www.nynjtc.org Connecting People with Nature since 1920 November/December 2008 New York-New Jersey Trail Conference — Maintaining 1,716 Miles of Foot Trails In this issue: More Wilderness in Catskills...pg 3 • Remember Our Discount Partners...pg 6 • The Little Plant That Could...pg 7 Delaware River or Bust! The Highlands Trail Nears a Landmark he push is on for the Highlands recreation areas for residents. A long-dis - Trail in New Jersey. Volunteers led tance trail through the region would help Tby Glenn Oleksak and Adam bring public attention to the existence and Rosenberg, co-supervisors of the trail, are vulnerability of this extensive swath of on track this fall to develop one of the green. Then TC Executive Director JoAnn trail’s final links through Hunterdon Dolan was an early champion of the idea, County in New Jersey to near the and creating the trail became a Trail Con - Delaware River. If all goes according to ference project. Bob Moss became the trail plan, HT Trail Committee Chair Gary committee’s first volunteer. Haugland says there will be a celebration “In 1994, I retired early and devoted event on the river bank this spring, in many hours to the Sterling Forest preserva - Riegelsville, PA, where the trail will cross tion project,” Bob Moss recalls. “This and continue, developed by Appalachian brought to JoAnn Dolan’s attention that I R Mountain Club, into the Pennsylvania had some time on my hands, and John A G P Highlands. Myers [former TC land acquisition con - A Y M sultant] asked me to start attending E R E meetings of the ad hoc Highlands Trail J Committee, consisting of representatives of “Up hill in both directions” “One of the biggest long-term challenges all the outdoor groups that could be When Bob stepped back from his leadership is making sure that the maintenance of the thought of (Sierra Club, AMC, etc.), New role with the HT committee—he continues trail stays up to TC standards,” Glenn says. S A Jersey Conservation Foundation, the state, as a maintainer of a section in Hopatcong— “I have continually stated that I would not N O J counties, and active individuals. Soon I was Glenn Oleksak stepped forward to take his concentrate so much on building new trail T R E B chair pro temp. Next John started sending place as Trail Supervisor for New Jersey. He that the old stuff grows in behind us. O R me out to the field to look at properties and now shares the job of covering the HT from Thanks to Adam Rosenberg’s help, we have HT co-supervisors Glenn Oleksak and Adam Rosenberg potential trail routes, getting information the Hudson to the Delaware with co-super - given as much emphasis on maintenance as from tax maps (which were not available visor Adam Rosenberg. Glenn had joined to building new trail.” A Trail with a Conservation Agenda online quite yet), etc. In 1995, the Trails Bob’s work trips on the trail and says he “got Another challenge, especially this past The Highlands Trail, a combination of co- Council formally created the Highlands bit by the HT bug.” year, has been working to get permanent alignment on established trails, new trails, Trail Committee, and appointed me chair. “There’s some mystique about it. A long- easements for the trail on private property. and road walks, was born in the mid- “I loved the concept of a long-distance distance trail that is kind of obscure—not a “The general problem with long-dis - 1990s, envisioned as a bi-state trail running trail through New Jersey. Equally major route like the AT. I liked that it wasn’t tance trails is landowner agreements,” notes 150 miles from the Hudson River in New enthralling was the chance to build hiking always up on ridge tops—that it went along Gary Haugland. “Many agreements have York to the Delaware River in New Jersey. trails into new areas. Having lived here stuff like the Morris Canal and old railroad been tenuous in the past. As land changes The idea, says Gary Haugland, grew out of since 1947, and hiked here since 1950, I beds at times. That some sections are lightly hands, agreements may go by the board.” the burgeoning efforts to preserve open thought I knew the state, but there were so built and almost seem sort of secretive.” He That and other changed circumstances space in the Highlands of New York and many beautiful places that I had no idea of. patrols the full length of the trail at least may result in discontinuities in a trail’s New Jersey in order to protect water It also gave me an excuse to spend half my once a year, “usually as a thru-hike.” continued on page 11 resources, wildlife habitat, and natural time in the woods.” Trails, New