ Trail Conference. All hikers are welcome subject to club regula - 7:45pm. tions and rules of the trail. You are responsible for your own safety. Wear hiking boots or strong, low-heeled shoes. Bring food, water, enable us to visit the Brooklyn Botanic Garden (free entrance on rain gear, first aid kit, and a flashlight in a backpack. Leaders have the right and responsibility to refuse anyone whom they believe UCHC. Sterling Forest State Park, NY. Leader: Eric Singer, Sat. mornings) to see early daffodils, Japanese Garden, and vast cannot complete the hike or is not adequately equipped. Easy, moderate, or strenuous hikes are relative terms; call leader if in doubt. 973-744-7147. Meet: 10am at visitors center. 7 miles at a steady collection of plants ready for springtime awakening. Possible pace; for experienced, strenuous hikers. We’ll hike along the stroll through nearby Prospect Park. More than 100 clubs belong to the Trail Conference, and many of our affiliate groups sponsor hikes not listed in the Hikers’ Almanac. Sterling Ridge. For a descriptive list of Conference clubs, consult our website or send a SASE with your request to NY-NJ Trail Conference. Sunday, March 30 UCHC. Hook Mountain, NY. Leader: Arnie Seymour-Jones, GAHC. Rockefeller State Park, Tarrytown, NY. Leaders: Manfred Club Codes 201-768-3864. Meet: 10am; must call to preregister. 6 miles with a Only those clubs with hikes offered in this issue are listed below. Please call numbers listed to confirm. Janowski, 914-428-4573, and Evelyn Hoyer, 718-457-8319. Meet: fair amount of climbing, but the views of the Hudson River will 9am at Valhalla RR Station; must call to preregister. Moderate and ADK-MH Adirondack Mountain Club RVW Rip Van Winkle Hiking Club make it worth the climb. easy hikes; cross-country skiing possible. Mid-Hudson Chapter UCHC Union County Hiking Club Saturday, March 22 NYHC. Staten Island Greenbelt, NY. Leaders: Bettye and Steve ADK-R Adirondack Mountain Club TLR Teatown Lake Reservation ADK-R. HTS Trail (“Old Red”) Up Ramapo Torne, Harriman Soffer, 718-720-1593; call 7-9pm. Meet: Take 10:30am ferry from Ramapo Chapter UOC University Outing Club State Park, NY. Leader: call 201-357-4642 for details and meet - Manhattan to Staten Island; meet leaders at train station in rear AFW Adventures for Women WEC Weis Ecology Center ing place/time. Moderate 7 miles; see Trail Conference map #118. of Staten Island ferry terminal. Easy 5-6 miles. See early wildflow - GAHC German-American Hiking Club WM13 West Milford 13ers ADK-MH. Fahnestock State Park, NY. Leader: Al Poelzl, 845- ers. Heavy rain or snow cancels. IHC Interstate Hiking Club WTW Woodland Trail Walkers 677-9995. Meet: 9:30am at lot on Rt. 301 opposite Lake Canopus IHC. Appalachian Trail, Rt. 17A to Wawayanda State Park, NJ. NYHC New York Hiking Club WWW Weis Wyanokie Wanderers Boathouse. Moderate 5 hours at leisurely pace with no steep Leader: Steve Rikon, 973-962-4149. Meet: 9am at Wawayanda grades. Explore some of the southern sections of the park with ranger station, Vernon, NJ. Strenuous 10 miles on the AT; a little Clubs wishing to have hikes listed in Hikers’ Almanac should send their schedules to [email protected] or to the Trail Conference Office. exceptional views. long but mostly downhill through a very scenic part of northern The deadline for the May/June 2008 issue is March 15, 2008. NJ. Shuttle required. March/April 2008 Page 9

UCHC. Jockey Hollow National Park, Morristown, NJ. Leader: AFW. Merrill Creek, NJ. Leader: Call 973-644-3592 or visit Mae Deas, 908-233-6641. Meet: 10am at visitors center parking. www.adventuresforwomen.org for information and to register. Scenic 4-5 moderate miles in this historic park. Easy hike; meet at 10am, out by 2pm. Member Club Profile Monday, March 31 UCHC. Garret Mountain, Paterson, NJ. Leader: Walter Koenig, RVW. Graham (3868 '), NY. Leader: call 845-246-8546 for 973-684-5528. Meet: 10am; call for directions. Moderate to casu - The Trail Conference comprises 10,000 individual members and more than 100 information and meeting place. Meet: 8am. Strenuous 7-mile al hike in a park with splendid views of historic Paterson; optional bushwhack (est. 5 hours); snowshoes and crampons required. For lunch at Libby’s Diner and visit to Paterson Falls after the hike. member clubs with a combined membership of 150,000 hikers. We invite club experienced winter hikers only. Inclement weather date is follow - GAHC. Bear Mountain State Park, NY. Leader: Brian Kassenbrock, representatives to submit photos from hikes or maintenance outings or other events ing Monday. 718-748-0624; please call to preregister. Meet: 9:30am at Bear UCHC. Painters Point, South Mountain Reservation, NJ. Mountain Inn parking; fee. Hikes at all levels. (please set your digital camera for highest resolution). Email your photos, along with Leader: Susan Jacobs, 973-402-2555. Meet: 10am; call for direc - Monday, April 14 complete caption information to: [email protected]; put “TW club photo” in the subject line. tions. Easy, level 3 miles; about 1.5 hours along the Rahway River. UCHC. Great Swamp Nature Center, Chatham, NJ. Leader: April Len Shnitzer, 732-499-9176. Meet: 10am; call for directions. Easy, Catskill Mountain Club level 3 miles; about 1.5 hours. Walk along the boardwalk and the Tuesday, April 1 Laurel Trail. The Catskill Mountain Club (CMC) is a UCHC. Lewis Morris Park, NJ. Leader: Susan Jacobs, 973-402- Tuesday, April 15 “grassroots association of outdoors-peo - 2555. Meet: 10am at Mendham Overlook; call for directions. 5-7 ple that promotes safe, responsible miles at moderate pace with hills; for experienced hikers. Steady UCHC. Black Rock Forest, NY. Leader: Arnie Seymour-Jones, rain cancels. 201-768-3864. Meet: 10am; call for directions. 6-7 moderately outdoor recreation and seeks to enhance strenuous miles; for experienced hikers. public awareness and appreciation of our Thursday, April 3 Wednesday, April 16 natural and human recreational UCHC. Weis Ecology Center, NJ. Leader: Kathleen Grifone, 201- 891-5161. Meet: 10am at Weis parking; call for directions. 