Joan Schumaker Winter 2016 Want the ideal hike or bike Start the Year Off Right with a ride? First Day Greenway Hike Plan one yourself! You pick the date, If you crave getting outside after all The southern walk will take us spot, and length, and the food and parties, a 2017 First one mile south to the best- perhaps even offer a Day Genesee Valley Greenway preserved c.1840 Genesee Valley theme according to State Park guided hike may be just Canal lock on the entire trail. The your favorite interest, right. northern walk will take us two be it railroad history or miles north along the Genesee those short-lived At 10:00 a.m. on New Years Day, Land Trust’s Brookdale Preserve spring blossoms on the YOU and your family and friends to the stone double-arch Genesee forest floor. are invited to meet at the Valley Canal culvert which carried Genesee Valley Greenway State Black Creek under the old canal, a Send your offer of a Park’s Brook Road parking lot in pretty special artifact built more guided trek to: the town of Chili. As the picture than 170 years ago. above demonstrates, a good Editor Irene Szabo sized group, despite the snow Bring drinking water; don’t be [email protected] coming down, turned out for New Year’s fooled into thinking you don’t Next deadline is the 2016 First Day Hike. Day need water in winter. 1 March Walks (or snowshoe stomps, 10:00 a.m. Getting to Brook Road or cross-country ski slides, Inside this Issue The Brook Road Parking Lot is depending…). will be out and Brook Road located off Scottsville Rd. almost President’s Message 2 back, and can go either two miles south of the intersection of Jefferson and Scottsville Roads. Passport Hike Series 3 direction, north or south. Parking Lot Brook Road is a turn to the west Set for 2017 Persons well-versed in local Chili only (the Genesee River runs along history will be provided as According to Our 4-6 the east) and the Greenway parking Visitors guides for each walk. area is a few hundred feet down the road, past the Greenway crossing. Locomotive in the 7 Swamp Enthusiastic Crowd for 8 Annual Meeting June Bike Ride 9 An Ounce of 10 Fran Gotcsik Prevention Membership News 11 Double-arched culvert Page 2 President’s Message Special thanks to the NYSDEC Operations Crew Greenway boundary in the project area. Welcome to the 2016 Winter forGreenway mowing around News. trail It headis great gates once and mowingagain toAt beRockville Lake, cottage owners have cleared a path along the able to share with you the latestthe news,trail. Two coming mowings activities, have been completed.and stories fromdam and the lake inlet, which provides a trail monumented, the Hinsdale volunteers can start working on the one-mile section trail. We owe a big Thank YouTEA to-21 ourwork haseditor begun onIrene the Allegany Szabo County and portion all of who the north of Old Route 16, which contains the remains of Locks 100 Greenway. The Region 9 Greenway crew began work on June and 101. connection around the lake outlet until contributed news and special 1:Greenway Eric Blitz, Roy stories. Hale, Josh Nickerson and Chris Brunetto. a box culvert can be installed to carry the trail across the outlet. All four are graduates of the Belmont BOCES center. Eric, Roy and Josh have certificates in Conservation and Heavy New Hudson: The DEC Region 9 crew dealt with Equipment, while Chris has a certificate in Building Trades. several beaver flooding problems between Route 305 and I also want to thank two Friends of the Genesee Valley Greenway Tibbetts Hill Road. The crew also raked ballast out of the trail Genesee Falls: The DEC Region 9 crew used an where it borders the former Conrail bed north of Tibbetts Hill (FOGVG) Board members, Michael Doyle and David Shaw, who joined the Fran Gotcsik excavator to clean a section of the canal prism that had silted in, Road. board in 2009 and have now retired.causing water Michael to flow over was the trail the and primeinto an adjacent mover behind farmer’s field. The crew also repaired a railroad-era culvert that Hinsdale: Region 9 Real Property staff will be surveying the the development of the Greenwayhad separated in the and developedVillage a largeof Cubasinkhole. and These continuesprojects Hinsdale to section of the Greenway this fall. Once the boundaries were also of benefit to the Finger Lakes Trail / North Country are be active in many projects there.Scenic David Trail, which Shaw follows has that sectionbeen of very the Greenway. generous with his time, leading bike rides andHume: working The DECat FOGVG Region 9 crew events.cleared the endsSince of a his work schedule prevents him from attendingrailroad-era stone Board box culvert meetings, that was plugged he andresigned causing from the Board in November. We look occasional flooding upstream. They installed “Motorized forward to Michael and David’sVehicles continued Prohibited” signsinvolvement at several road crossings in FOGVG in Fillmore activities. to aid DEC Forest Rangers in enforcing ATV laws. The crew also installed a ramp at Dugway Road where the trail grade exceeded the 5% maximum allowed under the Americans with Since the Genesee Valley GreenwayDisabilities becameAct. a State Park in 2011, there has been a renewed interest in the state’s second-longest multi-useBelfast trail.