www.nynjtc.org Connecting People with Nature since 1920 January/February 2009 New York-New Jersey Trail Conference — Maintaining 1,716 Miles of Foot Trails In this issue: Bikers Are Our Friends...pg 2 • And the Winners Are...pg 3 • Deer: Forest Enemy...pg 7 • CCC in the Catskills...pg 11 Park Services Leaving the Catskills a Better Place Cut in New York “There are nearly 200 miles of trails across loop on Sugarloaf, and—his trophy proj - Trail Conference in the 1970s, maintaining & New Jersey three-quarters of a million acres of Catskill ect—10 miles of new Long Path treadway a piece of the AT in Dutchess; in the 1980s Forest Preserve,” notes Catskills Trails moved off of roads and into the woods he joined the Dutchess (now Dutchess- Chair Pete Senterman. It’s a tough place to between Mount Tremper and the Devil’s Putnam) AT Management Committee. It Park agencies in New York and get things done. Path on Plateau Mountain. was near to home, and even when he took New Jersey announced budget Covering it are a dozen or so trail super - “It took a little over five years to get the on the job in the Catskills, he continued to visors and 100 volunteer maintainer approval for the last piece of the LP,” Pete maintain a piece of the AT until two years tightening measures that positions. State jurisdiction for the notes. “You have to navigate carefully and ago. All this on top of full time work as a would be in effect this winter. Catskills is divided between two regions of patiently. You have to build trust with the drafting supervisor with an environmental the Dept. of Environmental Conservation. people in the regions. You learn that you engineering firm, and raising a family. Fortunately, the reductions There are constitutionally guaranteed pro - appeared to pose small threat tections for the Forest Preserve, but that means there are complicated rules and pro - to trail access this season. Fiscal cedures to navigate to get anything done. uncertainty reigned as this In other words, the job of Catskills trails chair is a big one. And it’s now open. After issue went to press, however, more than 15 years of filling the position, and so too did the outlook for super volunteer Pete Senterman is stepping down. His departure leaves a big hole. park operations in the 2009 “Pete’s been among our most effective lead - ers,” says Larry Wheelock, West Hudson year. With further state budget Regional Representative for the Trail Con - reductions for the current fiscal ference, who is heading the search for Pete’s replacement. N A year likely, and negotiations M Despite the scope of the job, Pete recom - R E T N mends it to the right person, that being E beginning for the 2009-10 fiscal S F someone who, as he does, “appreciates the F E year, the Trail Conference plans J Forest Preserve and has the qualities of per - Pete Senterman’s love of the woods inspired his work as a TC volunteer. to continue to monitor spending sistence and patience.” There is prestige, he says, in working in can’t go headlong, you have to be patient. Says Larry Wheelock: “One of the things plans in both states and to the Forest Preserve. “It’s unique in the And you have to pester.” I find notable about Pete is that he always defend public access to nature. world, this constitutionally protected Clearly, Pete did his job well. More than seems most comfortable when hiking or wilderness in the Catskills and Adiron - a decade ago, the state appointed him to its out working with the volunteers. Even Stay tuned at www.nynjtc.org. dacks. I was very proud that I could work Forest Preserve Advisory Committee, though he’s great at diplomacy, negotia - Please turn to page 11 for in it and work with the state people and where he has represented Trail Conference tions, and other leadership qualities, his around the restrictions to get things done.” views regarding trails in the Catskill pre - actual knowledge of the forest environ - details about announced Pete is most proud of having overseen serve. He’ll stay on the committee until he ment, trails, and trail work makes his work the building of 15 miles of new trail in the is replaced by the state. most inspiring.” reductions in our areas. preserve during his tenure. This includes a The Catskills haven’t been Pete’s only trail up Red Hill to a fire tower, a 5-mile trail focus. He first volunteered with the Here, he describes the Morris Canal’s past and NJ ATV Legislation Continues Forward Momentum The Morris possible future. At press time in late November, two all- Both the enforcement legislation and the Canal Trail The state of New Jersey is rich with aban - terrain bills