8 miles UCHC. Ramapo Lake, Oakland, NJ. Leader: Micky Siegel, 201-797- resources.” Its interest is in the entire at a steady pace; for experienced, strenuous hikers. Hike to the 7054. Meet: 10am; call for directions. 4-5 miles at moderate pace. Catskill region, not just the Catskill Park View beautiful Ramapo Lake. Call if in doubt due to weather. falls and then climb to two great views. or the high peaks. CMC co-founder and A Catskill Mountain Club work crew takes Thursday, April 17 Saturday, April 5 current outings chair Aaron Bennett says a break on Twin Mountain while clearing UCHC. Watchung Trail Maintenance, NJ. Leader: to preregister UCHC. Ramapo State Forest, Oakland, NJ. Leader: Bob Bieri, this encompasses the six counties of trails after last April’s ice storm. call Trailside at 908-789-3670. Meet: 9:30am, work until noon. 201-664-3813. Meet: 10am at upper lot on Skyline Dr.; call for directions. 8 miles; for experienced, strenuous hikers. Ulster, Sullivan, Delaware, Otsego, Bring water, work gloves, bag for trash, and clippers/shears if you Schoharie, and Greene. tral to the Catskills. We wanted some - have them. No experience needed. Give back a little to the trails Saturday, April 19 In existence only since 2004, CMC has thing that was really meant for folks who while meeting new people and working outdoors. Snow covered UCHC. South Mountain Reservation, Millburn, NJ. Leader: ground or severe rainstorm cancels. Jim Schlegel, 973-731-4339. Meet: 10am at Tulip Springs parking; been quick to make a positive impact in live in the Catskills. The club is intended AFW. Tohickon Valley Co. Park, PA. Leader: call 973-644-3592 call for directions. Moderate 2-3 hour hike. our region’s hiking community. In just to be a way for us to get together and or visit www.adventuresforwomen.org for information and to Sunday, April 20 over three years the club’s membership learn about and enjoy the Catskills.” register. Moderate hike; meet at 10am, out by 3pm. WEC. Sterling Forest (Indian Trail Loop) with the Highlands has climbed to more than 450 and its vol - While hiking and trail maintenance have UCHC. South Mountain Reservation, Millburn, NJ. Leader: Hikers, NY. Leader: Charlie Toole; call Weis Ecology Center at 973- unteers have cleared and helped to build been predominate activities organized by Joan Lepselter, 908-273-4188. Meet: 10am at Locust Grove park - 835-2160 for details and to preregister. Meet: 9:30am. 4-5 miles at miles of hiking trails. Last year CMC CMC, “any non-motorized recreation ing, Glen Ave. at Lackawanna Pl., across from Millburn RR station. a moderate pace. Little Dam Lake, Green Pond, Wildcat Mountain, members were among those who helped activity” may be scheduled. “We’re not at 4-5 miles with some rocky trails. Steady rain cancels. great views of Harriman Park and Sterling Forest. Fee $8. reopen Catskill trails devastated by an the point where we have outings every TLR. Family & Beginner Hike, Westchester, NY. Preregistration UCHC. Hartshorne Woods, Monmouth Co., NJ. Leader: Mae April ice storm. They have done mainte - weekend,” Bennett says. Most outings are required: 914-762-2912, ext.110; www.teatown.org, or Deas, 908-233-6641. Meet: 10am at Hartshorne Woods parking; [email protected]. Learn how land was used in the past by call for directions. Moderate 4-5 miles with some hills. New area nance work on sections of the Finger led by board members, who agree to lead farmers and what impact people have made over the years. This for many of us; possible trip to Sandy Hook/Twin Lights after the Lakes Trail in the western Catskill region at least two outings a year. The group is a good hike for children, beginners, and anyone who enjoys an hike. Bring bug spray, just in case. and work with the Dept. of Environmen - aims to involve more of its members as unhurried day in the woods. Bring the family! 5 miles, moderate Tuesday, April 22 tal Conservation on other trail projects. outings leaders. terrain; 4 hours with lunch. This is one of our Westchester gems! UCHC. Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, NJ. Leader: In October 2007, the Trail Conference CMC has no dues requirement (it does Rain cancels, if the weather is questionable, call Teatown. Bring Steve Gruber, 908-647-3253. Meet: 9am; call for directions. lunch and water. Comfortable boots a must. bestowed its Ken Lloyd Club Award, accept donations) and it does not send out 6-7 level miles; car shuttle so we can hike in two unconnected which recognizes exceptional club service a paper newsletter. “It’s all internet based,” Monday, April 7 wilderness areas. to trails, to CMC for its work in cutting, Bennett says. “This keeps our costs mini - UCHC. Cedar Grove, NJ. Leader: Roz Bloom, 973-364-0186. Wednesday, April 23 Meet: 10am at Cedar Grove Community Park; call for directions. clearing, and marking the new Warner mal.” The club operates as an UCHC. Elmdale, South Mountain Reservation, Millburn, NJ. Easy, level 3 miles; about 1.5 hours. A railroad bed, hemlock gorge, Creek Trail linking the Long Path and the independent entity and is pursuing 501c3 Leader: Irv Auerbach, 973-239-4342. Meet: 10am; call for direc - and the reservoir. tions. Easy to moderate 4-5 miles up and down a number of hills, Devil’s Path. nonprofit status. Though founded as an Tuesday, April 8 but well worth the effort. Bennett says the club’s creation was organization for Catskill residents, anyone UCHC. Stokes State Forest, NJ. Leaders: Jim and Theresa Thursday, April 24 inspired by the centennial celebration of is welcome to join. For more information, McKay, 973-538-0756. Meet: 10am at visitors center just in from UCHC. Sterling Forest, Hewitt, NJ. Leader: Jim McKay, the Catskill Park Preserve in 2004. “Chris go to www.catskillmountainclub.org. Rt. 206. 