Volunteer Angle Fly Preserve was purchased in Opportunities 2006 through the cooperation of Somers Land Trust, Westchester Land Trust, New in the Future York City Dept. of Environmental Protec - tion, and New York State Dept. of for Westchester’s Environmental Conservation. The recent Angle Fly Preserve Angle Fly Preserve Comprehensive Man - agement Plan articulates the desire for a The NY-NJ Trail Conference is excited to trail network that protects the existing be working with Somers Land Trust, important and sensitive habitats while R I E Westchester Land Trust, the Town of opening up the preserve for educational W E T Somers, Teatown Lake Reservation, and and recreational uses. An archeological site T E G R other key supporters to design and con - survey and an environmental assessment O E struct a network of trails at Angle Fly have occurred and are important resources G Preserve. The preserve, named after the in the trail design and layout process. natural stream running through it, is the On September 28, Somers Land Trust Hike-a-thon Raises $15,000 for Trails last natural brook-trout spawning stream in held its annual membership meeting at Forty-one hikers, both members and non-members of the Trail Conference, raised Westchester County. A mixture of wetland, Angle Fly Preserve. Invasive plant samples over $15,000 in the first-ever Trail Conference Hike-a-thon on October 4 at Bear stream, forest, and upland habitats encom - (taken from Angle Fly Preserve) were show - Mountain State Park. The event, co-sponsored by the Palisades Interstate Park Com - pass the 654-acre preserve. cased, along with information about the mission, aimed to raise funds for trail projects at the park, in particular, for the People impacts of invasive plants on native habi - for Trails interpretive exhibit that is a component of the Bear Mountain Trails Project. tats. Hikes, led by Rod Christie, executive Special thanks go to Eric Fuches-Stengel, Robert Fuller, and the Begin family for lead - director of Mianus River Gorge Preserve, ing the way with pledges and support totaling over $5,500. Pictured are those who took community members through sec - were on hand at the 8 am start of the event, which was marked by an environmental tions of Angle Fly Preserve. This provided leadership award to the Trail Conference from the Global Sports Alliance (GSA). an opportunity to see some of the proposed (Learn more about the award on page 2.) The Trail Conference plans on holding its trail routes and learn about plants, insects, second Hike-a-thon next year on October 3, 2009 to raise money for trail projects in amphibians, and birds along the way. public parks throughout our region. A big thank you also goes out to the NJ Search Somers Land Trust has created the and Rescue and David Lankford and his US Army Cadets for patrolling the course. Friends of Angle Fly group to promote the public enjoyment of these natural lands VOLUME XXXV, N UMBER 6 ISSN 0749-1352 while protecting them. Non-Profit If you are interested in being a part of activ - US Postage Paid Permit No. 1239 N O ities at Angle Fly Preserve, contact Michael S Bellmawr, N.J. U G Barnhart, [email protected], or R E F Christie Ferguson, East Hudson Regional E I T S I Representative, [email protected], to R H C learn about trail building and maintaining Visitors explore a proposed trail route opportunities. at Angle Fly Preserve. Page 2 November/December 2008 From the Board of Directors By Malcolm Spector Pssst... VOLUME XXXV, NO.6 NOVEMBER /D ECEMBER 2008 If You Are Reading This: the Trail Conference GEORGETTE WEIR EDITOR LOUIS LEONARDIS GRAPHIC DESIGNER Most Likely You Are But Wait: You Might Be enables hiking in The TRAIL WALKER (USPS Permit #1239) a Member of the a Lapsed Member. (ISSN 0749-1352) is published bi-monthly by Trail Conference. Yes, we continue to send the Trail Walker , the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference as a our region. benefit of membership. Subscriptions are Perhaps you are one of for a time, to former members, hoping not available to libraries only at $15.00 a year. over 1,000 trail main - to lose them. We wonder: Did we do some - Spread the word. Periodical postage paid at Mahwah, N.J., and tainers, each watching thing to alienate you? What happened? additional offices. Postmaster: Send address over a section of trail, Did you move away or just overlook those changes to the address below. Opinions expressed by authors do not necessarily represent the policy visiting it two or three renewal notices? Saying goodbye is so hard. or position of the Conference.