-Caneadea: The last The DEC newsletter Region 9 crew issue has cleared introduced the new GVG Park Manager Kristine trail between Belfast and Oramel, using a chipper to dispose of Uribe and reported on a numberthe vegetation. of recent They installedprojects wire fencingthat havealong the resulted property in opening of trail sections that have been closed, some for many years.line at two FOGVG locations where truly encroachment appreciates issues existed. the Eight work and investment that State Parks is more pairs of gates have been installed, and additional gates are committing to the Greenway. currently being built. The crew installed ramps at Lake Road and Hughes Street, where the trail grade exceeded 5%. They trimmed overhanging limbs and mowed along the previously Note New cleared sections of the trail as well. And, sinceEmail our Addr last essnewsletter, there have been some wonderful new developments affecting the Greenway. DEC and New York State DOT will be working together on a ñ[email protected] State Parks has obtained project an to stabilizeeasement a section from of Crawford the CreekAbbey that is of the Genesee to replace about 1,000 feet of trail that failed in 2014threatening between both theYork Greenway Landing and Route and 19 near Piffard Oramel. in Livingston County. An estimated 1.4 to Region 9 Real Property staff have already monumented the 1.5 million dollars will be needed to complete this project. ñ In spring 2017, the trail will be refurbished and paved along Scottsville Road (Rt. 383) between Little Black Creek Park and the CXS rail crossing in the Town of Chili in Monroe County. GreenwaySee a law problem enforcement on isthe provided Greenway? by State issue. Let According Enforcement to Major OfficersDavid Page ofKnow! the New ñ FOGVGThe unlawful has use appliedof forPark a 2016Police Stewardshipand State DEC and EnvironmentalPublic Access York Capacity State Park Grant Police, through “In order the to NYSassure the Parkmotor & vehicles,TrailGreenway. Partnership Conservation Program. Officers We are andrequesting Forest fundingRangers, mostfor a newappropriate well- designedand quick responsive response, we websiteespecially Valley withATV’s, a isGenesee lot of functionalityworking together and and an with interactive state and local GVG police map encourage (both with people social to gather media and integration), record specific a RIDDEN on the prohibitedthe on on theRIDDEN forces. These officers are eager to address any information regarding a violation and relay their no Genesee-receptionBE Valley-neededCANNOT trailissues app, or concerns, and rack but cards cannot to do help so without promote the complaints the new directlywebsite. to aThe law GVGenforcement has theagency. potential it Greenway. to become snowmobile, a public’spremier help. long According-distance to DECtrail butEnvironmental needs increased In an emergency, visibility call and 911.” notoriety to attract Help a spreadisn’t it theand Conservation Officer Lieutenant Peter Barton, “If both tourists and area youresidents. have specific Grant problems, recipients let us are know. to be Then announced in March 2017. word tomotor a those has whoit If we’ll detail patrols to address them.” may not be aware. The more information that can be supplied to the . Lastly, don’t forgetaware be not to renewmay orofficers, become the bettera new they FOGVG can be in member, addressing toan “Like” us on both the FOGVG and GVGSP FacebookIf who it has athose motorto pages, word join us for the 1st Day Hike in Chili, and get outside and enjoy the Greenway this Help spread the the and isn’tspread a Help HowHow To to Contact Contact GreenwayGreenway LawLaw Enforcement Enforcement Officers Officers winter. Greenway. snowmobile, it In an Emergency Call 911 Genesee Valley Valley Genesee In an Emergency Call 911 CANNOT BE RIDDEN prohibited on the the on prohibited on the Genesee Valley Monroe and Livingston Counties Wyoming and Allegany Counties especially ATVs, is is ATVs, especially NYSMonroe Park andPolice Livingston 585-658 -Counties4692 NYSOfficers DEC Forest - 716- 851Rangers-7000 716-372-0645 of motor vehicles, Greenway.vehicles, motor of The unlawful use use unlawful The NYS Park Police - 585-658-4692 NYS Environmental Conservation NYS Environmental Conservation OfficersNYS Environmental 585-226-2466 Conservation Officers 716-851-7000 Officers - 585-226-2466 Wyoming and AlleganyAfter Counties hours, call the New York State Police NYS DEC Forest Rangers - 716-372-0645 NYS Environmental Conservation Page 3 Passport Hike Series Set for 2017 Genesee Valley Greenway State Park will once again Genesee Valley Greenway State Park be offering its popular series of monthly hikes in 2017 Hike Series 2017.