6 miles at moderate pace; for experienced hikers. 973-538-0756. Meet: 10am at Jennings Hollow parking; call for Olney [co-founder and first CMC presi - Lackner Trail, others, and roads. directions. 7-8 moderately strenuous miles; for experienced, dent] and I were members of other clubs. Wednesday, April 9 strenuous hikers. Hasenclever Iron Trail, woods roads, and But we wanted something that was cen - UCHC. Mountain Way Park, Parsippany, NJ. Leaders: Jim and Sterling Ridge Trail. Theresa McKay, 973-538-0756. Meet: 10am at the park; call for Saturday, April 26 directions. 4-5 miles at moderate pace. NYHC. Piermont to Nyack on the Long Path, NY. Leader: Thursday, April 10 Halina Jensen, 212-568-6323; call 8-10pm. Meet: 10:15am at UCHC. Breakneck Ridge, Hudson Highlands State Park, NY. George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal in front of ticket windows Leader: Dave Hogenauer, 973-762-1475. Meet: 10am at Breakneck (A train to 175th St.). Moderate 6 miles. Enjoy spring in the Hudson parking on Rt. 9D, just north of Cold Spring (north of RR tunnel); Valley: visit Piermont long pier and the new neighborhood, then to call for directions. 8 strenuous miles with a steep, exposed sec - Nyack on the Long Path. Return to Manhattan by bus. tion; for experienced, strenuous hikers. Moderate pace on the UCHC. Turkey Mountain, Montville, NJ. Leader: Al Verdi, 973- very steep section, then moderately fast. Spectacular views of 263-8569. Meet: 10am at Pyramid Mountain parking; call for Hudson River valley. directions. Moderate to brisk 4+ miles with some hills. Past a his - Sunday, April 6 toric limestone quarry, waterfalls, Bott’s Pond, and a wetlands. WM13. Big Beech and Horse Pond Mountains, NJ. Leader: Don Natural rock stairs (the 100 steps) back to cars. Not for beginners; Weise; [email protected]. Meet: 9:30am; contact leader for expect 2.5-3 hours to complete. details. Strenuous 8-9 miles at a fast pace. Bag two of the Baker’s Sunday, April 27 Dozen peaks, required for the West Milford 13ers club, with AFW. Schunemunk Mountain, NY. Leader: call 973-644-3592 or tremendous views of Monksville Reservoir, Sterling Forest, and visit www.adventuresforwomen.org for information and to the West Milford Highlands; expected out by 2:30. Fee $8. register. Strenuous hike; meet at 9am, out by 4pm. IHC. Arden Mine Tour, Harriman State Park, NY. Leader: Roy GAHC. Sterling Forest State Park, NY. Leaders: Mathias Williams, 570-828-6207. Meet: 9am at Elk Pen parking, Arden Wuethrich, 908-253-9042, and Helga Nagy, 973-772-2119. Meet: Valley Road, Arden, NY. Strenuous 12 miles with stops at many 9:30am at visitors center. Moderate and easy hikes. different mines along the way. Rain or snow cancels. IHC. Reeves Meadow to Dater Mountain, Harriman State Park, This group, stopped at Frick Pond, joined a Lark in the Park outing, part of an annual UCHC. Lewis Morris Park, Morristown, NJ. Leader: Louise NY. Leader: Jim McKay, 973-538-0756. Meet: 9:30am at Reeves celebration of the Catskill region that the Catskill Mountain Club helps to organize. White, 973-746-4319; call before 9pm. Meet: 10am at Sunrise Meadow visitor center, Seven Lakes Dr., NY. Moderate 6-7 miles on Lake, upper lot; call for directions. Moderate hike but with some various trails; includes short road walk. ups and downs. UCHC. Mayapple Hill, South Mountain Reservation, NJ. Saturday, April 12 Leader: Dave Hogenauer, 973-762-1475. Meet: 2pm; call for We Can Publicize Your Events! UCHC. Bearfort Mountain, W. Milford, NJ. Leader: Dave directions. Moderate, level 3 miles mostly on old country roads Hogenauer, 973-762-1475. Meet: 10am at A&P lot on Rt. 511 in W. with some overgrowth; expected out by 3:30. View of the Rahway This year’s theme, “Join Us on the Milford. 5.5 miles at moderate pace and with moderate uphill Valley and reservoir from the Crag. grade; for experienced hikers. View the entire Greenwood Lake Monday, April 28 Trail,” is an open invitation to all beneath our feet. UCHC. Boonton Falls, NJ. Leader: Cherryll Short, 973-299-0212. Americans to get outside and con - NYHC. Riverside Park, Manhattan, NY. Leader: Halina Jensen, Meet: 10am; call for directions. Easy, level 3 miles; about 1.5 hours. 212-568-6323; call 8-10pm. Meet: 11am on SW corner of Broadway A treat for the eyes with low water, spectacular with high water. nect with local hiking clubs and and 72nd St. Easy 4 miles. We’ll head north admiring Eleanor Roosevelt and other sculptures, and two memorials, then return Tuesday, April 29 parks and open spaces of all kinds. along the Hudson River. UCHC. Skyline Dr., Ramapo State Forest. Leader: Kathleen Grifone, 201-891-5161. Meet: 10am at upper lot on Skyline Dr.; call Sunday, April 13 Clubs: Plan your events now and for directions. 7 miles with about 900 feet elevation gain; for IHC. Trail Maintenance on Sterling Ridge Trail, NJ. Leader: Jim experienced hikers. publicize them in the May/June issue Canfield, 973-728-9774. Meet: 9am at south end of Sterling Ridge Trail on Rt. 511 in Hewitt, NJ. We need everyone’s help for anoth - Wednesday, April 30 of Trail Walker by sending details to er spring cleanup; no experience needed. Moderately strenuous UCHC. History Tour in South Mountain Reservation, Millburn, trail clearing work; bring lunch, water, good working gloves and NJ. Leader: Dave Hogenauer, 973-762-1475. Meet: 10am; call for [email protected] by March 20. clippers, if you have them (or you can use tools provided by the directions. Easy to moderate 4 miles with a number of stops to club). Rain date is on Saturday, April 19. hear about how the park was created over 100 years ago, as well as some more recent events. WWW. Dunderberg Mountain, NY. Leader: Don Weise; call Weis Ecology Center at 973-835-2160 for details and to preregister. Meet: 9:30am. Fast paced 9 miles; expected out by 2:30pm. Climb Dunderberg Mountain for views of Bear Mountain and bridge, Anthony’s Nose, and Hudson