President’s Message Hope “Springs” Us Forward David S. Marsh slightly, and our goals were revised. They are all listed for your review on page 5 of this issue of the FLT News. Considering the talent and energy of this Board of Managers, and all of our volunteers, we have reason to HOPE that: you, our members, are pleased with the FLTC and will continue to renew your membership. You, through your membership, give us life. You are a vital part of enlisting new members and helping us to grow. our landowners are pleased with the FLTC, its volunteer trail maintainers, and with the behavior of all those who use the trail. You, our landowners, make the Trail possible. we are able to attract sufficient funding for our trail maintenance, trail building, and trail protection projects. Pillow Talk the FLTC is successful in bringing all of our “affiliated” clubs together in a Club l. to r.: Vice President Membership and Presidents Council, and, that all member organizations will benefit from each Marketing Jay Zitter, President David other in a closer working relationship. Marsh, and newest Board member John volunteers continue to be attracted to trail maintenance and administrative work, Morris. Jay made the pillow out of two of the and remain satisfied that their contribution is worth their valuable time. commemorative bandanas from last fall’s we are successful in protecting the FLT forever through securing trail access. FLTC Fall Campout/Sidote Birthday Bash.. we are successful in gaining access to appropriate lands and enlisting community he daylight hours lengthen, maple tree support to complete the new branch trail connecting the FLT and the Mid State sap flows, buds expand, the sunshine Trail at the NY/PA Border. This will become an important segment of the has greater warmth as the angle of the exciting new Great Eastern Trail that will extend from the FLT to the Florida/ T Alabama border. sun changes, and we are filled with anticipa- tion thinking about all that is to come once our marketing efforts will be successful in attracting new members, communities, again with springtime. We think of the spring and businesses to support and strengthen the FLT. season as a happy time because of the promise the FLTC will be able to attract dedicated and hard working officers and Board of the emergence of life and growth to follow. members. It is the season of hope, hope that life will go our administrative activities will become more efficient, effective, and customer- on and flourish. oriented, and enhance the image of the FLTC. Hope is the spring youth and young adults will be attracted to nature, hiking, trail work, and the That flows eternal, FLTC. ... we will be successful in moving the FLT off of roads. It is a dream our “partner” the North Country Trail Association (NCTA) will be successful in That can guide us. gaining access and completing the extension of the North Country National Never give up hope, Scenic Trail through the Adirondacks to its planned destination. For if we stop hoping, the FLTC will be able to complete NCTA certification for the applicable sections Then we stop dreaming, of the FLT. And if we stop dreaming, The FLTC Board, office staff, members, and volunteers give me HOPE and Then we stop living. confidence in the future. We are building a foundation with the long term in mind. We (from “Hope”, by A. Rahn) have expanded our office staff to increase efficiency by the addition of part-time Spring is a time when we are energized to employee Jennifer Hopper, obtained trail easements, increased membership, certified make plans and achieve, a time of confidence more trail, attracted funds for trail protection, obtained more local government and that we will succeed. With spring and the community support, planned the new FLT branch (GET segment) trail route, and events of the year ahead of us, the Board of generally increased the visibility of the FLT to residents and tourists. Managers of the Finger Lakes Trail Confer- I HOPE you are pleased with our performance. I HOPE to see you at our Spring ence holds a retreat weekend in January of Weekend on April 25-27 organized by the Cayuga Trails Club, where you will be able each year. This is our time to review progress to participate in a variety of hiking opportunities and socialize with others who share toward our goals, make revisions, and develop your interest in the outdoors. Please notice that we have a column appearing for the implementation plans. In January of 2007 we first time in this issue, Faces of the FLT. Through this column we will call your established goals for the organization and attention to some of the fascinating people who provide for and use the trail. Look for