Hiking with Children Hiking Long Island Some tips from Long Island's most popular a former child. hiking guide is out in an updated fourth edition. READ MORE ON PAGE 5 READ MORE ON PAGE 11 Spring 2014 New York-New Jersey Trail Conference — Connecting People with Nature since 1920 www.nynjtc.org New York Comes PEOPLE FOR TRAILS KNOCKING Zachary Kunow Suffern, NY State Park Agencies Turn to and 29 lean-tos in the Catskills, we will use Last July, we brought the model to Ster - Trail Conference for Volunteer our expertise to help the state preserve and ling Forest, where three AmeriCorps About: Zack is a 14-year-old protect the Catskills. members were the backbone of a three- Recruitment, Training freshman at Suffern High School New volunteers, partnerships, and trail month trail stint at the park that trained 78 and Senior Patrol Leader of Boy Our long-time partners at related projects in the region are likely volunteers at 10 workshops and put to trail - Scout Troop 21 in Suffern, NY. New York State Office of to emerge as we play a greater role building 76 unique volunteers who worked Loves the outdoors. in the Catskill Forest Preserve. Stay tuned a total of 2,166 hours. Together, they com - Parks, Recreation, and Historic and bookmark your web browser for pleted nearly a mile of sustainable new trail Earned Eagle Scout status by Preservation (OPRHP) and nynjtc.org/catskills for announcements in the Doris Duke Wildlife Sanctuary leading the project to build a 60’- long bridge on the Long Swamp the New York Deptartment of and links. and a major repair to the Wildcat Moun - tain/Townsend Trail in the northern part of Trail in Sterling Forest State Park Environmental Conservation State Parks, Palisades the park. Dubbed the Palisades Trail Crew, this past fall and winter. (DEC)—two agencies that own (West of Hudson) and Taconic after the regional park unit in which they (East of Hudson) Regions How Did They Do It? Turn to page a significant portion of the work, these volunteers and a new set of The Bear Mountain Trails Project is the AmeriCorps members will continue to 6 to read more about this project. land where our volunteers inspiration for a model of volunteer His Boy Scout Troop: Troop 21 of maintain and build trails— recruitment, training, and trail building Why choose the Suffern, NY. Scoutmaster: Wayne want more of what the that we are bringing to other state parks in Kunow, Zack’s father. On February our area. Designated projects are the focus Trail Conference? 22, Zack became the 137th Eagle Trail Conference has to offer. for AmeriCorps crews that are on site four Because we have a Scout from Troop 21. The troop is days a week over a period of months build - a new member group of the Trail In the Catskills ing new trails, completing reroutes and 93-year record of Conference and will maintain the The DEC and Trail Conference will be maintenance projects, training volunteers, extraordinary volunteer 3.2-mile Long Swamp Trail, which deepening their relationship. The DEC has and developing new volunteer trail crews. they have come to know well. asked the Trail Conference to take the lead The reliable presence of a trail crew at a service in parks and role in managing all volunteer activities in site over an extended period has proved Says Sterling Forest Park the forest preserve. In addition to manag - attractive to many traditional volunteers, on trails. Manager Jeff Hutchinson: ing our program, which recruits and trains who appreciate the flexibility and availabil - “…this project was colossal.” volunteers who maintain 200 miles of trails ity it offers them. continued on page 2 Says Trails Chair John Mack of Zack and Troop 21: “They cheerfully worked hard together Walkable Westchester description has been updated and ing, from level, paved pathways to narrow with clear leadership.” enhanced, all making for informative, yet woodland trails. The environments range By Jane and Walt Daniels delightful reading. from salt-water wetlands to rock outcrop - Says Zack: “I knew this project Walkable Westchester is the creation of pings. So for any walker in Westchester, would be challenging when I took New second edition covers Jane and Walt Daniels, Westchester resi - whether a suburban mom looking for a it on, but I also knew it would be more parks, more trails dents who are long-time hikers, trail paved path or a veteran hiker out for a day- rewarding and give a great sense designers and builders, and open-space long trek, this book is the perfect of accomplishment.” The best guide to the outdoors of advocates. The original idea for the book companion. It’s even fun reading on a Westchester just got even better. Walkable came about when, unable to find a hiking treadmill. His Future: After high school, Westchester , the indispensable handbook to guide exclusive to Westchester, they decid - Order your copy