River. Visit old RR site and the cliffs of the Timp. Fee $8. Page 10 March/April 2008 DONORS TO THE ANNUAL FUND Leave a Legacy November 22, 2007 to January 23, 2008 You can join the special individuals whose legacies ensure the Trail GIFTS Conference will continue to connect people with nature for generations to Hedy & Dave Abad, Marilyn Adair, John & Josephine Adams, Shin & Hiroko Aizeki, Estelle Anderson, Anonymous Donor, come by putting the Trail Conference in your will. It’s easy to do and won’t Michael J. Ashworth, Robert & Joan Augello, Alice Baer, Ken Bald, George Barrett, Kathryn Barry, Benjamin & Susan Baxt, affect your current cash flow. Jonathan D. Beard & Rachel Theilheimer, Robert Bender & Loretta Nash, David S. Bennett, Clifford & Marcy Berchtold, Larry & Susan Bernstein, Edith A. Biondi, Maria Bittner, Ed Blaumeiser, John B. Blenninger, Philip Blocklyn, Phyllis H. By naming the Trail Conference as a beneficiary of your estate, you will Bloom, Brian A. Blum, Michael J. Bolotsky, Rita Boyd, Daryl & Matthew P. Boylan, Bill Boyle, Robert & Rose Marie Boysen, help secure our future. Your gift is private and not made public until your Jane M. Brain, Jonathan L. Brandt, Charles B. Brock, Melinda Broman, John & Patricia Brotherton, Kurt F. Brown, death (or you can request your gift remain anonymous) and can be Amazon.com, David W. Buell, Michael J. Burns, Lenny & Sue Bussanich, James & Carolyn Canfield, Russ & Diane Cannizzaro, Lisa C. Caplan, Ted Chambers, William Chiappane, Herb Chong, Philip D. Christantielo, Arthur L. Clayton, designated for a specific program or be an unrestricted gift. You can James Cleveland, William C. Close, Rita Cohen & Richard Stern, Dave B. & Donna Colavito, Comptime Print & Copy Center, choose to donate a specific sum from your estate, for example $10,000, or John F. Connell, Linda Coonrad, Brian Cornell, Regina Corso, Pat Cotter & Francis Turner, Mark J. Dallara, Andrea J. you may allocate a percentage of your estate. Damato, Jane & Walt Daniels, Geoffrey Dann & Lauri Novick-Dann, Kathleen Davies, Christopher B. Davis, Ramsey Please contact Development Director Joshua Howard for bequest Outdoorsman Hiking Club, Jon-Eric Dentz, Michael E. Doehring, Paul T. Donoghue, Arthur H. & Nancy Ebeling, Joan & David Ehrenfeld, Carl Emont & Eve J. Mensch, Michael Engel, Jacqueline B. Engelhart, Jeanne B. Epstein, Russell Faller, language or with any questions you may have at 201-512-9348, ext. 13, or Lou Feeney, Eileen S. & Timothy Feurey, Tim Finneran, Rock & Snow, Inc., Robert L. & Judy Foester, Roland Folter, Ronald [email protected]. The Trail Conference recommends you contact an R. Fontana, Don D. Fornuto, Fortunoff, Jeffrey J. & Doreen Frankel, P. Wayne Frey, Maryellen & Michael Gabay, Charles W. accountant or lawyer for professional assistance. Gamble, Matthew D. Garamone, Eileen Gardner, The Gavalakis Family, James J. Gebhard, Roy C. Geist, Frank Gemeinhardt, Clifford Norman Gerenz, Carol Ann & Robert Gillespie, R. Dan & Ann Gladding, Golden Family Foundation, James & Susan Goodfellow, GoodSearch, Google, Joan B. Gossner & Will Ortiz, Josie Gray, Suzanne F. Greenberg, Fred I. & Barbara E. Greenstein, Robert Gregory, Robert W. Grize, Beth S. Grossman, Marvin Grumet, Ann Guarino, John & Marianne Gunzler, Fred & Doris Gustavson, Gordon L. Hamilton, William A. & Joan T. Hand, Paul H. Harrison, Jeffrey R. Hartman & West Hudson South Crew 2007 Report Rachel M. Boylan, Wilhelmina A. Haruk, Nancy G. Hassanein, Edward Z. Hawkes, Jim E. Hayes, Elizabeth Heald, Sidney B. Heimbach MD, Howard D. Helms, Ludwig Hendel, Stephani & Frank Herold, Charles Heuer & Monique Bouhours, Mac & Carroll Highet, Rich Hogg, Royal Jay Holly, Gaylord C. Holmes, Martin Horowitz, William S. Houck, James M. Hourihan, 2007 was another good year for the West Hudson South trail crew. Consistently good Andy Huber, Paul R. Hundt, Thomas J. Joyce, Joyce C. & Morris R. Judson Jr., Janet M. Junge, Richard M. & Claire L. Kamp, weather helped us finish several big trail projects. The spring season saw us rebuilding a Nitin Kapadia, Vincent Karabatsos, Richard & Marion Katzive, Laurie Katzmann, Daniel S. Kaufman, Peter R. & Cynthia portion of the AT on West Mountain. We split the fall season on two projects, both in K. Kellogg Foundation, Barbara & Bradford Kendall, Howard D. Kessler Jr., Philip L. & Melinda Kirstein, David J. Klem, Bear Mountain-Harriman State Park. There was a large erosion control job on the Trian - David A. & Anita Knechel, James B. Kobak Jr., Diane L. & J. Mark Korey, Robert Krumm, Deborah Kurtzman, Victor & Dylan LaGamma, Gerard Lagos, Rex Lalire & Greta Nettleton, Edward Landau, Robert Landi, Max & Nellie Larsen, Adam Lechner gle Trail and many trail improvements required on the Ramapo-Dunderberg Trail on & Ellen Gold, Jeffry T. & Cynthia Lee, Louis Leonardis, Julius & Hermine Levine, Sally Lewis & Marshall Katzman, Linkshare Black Mountain. In all, the crew put in more than 1,100 hours of serious labor to upgrade Corporation, Christopher Lowden & Kathy Murray, Brian Lubbert & Sharmila Ferris, Len & Liz Lyon, John C. Mahle Jr., Paul these trails. Makus, Joel & Ruth Mandelbaum, Harold Marciari, Brian Markey & Virginia M. Lincoln, Stanley C. Marko, Sally B. & James H. Martin, Jane Martinez, Jimena P. Martinez & Michael J. Hirschhorn, MaryAnn & Charlie Massey, John & Princilla Thanks go to the following people who put in the time to come out and help: Collin McAuliffe, Douglas F. McBride, Dan McCarthy, Michael S. McGraw, William Meier, Michael Merritt & Hilary Wilder, Robert Baja, Kristen Baja, Robert Blanchette, Roland Breault, Gail Brown, Jim Brown, Brian W. Messerschmidt, Daniel K. Miller, Charles H. Milligan, William P. Mitchell & Barbara Jaye, Bruce Modick, Keith Mogerley, Buchbinder, Chris Connelly, David Day, Monica Day, Chris Ezzo, Robert Foldes, Joyce John Moran & Claudia Moran, Richard More, Ken G. Morgan, Martin J. Moskowitz, David M. Moyle, Cynthia