reported them to you in the spring 2007 FLT it in future issues. News. We feel our progress has been very Thank you for giving us reason to HOPE. You certainly must find the time to enjoy satisfying. At our January 2008 Retreat our this wonderful trail that will help open your eyes to the beauty and promises of yet overarching strategy was not changed, our another spring season. Remember, the trail ends only in your mind. □ desired future conditions were modified FINGER LAKES TRAIL NEWS Published for Members and Friends of the Finger Lakes Trail Conference, Inc. Spring 2008 Volume 47 Number 1 3 National Trails Day: Have we been 18 Nominees for the FLTC Board of Mission Statement missing the point? Managers The mission of the Finger 3 New Board Member: 29 Winter Scenes on the Onondaga Lakes Trail Conference is to John A-X. Morris Trail build, protect, and enhance 5 FLTC Long Range Planning: 29 North Country Trail “Volunteer a continuous footpath Strategy and Goals Adventures” across 6 State Forest Plantations 34 New employee Jennifer Hopper New York State. 7 Cazenovia 2008: NCT Annual 34 Linda Parlato and “Mace in Face” Forever! Conference 35 Eagle Scout Projects 7 Easement News 35 Geneseo Students Help the Trail FINGER LAKES TRAIL NEWS 12 Ten Years of Trail Medicine: An 38 Faces of the FLT: Jo Taylor, Volume 47 Number 1 Interview a new column Spring 2008 13 Annual Meeting/Spring Weekend 38 2008 County Hike Series Finger Lakes Trail Conference Conference Schedule Service Center 585/658-9320 Hike Schedule [email protected] Meals & Lodging Editor Registration Form Jo H. Taylor [email protected] Departments Editing Assistance Sharon L. Galbraith 24 End-to-End Album: Betty Constable (#226), Jeff Constable (#227), Laurie Trail Topics Dando (#238), Roy Dando (#239), Marilyn Beckley (#240), Suzanne El Rayess Howard Beye (#241) End-to-End Update 36 2007 Contributions Edward J. Sidote 39 Hiking Calendar Trail Medicine 40 Name that Map! Bob Michiel Answers to Winter quiz, page 37 Wildflowers RWW Taylor Columns Walking through Time Inside front cover... Irene Szabo, Tim Wilbur President’s Message Natural Connections 2 From the Desk of the Executive John A-X. Morris Director FLT Archives 4 Notes from the Archives Georgeanne Vyverberg Doan Michael 8 Walking Through Time #20 Finger Lakes Trail News is the official publication of the Finger 10 Trail Medicine: Hiking and Arthritis Lakes Trail Conference, Inc, and Three-year-old Eadin loves to hike. is published four times each year 20 Trail Topics by the Finger Lakes Trail Con• ference, 6111 Visitor Center 22 End-to-End Update Road, Mt. Morris, NY 14510. 28 Wildflowers along the Trail: Color Comments and original con• And on the back cover... tributions are welcome and may be submitted to Jo Taylor, 967 59 End-to-Enders, a photo (key on page 30) Meigs Street, Rochester, NY 14620. Phone 585/473-6729. Cover: Dryden mid-schoolers and their families enjoy a National Trails Day event on Send address changes to Gene the Finger Lakes Trail in this photo by John A-X. Morris, recently retired mid-school Bavis, Executive Director, at the science teacher and newest member of the FLTC Board. “Have we been missing the Mt. Morris address above or point of National Trails Day?” Irene Szabo asks in her article on page 3, pointing out [email protected]. that the primary purpose of National Trails Day is outreach. Not John! For years his Copyright 2008 by Finger Lakes students and their families have been joining him on hikes. Trail Conference, Inc. Spring 2008 - 1 - Finger Lakes Trail News elcome to Jennifer, our As always, we rely on feedback from new part-time employee, From the our membership. Please don’t hesitate W who is helping us with Desk of the to contact me or members of our Board accounting and database tasks. See her E x e c u t i v e if you have ideas, questions, or picture and other information on concerns. Our goal is to carry out the page 34. Director mission of maintaining our beautiful FLT forever! We can only do that with It has been another successful year for Gene Bavis the Finger Lakes Trail Conference. Our YOUR support. Thanks for all you membership continues to grow. We have done and will do in the future. ended 2006 with 1178 members which including our annual meeting and our To our permitting landowners, affiliate was a 10.4% growth over 2005. We hosting of the NCTA annual meeting. clubs, agency partners, and our MANY believe that growth can be mostly Our weekend events are becoming volunteers: a big THANK YOU! . □ attributed to the new maps being more popular than ever before. You offered that year along with a 20% may recall that we set a new FLT Gene Bavis, Executive Director discount for members.