now on our website, Zack plans to study in the field hiking, walking and exploring in Westch - ed to create one themselves. They thought Westchester.nynjtc.org, by phone (201- of law enforcement, forestry, ester County, is now available in a new the task would involve about 70 to 80 512-9348 ext. 11), or in our office. conservation, wildlife management, second edition. Including more than 600 parks and about 200 to 250 miles of trail. or environmental engineering. miles of trails in over 200 parks, preserves, Eight years later, in 2009, they came out The Family: The Kunows have and sanctuaries, it is the latest addition to with the first edition and let readers in on a a family membership in the the offerings of guidebooks and maps pub - secret: there a lot of open public space in Trail Conference. lished by the Trail Conference. Westchester and, no matter where you live, This edition, at 448 pages, is bulging some of it is close by. with new and updated information, That first issue included more than 180 including details on 26 new parks, 42 more parks and preserves and described just miles of trails, and intriguing sidebars on under 600 miles of trails. This new edition history, lore and nature. There are plenty of updates these spaces and adds even more new photographs, detailed maps as well as detail and history as well as more than a Trail Walker blogs county locator maps, and driving direc - score of new parks and available open space. all year long. tions with GPS coordinates. Every park The book covers a wide variety of walk - VOLUME XLI, N UMBER 2 ISSN 0749-1352 Visit blog-tw.nynjtc.org and read about Trail Conference people, projects and relevant trail stories. Page 2 Spring 2014 VOLUME XLI, NO.2 SPRING 2014 GEORGETTE WEIR EDITOR LOU LEONARDIS GRAPHIC DESIGNER We Are A TRAIL WALKER (USPS Permit #970-100) (ISSN 0749-1352) is published quarterly by the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference as a 4-Star Charity benefit of membership. Subscriptions are available to libraries only at $15.00 a year. The Trail Conference has recently achieved Periodical postage paid at Mahwah, N.J., and additional offices. Postmaster: Send address Charity Navigator’s highest ranking, the changes to the address below. Opinions expressed coveted 4-star rating for our sound fiscal by authors do not necessarily represent the policy management and commitment to account - or position of the Conference. Contributions of ability and transparency. Charity Navigator typed manuscripts, photos, and drawings are welcome. Manuscripts may be edited for style is the nation’s largest evaluator of charities, and length. Send SASE for writers’ guidelines. and is a resource used by donors to help Submission deadlines for the TRAIL WALKER them make their giving decisions. are January 15 (Spring issue), May 15 (Summer This “exceptional designation” (four out issue), August 15 (Fall issue), November 15 (Winter issue). Unsolicited contributions cannot of a possible four stars) differentiates the be acknowledged unless accompanied by SASE. Trail Conference from other charities and For information on advertising rates, please write indicates adherence to good governance or call. Copyright 2014 by: At Darlington, Rooms Are Alive and best practices that demonstrate trust - New York-New Jersey Trail Conference, Inc. worthiness to the public. 156 Ramapo Valley Road (Rt. 202) We invite you to review our profile at Mahwah, NJ 07430 with the Sound of Hammers CharityNavigator.org. 201-512-9348 email: [email protected] editorial email: [email protected] On February 1, construction work began World Wide Web: www.nynjtc.org on our soon-to-be headquarters at the Dar - lington Schoolhouse. Employees of Mahwah-based LaBarbiera Custom Call for Award Homes, a division of VHI Builders, began interior renovations by grading and spread - Nominations G R E ing gravel over ground-level crawl space B N E and framing partitions for two small, new E Do you know someone who has done R G an outstanding job as a volunteer? rooms on the first floor. R E T E Meanwhile, the restoration team is P The Volunteer Committee is looking for working to finalize design plans, obtain all Beacon Point, a site-specific work by George nominees. With more than 1,000 people Trakas in Beacon, NY, completed in 2007. Mission Statement needed approvals, and complete fundrais - who volunteer, we know award-worthy The New York-New Jersey Trail Conference is a ing for the project. volunteers are in our ranks. Who do you federation of member clubs and individuals The Trail Conference is transforming Noted Environmental know who has done an outstanding job? dedicated to providing recreational hiking the historic 1891 Darlington Schoolhouse Members may nominate individuals for opportunities in the region, and representing the interests and concerns of the hiking community.