Mruczek, Gallagher, Claudia Ganz, Mary Hilley, Chris Ives, Bill Horowitz, Joan James, Frank Brian P. Mulraney, Andrea Natalie, Carol A. Nestor, David & Betsy L Nussenbaum, Doug A. & Jeanne M. O’Connor, William & Courtney O’Donnell, Robert Ostermann, John Palczynski & Pat Laverty, Greg Paris & Joanne Williamson, Patty Lee Keech, Andrea Kellner, David Kellner, Richard Lynch, John Mack, Kim Macleod, Bob Parmalee, Anthony V. & Domenica Paterno, Lawrence G. Paul, Claudia Perry, Karl Peters, Jeanne Petta, Peter Policarpo, Marshall, Lori Maynard, Gay Mayer, Trudy Pojman, Kevin Riley, Charles Silver-Frankel, Judith Pott, Samuel F. Pryor, III, Esq., John F. & Judith A. Reed, REI, Peter Reiner, Marsha & Steven Resnick, Kristen Trudy Schneider, Bruce Shriver, Brennen Wysong, and Steve Zubarik. Richardson, Nancy A. Riekert, Neil & Kathryn Rindlaub, William L. Roach Jr., Julie Robbins, Roger Roloff & Barbara Petersen, Ronald N. Romary, Ron & Marilyn Rosen, Jeffrey Rosenberg, Rossetter Foundation, Tracy Rossettini, Ned Rothenberg & Lois Ellison, Benjamin Rothfeder, Daniel Rouse & Charles Rouse, John Rowan, John Rudder, Nancy Sall & —Chris Ezzo, Crew Chief David Brogno, Howard & Suzanne Samelson, Maribeth Sarno, Barbara Schlarp, James G. Schlenker, Donald R. Schmidt, Darrel Schoeling & Jeff Corbin, Arlene Scholer, Ruth Schorsch, Noel P. Schulz, Susan & Robert Schuur, George Blair Scribner, James R. Sheil, Isidore Shiffman, Leon Shim, Robert Sickley, Manuel J. Silberberg, Ollie Simpson, Isaac & Marilyn Siskind, Anne Slayden, Jim Sligar & Diana Sattelberger, Edgar A. & Lusette Smith, Norman J. Smith, Peter Smith, Gerson Smith, Douglas & Joan Nickel Sohn, Patricia Sparkman, Dennis Spriet, James P. Springer & Nancy C. Elckman, Ursula Contribute Springer, Scott D. Stanford, Harold S. Starkman & Christine M. Donnelly, Vicki Steinhardt, Bob T. & Suzi M. Stevralia, Phyllis A. Stewart, Kristine Stortroen, David P. Stuhr, Marek Stycos, Virginia Styranovski-Schmidt, Lawrence Swayne, David G. & Barb Farrell Swenson, Michael Taylor & Sharon P. Churcher, J. Bruce Taylor, Adam P. Taylor, J. Bruce Thomson, Nancy Your Club, & Art Tollefson, Diana Trebbi, Jane Treubig, Michael & Elizabeth Turbe, Phin & Marjorie Tuthill, Lynn R. & Jerome Uhrig, Brysen Van Eck & Lauren Sullivan, Marilyn Van Houten, James L. Van Tassell, Dave R. Vars, Dominic Vellucci, Janice M. Trail Project Vicine, Richard & Anna Vislocky, Richard E. & Elizabeth Voigt, Richard W. & Grace Walkus, William C. Ward Jr., Richard D. & Jo Anne Warden, Richard N. Warner, Peter Weed & Celia Barbour, Larry A. Wehr, Georgette Weir & Jean Claude Fouere, Patrick Weir, Donald L. Weise, Arnie L. Weitzman, Hanson Wong, David & Naola Woolf, Patsy & Roy Wooters, Jean Wort, T-Shirt to TC Steven B. & Nathalie E. Yafet, David & Anne Yaspan, Ann Yasuhara, George M. Yocher, F. Kenneth Zadeck & Lisa Weiss, James Zeller, Stephen Zimic, Martin F. Zumsteg Quilt Project TRIBUTES MEMORIAL GIFTS In honor of Daniel Van Engle’s Birthday In memory of Irwin Botensky Madeleine Van Engel Jeal Sugarman Deepest gratitude to Harold Marciari, In memory of Adele Broude Veronica O’Neil, Dov Dixler, Dave Kimmelman Peter Tilgner & Suzan Gordon & Charlie DiCarlo for saving Cleo’s life In memory of Albert V.J. Ireland From Cleo and her family Robert J. Jonas In honor of Irwin Botensky In memory of Elmore “Mike” McKee Edward K. Goodell & Lynne S. Katzmann Ellen Butowsky, Seth L. McKee In honor of John Gunzler In memory of Shelley Norton Melissa & Jay Curwin Steve Carter, Regina Corso, Billie Davis, David & Virginia In honor of Torleif Meloe Deck, Colin Ewing, Families & Work Institute, Tracy Glass, Erica A. Meloe Diane Weiss Gruber, Julie Isbit, Adrianne & Barbara In honor of Michael Rubashkin’s 50th birthday Kennedy, David K. Krane, Cynthia Krane, Yooree Losordo, Edward K. Goodell & Lynne S. Katzmann Dana Markow, Richard Millard PhD, the Harris Interactive Public Relations Team, Donald Robbins, Tobe Sevush, In honor of Rick Suntag Randall Thomas, Christine Waggoner, Sally Willert Quilt maker and Trail Conference member Richard & Ellen Sarna Carolyn Canfield has offered to construct a In memory of Bertha Pritchard In honor of Art Zimmerman’s 85th Birthday Eileen T. Mahler wall hanging for the new New York-New June P. Slade In memory of Albert Rosen Jersey Trail Conference offices at the LAND ACQUISITION Beth Benjamin MD, Hiram & Ellyn Fong Foundation, Darlington Schoolhouse. To accomplish & STEWARDSHIP FUND Jeffrey Kroll, Harwood Lloyd, LLC, Frank Manginello MD, this project, she will need a collection of John & Marianne Gunzler Joachim & Lila Oppenheimer, Carmela Pane MD, Daniel & Lynne Van Engel new or nearly new T-shirts appropriate to In memory of Shelley Norton Trail Conference activities in the New York- Sally Ann Parsons In memory of Sylvia Zatel Pamela C. Frasca New Jersey area. These could include, but TRAILHEAD FUND are not limited to, club T-shirts, project T- John & Marianne Gunzler DARLINGTON SCHOOLHOUSE FUND Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP, John & Marianne Gunzler, shirts, park T-shirts. The size of the wall WESTCHESTER COMMUNITY Chris Connolly, Allyn Dodd, Elizabeth and Joseph Morley hanging will depend upon the space avail - TRAILS PROGRAM able at the schoolhouse and the number of Lucy R. Waletzky & Jim Hamilton, Westchester Community In memory of Irene K. Pappas Foundation, Gregory Joseph John D. Pappas usable donated T-shirts. To become part of In honor of Mary Smart WEST OF HUDSON COMMUNITY Trail Conference history, drop off your Stanley & Charlotte Fahn TRAILS PROGRAM T-shirt donation at the Trail Conference Marie Baier Foundation office before April 1, 2008. Donated MATCHING GIFTS BEAR MOUNTAIN TRAIL PROJECT T-shirts will not be returned. Earth Share, General Re Corporation, IBM, Mutual of America Foundation, Prudential Foundation Matching Dyson Foundation Gifts Program Tributes are only printed for donations of $25 or more.

