10 Great Trail Projects! This Invasive Our crews have been Could Blind You out building and And it’s in our area. Learn how improving trails for you. to recognize giant hogweed. READ MORE ON PAGES 6—7 READ MORE ON PAGE 9 Fall 2014 New York-New Jersey Trail Conference — Connecting People with Nature since 1920 www.nynjtc.org Trail Conference Recommendations Kaaterskill for Protecting Kaaterskill Falls and PEOPLE FOR TRAILS the Public Falls Deserves The Trail Conference is recommending a comprehensive and collaborative approach Safe Access to managing public access at Kaaterskill Falls, with the goals being to increase safety wo deaths this season, both the and access while protecting and improving result of falls from water-slicked this unique and popular natural resource in Trocks. Unsafe trailhead access, with the Catskill Park. pedestrians and vehicles competing for Solutions will require the cooperation of pavement on a winding, narrow road. the Town of Hunter, the DEC, Dept. of Social paths on the mountainside that result Transportation, nearby landowners, non- Daniel Yu in widespread erosion, degrading both the profit organizations like the Trail Staten Island, NY mountain and the experience for hikers. Conference, and local businesses. The Trail These are just some of the problems that Conference supports: Komodo Dragon: Daniel’s afflict the popular Kaaterskill Falls, an icon - • The creation of a weekend shuttle serv - bestowed nickname at the ic natural feature of the Catskill Park and ice to reduce parking pressure in the clove; Bear Mountain project. the Hudson River School of art. This sum - • Improvements to pedestrian safety mer, the Trail Conference joined New York along Route 23A; Why? Daniel approaches the art State Senator Cecilia Tkaczyk, local offi - • Improvements to the current Kaater - of building cribwall much as a cials, and representatives of the Dept. of skill Falls Trail and the development of a Komodo Dragon approaches its Environmental Conservation (DEC) to new trail that connects the existing prey: patiently, tenaciously, begin a search for solutions that will Escarpment Trail and the Kaaterskill Falls powerfully, and skillfully. enhance visitors’ experience and safeguard Trail in a safe and efficient manner; Plumber of the Internet: this treasured natural asset. • The completion of the Kaaterskill Rail Daniel’s Trail (KRT) at the top of the falls with the nickname for himself in his professional, weekday life. Improvements are needed construction of a bridge over Lake Creek, which would provide a safe crossing for N A Why? “I upgrade the M R for hikers both along visitors above Kaaterskill Falls and facili - E infrastructure and make it work T N tate hiker traffic along the KRT, the E S faster; I handle the stuff you the road and on the trails F F Escarpment Trail, and any future Escarp - E don’t see to make all the J to promote safety. ment/Kaaterskill Falls Trails connections; The view from the current end of the possibilities of iPhones and • The deployment by the Trail Confer - Kaaterskill Falls Trail. computers seem seamless.” ence and the Catskill Conservation Corps Ironically, Daniel does not own We began with a site visit on a busy July of a combination of paid and volunteer The Trail Conference does not support much hi-tech gear himself. Sunday, and experienced first-hand the trail and resource stewards in the area to the development of a new trail that would perils of the road walk. At the base of the educate visitors, help protect natural bring visitors to the upper level of Kaater - It was while hiking—he started falls we watched many people hike beyond resources, and help to ensure the safety of skill Falls, nor does it support the just last year —that Daniel learned the end-of-trail sign, some slipping and hikers and visitors. Paid stewards require development of a short, steep connector of the Trail Conference on some falling on the eroded slope. We saw people identifying funding sources. trail between the top of the falls and the trail markers. He attended an swimming in the tiers of pools, where the • Giving the DEC more resources to end of the existing Kaaterskill Falls Trail. Intro to Bear Mountain Trails rocks are very slippery and a fall would increase public education and patrols in —Jeff Senterman, Project hike in March and has cause very bad injuries if not death. the area by forest rangers, assistant forest senior program coordinator been hooked on the project, rangers, and Student Conservation Corps coming out every weekend, ever backcountry stewards. since. “I was interested in making a wild place accessible. Every day you learn something new, either Protect Your Trails: on your own or