were moving through the New ORV park bill, were reported out of their By Mike Helbing doned former transportation corridors, Jersey legislature simultaneously: one is the respective Assembly committees unani - many of which have been converted to enforcement legislation that the TC has mously in November; a full Assembly vote Mike Helbing is a Trail Conference member greenways, such as the many rail trails and been pushing for many years (A823 in the was expected in December. On the Senate and volunteer on the Highlands Trail, and the Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park. Assembly and S2055 in the Senate), and the side, the enforcement bill was moved from works for the Hunterdon County parks Yet others of these rights of way are being second would require the Dept. of Environ - the Transportation Committee, which was department. In his spare time, Mike is spear - lost to development. mental Protection to identify a site for an unwilling to schedule the bill, to the Envi - heading a new project—a trail that will run One of the most significant of these is off-road vehicle park (A2796 and S1059). ronment Committee, and the TC and its the route of the historic Morris Canal from the former Morris Canal. Opened in 1831, The group fighting for the ATV enforce - partners were working diligently to get this the Delaware River in Phillipsburg to the the Morris Canal traversed 102 miles by ment legislation remains optimistic about its bill on the committee hearing schedule in Hudson River in Jersey City. 1836, from Phillipsburg to Jersey City. In prospects for success. According to Brenda late 2008 or early 2009. The ATV park bill “He has the route all sketched out, has addition to the more conventional system Holzinger, the TC’s NJ Regional Represen - similarly awaits a hearing in the Senate divided it up into segments, and is securing of locks, the Morris Canal also used tative, “Member support via the electronic Environment committee. landowner permissions everywhere the old inclined plane technology, in which flatbed action alerts in November was a tremendous The Trail Conference seeks regulation of canal route now crosses private lands,” notes canal boats were raised or lowered by help to us when we talked to individual leg - ATVs because of the environmental dam - Brenda Holzinger, TC’s regional representa - means of cradles attached to a cable. The islators because they were hearing from their age their unregulated use causes to trails tive in New Jersey. Morris Canal was the greatest climber of all constituents that the ATV enforcement and public open space. “I’ve been interested in the Morris Canal of the world’s canals, charting an elevation legislation is important. That had an imme - For up to date information about the status since I was born,” Mike says. “My grandfather continued on page 11 diate impact on how the legislators viewed of the NJ ATV bills, check the TC ATV first got me hiking when I was three years old, the proposed bill. However,” Holzinger con - website: www.nynjtc.org/issues/NJATV.html. and he told me a lot of canal stories and tinued, “in order to achieve success by the Contact Brenda Holzinger, NJ Regional Rep - showed me so many places, not only on canals end of the session in June we will need even resentative, via email ([email protected]) but abandoned railways and such. My grand - more member support for our action alerts or cell phone (973-303-3538) with any ques - father also did the survey work for much of as we push the enforcement legislation tions or for further information. the land acquisitions to restore the canal through the Senate committees and the full greenway.” Assembly and Senate.” To generate enthusiasm for his project, in October Mike initiated a series of monthly VOLUME XXXVI, N UMBER 1 ISSN 0749-1352 section hikes of the canal on the last Sunday of Non-Profit each month. He invites all who are interested US Postage Paid Permit No. 1239 R to join him; he expects to have walked the E G Bellmawr, N.J. N I entire length by the end of February or March Z L O 2009, depending on the weather. H A D N E R B Mike Helbing, seen on the Lehigh Canal Trail, hopes to create a Morris Canal Trail. Page 2 January/February 2009 From the Board of Directors VOLUME XXXVI, NO.1 JANUARY /F EBRUARY 2009 Hikers and Bikers in Common Cause? GEORGETTE WEIR EDITOR LOUIS LEONARDIS GRAPHIC DESIGNER Hikers and mountain bikers. The notion goal, having fun was second, and last of all bike. They were interested in learning my The TRAIL WALKER (USPS Permit #1239) that these are two groups with nothing in we were to build a trail.