If the Trail Conference We could earn a lot of money! How? It’s as easy as choosing the right search engine and online shopping location! GoodSearch, powered by Yahoo! will donate one cent for had a penny for every every Internet search you make through the search engine. If 100 people search two times every day the Trail Conference can earn $730 a year. Internet Search and If you shop online at GoodShop, a subsidiary component of GoodSearch, an average of 3% (but it can go as high as 20%) of your total purchase price will go to the Trail 3% from every Conference. (Be patient, though; the GoodShop contribution won’t post immediately online purchase… to the Trail Conference as it can take up to eight weeks for the partner to report the sale. There is no delay in receiving your purchase, however!) GoodShop and GoodSearch don’t cost anything to you, and all the money will come straight to the Trail Conference. Please visit www.goodsearch.com or www.goodshop.com and make GoodSearch your default search browser. Be sure to choose the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference as the “Cause I Search For,” other - wise the money won’t be directed toward us. With every click and online purchase, you can directly influence our work! March/April 2008 Page 11 Book Review TRAIL U COURSE CATALOG Rigging for Trail Work The Winter Camping Gorman is definitely a winter enthusiast. continued from page 4 Topics covered over two days include: Handbook Check out this guide if you’re looking for USFS Chainsaw Safety safety issues; equipment selection, care, an introduction to the subject and, like Certification and applications; calculating for safety By Stephen Gorman him, you want to get out and “explore the This two-day course, based on a US and efficiency; mechanical advantage for winter wilderness and experience the joys Forest Service curriculum, is designed to pulling; and overhead zip and high-lines. The Countryman Press, 2007 of winter.” Winter Camping Handbook is a teach how to safely use a chainsaw. It There will plenty of opportunity for new, updated edition of Gorman’s 1991 includes maintenance of the saw, identi - hands-on practice on Sunday plus a How to Build an Igloo Winter Camping , originally published by fication and mitigation of hazards, as winch-cleaning clinic in the afternoon. the Appalachian Mountain Club. well as plenty of field practice using Preference in registration will be given to And Other Snow Shelters You will likely have to travel beyond the chainsaws. Attendance priority is given participants attending both days. New York-New Jersey region to try out to individuals volunteering on NPS By Norbert E. Yankielun some of the construction projects suggest - lands (i.e. Appalachian Trail and Stone Splitting and ed by Norbert Yankielun in How to Build Delaware Water Gap National Recre - Shaping Workshop an Igloo . But this is probably the book to ation Area). Students do not need to own Topics covered include: Proper use of get if you have an interest in building snow a chainsaw to attend, but if you have one, tools to split and shape (dress) stone to shelters. Yankielun is a research engineer please feel free to bring it. desired dimensions (portable generator, for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, electric hammer drill, hand star drills and Cold Regions Laboratory in New Hamp - Trail Land Boundary Monitoring single jack hammer, top quality carbide shire. He also conducts igloo-building This one-day workshop provides partici - hand chisels, stone hammers, hand workshops which, according to his bio, pants with first-hand experience, points, tracers, and rifting hammers). W.W. Norton & Co., 2007 “draw hundreds.” checking land boundaries and trail corri - Reviewed by Georgette Weir Step-by-step instructions are augmented dors for illegal uses such as ORV activity, Stone Cribbing Level I by useful, clear drawings by Amelia Bauer. trash dumping, trail land encroachment This workshop will cover the basics of The subtitle of Stephen Gorman’s Winter For each structure (igloos, quinzees, slab and other common problems. The “in- building dry stone retaining walls to sup - Camping Handbook is actually a better shelters, drift caves, spruce traps, and “expe - the-field” portion of this workshop will port a tread way and retain a hillside. indicator of the book’s contents: Wilderness dient” shelters) Yankielun discusses be spent off trail; therefore students Class size will be kept very small to insure Travel & Adventure in the Cold-Weather historical and structural perspectives, should feel comfortable with off-trail optimal education. Months . Camping considerations comprise appropriate snow, and construction tech - hiking situations. big chunks of the content, but there is at niques. If you’re planning a winter group or Stone Step Construction least as much about traveling on snow and family trip to a snow-belt area, this might be Water Control This workshop will focus on rock step ice as about staying in place in a campsite. a fun take-along to guide you in some A special purpose workshop dealing only construction, incorporating rigging He presents basic information about prop - unusual snow construction activities. with various waterbars and other struc - skills, stone shaping, and basic mechani - er clothes for cold-weather recreation, tures to keep water off of trails. cal advantage and leverage, to set rock skiing and riding (snowboarding, that is) steps. equipment for backcountry, snowshoes Guide to Adirondack and crampons. There is a chapter about Trails: Northville–Placid Stone Pinning Workshop navigating in the backcountry, the details Techniques will be taught to build and of which will be familiar to anyone skilled Trail, 4th edition anchor trails over exposed sloping in backcountry hiking in any season, food By Jeffrey & Donna Case bedrock surfaces using steel pins. Topics and nutrition, and traveling in groups. covered include: safety issues, use of Gorman’s is a good basic introduction to mechanized and hand power rock drills, the subject of winter outdoor recreation Adirondack Mountain Club, 2007 pin / steel selection, different methods of and he offers many specific tips. About Reviewed by George Petty affixing and sealing pins into bedrock, choosing a sleeping bag, for example, he and building off of the set pins. discusses qualities of fills, shape, size, and The Adirondack Mountain Club (ADK) temperature ratings. He emphasizes the has just published the 4th edition of its Women’s Weekend importance of taking into account the Guide to Adirondack Trails: Northville- Sona Mason learned rock work techniques