by how others Mugged by a Bear Report ATV Activity are doing it.” Goals: To stand atop the high point of every state and on every “We made a trail for you,” hollered the ATV tri-corner (where three states rider from his mount. He and two compan - meet) in the USA. “I hiked Mt. ions had bull-dozed their four-wheelers up a Marcy and realized I’d done four steep slope, through dense blueberries nearly state high points and figured E to a viewpoint in the Fishkill Ridge Conser - C I there are only 46 more to go.” V R vation Area (owned and managed by Scenic E S E Hudson) in Dutchess County. They had, in Something not known about F I L D fact, been following a Trail Conference main - him: He points to a large scar on L I W tained footpath up from an area riddled with & top of his head from an accident H S By Jerry Adams, Appalachian Trail I old woods roads and off-road vehicle paths as a youth. “It’s a big reminder F S U Ridge Runner in New Jersey (East Hudson Trails Map #102). In the con - to be careful out there, but, you : Y B servation area, as in the neighboring Hudson will survive.” The ground trembled, but it was the huff - gled to get my brain around what I was see - Highlands State Park, the use of off-road ing and snorting outside that woke me in ing while working to shove the sleep away vehicles is illegal. Hiking solo, I held my Favorite attribute of self: “My the dead of night. and awaken my senses. It huffed again, and tongue, turned my back on the trio, and con - curiosity. It drives everything Looking through the screen of my tent, I it seemed that bubbles blew from its nose. tinued, a bit uneasily, on my way. else. Do something new every day.” We at Bear Mountain love saw the large black bear lurking about 10 continued on page 2 feet away and staring back at me. I strug - continued on page 8 that about you too, Daniel. VOLUME XLI, N UMBER 4 ISSN 0749-1352 Learn about the Bear Mountain Trails Project at nynjtc.org/ bearmtntrails Interview by Caitlyn Ball, D L O AmeriCorps member of the G N R E Bear Mountain Crew T S N A S U S ATVs in Harriman State Park. Page 2 Fall 2014 New Jersey Voters: efforts. The Trail Conference has supported dedicated funding for Green Acres through Feedback New Legislature Could the New Jersey Keep It Green coalition; as of VOLUME XLI, NO.4 FALL 2014 Affect Your Parks the deadline for this issue of Trail Walker , we Re Casinos GEORGETTE WEIR EDITOR were reviewing the final measure adopted Thanks for taking up this fight. I was a LOU LEONARDIS GRAPHIC DESIGNER On November 4, you will have the oppor - by the legislature to ensure that its passage child hiking through those areas for TRAIL WALKER (USPS Permit #970-100) tunity to vote on Question 2, a measure would maintain already established funding over six years growing up in Warwick. I (ISSN 0749-1352) is published quarterly by the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference as a that, if approved, would dedicate a percent - for our parks. Please watch your email and live in Georgia now, and still hike up benefit of membership. Subscriptions are age of existing corporate business tax our website for more about this issue in the there from time to time, and when I available to libraries only at $15.00 a year. revenues on a long-term basis to ensure reli - weeks ahead. first read about this a few of months ago Periodical postage paid at Mahwah, N.J., and additional offices. Postmaster: Send address able funding for land and water protection I had to express my concerns to you all changes to the address below. Opinions expressed and other groups too, so thank you for by authors do not necessarily represent the policy taking up this fight. If I can do anything or position of the Conference. Contributions of remarks by Andes Town Supervisor Marty from down here please let me know, typed manuscripts, photos, and drawings are welcome. Manuscripts may be edited for style Donnelly, NYC DEP Recreation and seriously. I would love to be in Albany and length. Send SASE for writers’ guidelines. Property Manager Charlie Laing, and for these meetings! Please keep me in Submission deadlines for the TRAIL WALKER CMC President Rick Roberts, attendees the loop on the progress. are January 15 (Spring issue), May 15 (Summer headed off for a hike. The Palmer Hill Trail —Bruce Murtie issue), August 15 (Fall issue), November 15 Trail News (Winter issue). Unsolicited contributions cannot consists of three segments that can be hiked Hampton, Georgia be acknowledged unless accompanied by SASE. in four distinct combinations, allowing For information on advertising rates, please write hikers the options of short and easy hikes I think [casinos] will [be] fantastic or call.