Focus will be on rock moving and stone body’s emissions of H 2O—as much as a Placid Trail , number four in its Forest at a workshop at Bear Mountain. construction. Topics covered include: pint a night even while we sleep in the cold. Preserve Series of eight guides to hiking in mechanical advantage, simple tools for the Adirondack Park. The book is in the Basic Rock Work Training moving large rocks, safety considera - light, small easily carried format typical of Topics covered include mechanical tions, proper body mechanics, and SAVE THE DATE the series and is addressed to experienced advantage, simple tools for moving large methods of reducing natural resource hikers interested in enjoying something rocks, safety considerations, proper body impacts. We will be constructing stone Trail Conference Fundraiser more than a day hike. mechanics, and methods of reducing steps and cribbing walls. Registration is The Northville-Placid (N-P) Trail is a natural resource impacts. limited to females. 132-mile generally lowland trunk-line Banff Mountain footpath through the heart of the Adiron - dacks. Begun in 1922 and completed in Film Festival 1924, N-P Trail was the first trail project World Tour undertaken by the then newly formed ADK. It climbs no peaks; its highest point

S is just over 3,000 feet. The editors write, M L I

F “when you hike the N-P Trail, whether all R E

D in one shot or piecemeal, you’re walking N E S /

S across much of the Adirondacks. . . . You N O I

T really are seeing a cross-section of all it has C U

D to offer.” Directions for spur trails to near - O R P by peaks and scenic views are included. P U G

I Editors Jeffrey and Donna Case have B S

E completed a thru-hike of the N-P Trail N I L every year for the past 21 years. They pro - G N I

K vide expert advice on hiking gear, trip © Gear raffles at this event will planning, seasonal hiking conditions, benefit the NY-NJ Trail Conference. Dept. of Environmental Conservation rules and regulations, access to trailheads, Instructor Eddie Walsh, second from left, shows students and safety and emergency procedures. The the use of a high-line rig to move heavy objects. This traveling exhibition from the 32nd trip planning sections are particularly full annual Banff Mountain Film Festival brings and practical, offering suggestions for both you the world’s best mountain films. thru-hikers and section hikers. The Intro - CONSERVATION & ADVOCACY Experience the adventure of climbing, potential impact the development would mountain expeditions, remote cultures, and duction contains general planning advice, continued from page 4 have on trail viewsheds. The Trail Confer - the world’s last great wild places — and the section descriptions have sugges - process proceeds can sign up to receive news ence also submitted written comments that all brought to life on the big screen. tions for shorter stretches of the trail. While alerts from the Trail Conference. Make sure included a viewshed map of the region, the trail is not particularly steep, there are we have your current email address. which indicated the many trails potentially New York, NY Event many streams and wetlands to cross, and impacted by the planned development. the suggestions for appropriate equipment Tuesday, March 4 & TC Testifies on Belleayre Project Finally, the Trail Conference is collecting and clothing should be taken seriously. Wednesday March 5, 2008 - 7:30 PM Staff member Brenda Holzinger represent - information about potential viewshed The book has useful photographs, page At Peter Norton Symphony Space ed the Trail Conference at a December problems from volunteers who are out hik - maps for each of the 10 sections, distance 2537 Broadway at 95th Street, NY, NY scoping hearing on the Belleayre resort ing these trails and documenting their lists to landmarks and points of interest in project in the Catskills. The meeting was experience. If you would like to assist with For additional info, film list, and directions every section, and, slipped into a packet on held by the NYS Dept. of Environmental this effort, please contact Brenda Holzinger visit www.chestnutmtnproductions.com. the inside back cover, a USGS topo-based Conservation to determine the scope of the via email ([email protected]) or phone Sponsored by: trail map showing the entire hike. This supplemental environmental impact state - (201-512-9348, ext. 25). Paragon Sporting Goods publication is essential reading for any hik - ment required for the project. Trail er planning to walk the N-P Trail, and Conference testimony focused on the should be at the top of the list of gear to be carried in the pack. Page 12 March/April 2008

The park has the usual rules: hikers are HOW TO GET THERE: asked to stay on the trails and don’t litter. Take the New Jersey Turnpike south to Exit Favorite Hike Dogs must stay on a leash and all-terrain 5, Mount Holly. Turn left on Woodlane bikes must use designated trails only and Road (Route 630), moving east. Turn right By Patricia Hilliard must give right-of-way to hikers. Remem - at Smithville Road. From this road you can Historic Smithville Park: Where History Meets Nature ber, take only pictures and never pick the turn right into the village or go further wildflowers. Three clean, well-kept rest - south to the parking lot for the hike rooms are located near picnic areas and through the southern part of the park. Hoping to see native wildflowers this look of the river. Wild Phlox and Spring sites of interest. The park provides well- spring? Go to Historic Smithville Park in Beauties can be found among other designed maps, which can be obtained Patricia Hilliard is a Trail Conference mem - Burlington County, NJ. The park has 280 intriguing wildflowers. Animal lovers from the web site at ber and writer of Wild Birds in the Parks of acres and over 4 miles of clear, wide, should be on the look-out for white-tailed www.co.burlington.nj.us/departments/ Hudson County . marked nature trails, sidewalks, and paths. deer, fox, beaver, and rabbits. Bird watchers resource_conservation/parks This park combines natural habitat with a will likely see wild turkey, hawks, and visit to an 1860s “self-sustaining” village. herons. Migrating wood ducks may be seen As you enter the park from Smithville in spring in Rancocas Creek. Hikers’ Road, you can visit the farm, the mansion, Another opportunity to see wildflowers and the village. From this location walk is at the southern end of the park. Drive Marketplace down to the river and see the old mill. further down Smithville Road to the park - Then get your wildflower book out and get ing lot at the intersection of East Railroad NY-NJ TC member? YES NO JOINING NOW Member #______ready to identify some wildflowers. Avenue. The trail from this parking lot goes Please order by circling price Retail Member P/H Total east through the woods and arrives at a pic - nic area. From this opening, the trail curves Official Conference Maps Order 8 or more and get discounted expedited shipping! This trail takes you to the west back into the woods and follows the Catskill Trails (2005) & see combo $14.95 $11.21 +$1.65 ______Floating Trail, which gives Rancocas Creek. Among the trees that line NEW!! East Hudson Trails (2008) $10.95 $ 8.21 +$1.50 ______the riverbank you might imagine you’ve NEW!! Harriman-Bear Mountain Trails (2007) & see combo $ 9.95 $ 7.46 +$1.50 ______a great view of the lake. just seen some children of the 1800s enjoy - Hudson Palisades Trails (2005) $ 8.95 $ 6.71 +$1.50 ______ing the “ol’ swimming hole” for the Kittatinny Trails (2005) & see combo $12.95 $ 9.71 +$1.65 ______riverbank shares the memories of this idyl - North Jersey Trails (2007) $ 9.95 $ 7.46 +$1.50 ______The Ravine Trail is reserved for hikers lic past (but is now used as a kayak NEW!! Shawangunk Trails (2008) & see combo $10.95 $ 8.21 +$1.50 ______only and is designated as a good trail for stopping point). South Taconic Trails (2006) $ 4.95 $ 3.71 +$1.10 ______botanical studies. This trail is accessed from Follow the trail back out to Smithville Sterling Forest Trails (2005) $ 7.95 $ 5.96 +$1.30 ______the picnic area along the river below the vil - Road and cross the road until you come to West Hudson Trails (2006) $ 8.95 $ 6.71 +$1.50 ______lage and across from the mill. The Ravine a path on your left that veers to the south. Books Trail is tree covered and hilly with an over - This trail takes you to the Floating Trail, NEW!! Appalachian Trail Guide to New York $19.95 $14.96 +$3.00 ______which gives a great view of the lake. If you & New Jersey (2007) arrive at the right moment in spring, the NEW!! Hiking the Jersey Highlands (2007) $22.95 $17.21 +$3.50 ______water is pulsing with the splashing and wal - New York Walk Book (2005) & see combo $22.95 $17.21 +$3.50 ______lowing of fish as they lay their eggs on the New Jersey Walk Book (2004) & see combo $19.95 $14.96 +$3.50 ______lake’s edge. Next, take the trail beyond the Circuit Hikes in Northern New Jersey (2003) $11.95 $ 8.96 +$3.00 ______lake. On this trail you will see the pink and Day Walker (2002) $16.95 $12.71 +$3.00 ______white phlox. The trail goes southeast to Harriman Trails Guide (1999) & see combo $16.95 $12.71 +$3.50 ______West Railroad Avenue where you intersect Hiking Long Island (2005) $19.95 $14.96 +$3.50 ______again with Smithville Road and return to Iron Mine Trails: NY/NJ Highlands (1996, rev. 1999) $ 8.95 $ 6.71 +$3.00 ______your parked vehicle. Kittatinny Trails (2004) & see combo $18.95 $14.21 +$3.00 ______Long Path Guide to NY/NJ (2005) $16.95 $12.71 +$3.00 ______Scenes & Walks in the Northern Shawangunks (2006) & see combo $13.95 $10.46 +$3.00 ______Doodletown: Hiking Through History in a Vanishing Hamlet on the Hudson (1996) $12.95 $ 9.71 +$3.00 ______Nature Walks in New Jersey (2003) $14.95 $11.21 +$3.00 ______AMC Catskill Mountain Guide (2002) $19.95 $14.96 +$3.00 ______ADK Catskill Trails (2005) & see combo $19.95 $14.96 +$3.00 ______ADK Catskill Day Hikes for All Seasons (2002) $12.95 $ 9.71 +$3.00 ______Catskill Trails: A Ranger’s Guide to the High Peaks Book Two: The Central Catskills (2000) $14.95 $11.21 +$3.00 ______Shawangunks Trail Companion (2003) $18.95 $14.21 +$3.50 ______Left: Rancocas Creek offers an idyllic stop. Moon Take a Hike NYC (2006) $16.95 $12.71 +$3.00 ______Above: Wild phlox grace the trail sides in spring. Walking Manhattan’s Rim (2003) $13.95 $10.46 +$3.00 ______50 Hikes in the Lower Hudson Valley (2002) $16.95 $12.71 +$3.50 ______50 Hikes in New Jersey (2006) $16.95 $12.71 +$3.50 ______Join the volunteers who Best Hikes w/ Children in New Jersey (2005) $15.95 $11.96 +$3.00 ______Best Hikes w/ Children in the Catskills & Hudson River Valley (2002) $14.95 $11.21 +$3.00 ______bring you the great outdoors! Hudson to Delaware: The Great Valley (2004) $75.00 $56.25 +$5.50 ______Combo-Packs 1,700 miles of trails; your membership helps us expand our horizons. Catskill (5-map set & ADK book) $30.35 $22.69 +$3.00 ______Included with membership, Trail Walker , 10% discount on purchases at most Harriman (2-map set & book) $23.40 $17.55 +$3.50 ______outdoor stores, and 25% discount on all Trail Conference maps and books. NY & NJ Walk Books $38.60 $30.95 +$4.50 ______Save time and a tree by joining or renewing online at Shawangunk (3-map set & Scenes & Walks book) $21.65 $16.23 +$3.00 ______www.nynjtc.org. Just click on the Join/Renew button. Kittatinny (4-map set & book) $27.80 $20.85 +$3.00 ______The Personal Touch MEMBERSHIP LEVEL DUES Note Cards: TC Collection $12.00 $ 9.00 +$3.00 ______Senior Individual (65+) $25 Long-sleeve Denim Shirt Circle: S M L XL $29.90 $22.43 +$5.50 ______Senior Family (65+) $30 Polo Shirt (Forest Green) Circle: S M L XL $19.90 $14.93 +$5.50 ______Supporter $30 Trail Conference Baseball Cap $ 5.00 $ 3.75 +$2.10 ______Family $40 Trail Conference Logo Patch $ 2.50 $ 2.50 postpaid ______*Sponsor Individual $60 Long Path Logo Patch $ 2.75 $ 2.75 postpaid ______*Sponsor Family $75 Trail Conference Logo Decal $ .85 $ .85 postpaid ______*Benefactor Individual $120 Subtotal ______*Benefactor Family $150 Postage/handling from above ______*Life Individual $1,000 New Jersey residents add 7% tax* ______*Life Joint $1,500 TOTAL ENCLOSED $ ______Name ______Address ______Method of Payment: NAME City ______State ______Zip ______Check or money order enclosed Visa Mastercard Amex Day Phone ______Evening Phone ______ADDRESS Card #______E-MAIL ______CITY STATE ZIP Exp. Date: ___ /___ Check or money order enclosed Visa Mastercard Amex Signature: ______Card # ______Exp. Date: ____ / ____ EMAIL TELEPHONE Make check or money order payable to the NY-NJ Trail Conference, Make check or money order payable to NY-NJ Trail Conference, and mail to: 156 Ramapo Valley and mail to: 156 Ramapo Valley Road, Mahwah, NJ 07430. Road, Mahwah, NJ 07430. For a full descriptive catalog, please write or call 201-512-9348. *Tax must be paid on books, maps, misc., but not on clothing or shipping, by customers New Sponsor, Benefactor, and Life Members may elect to receive a with NJ ship-to (not billing) addresses. Prices are subject to change. (3/08) Trail Conference cap. Check here if you would like us to send you a cap. Tax-deductible. Dues are not refundable. YOU CAN ALSO ORDER AT OUR WEBSITE: WWW.NYNJTC.ORG