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You can make twice the difference! You can help build, protect, and expand twice as many acres and miles of parks and trails throughout New York State! Your gift to Parks & Trails New York can be worth twice as much if your employer will match it. Check with your employer to find out about the matching gift program.
Advocacy Days for parks and trails set for March
Parks & Trails New York is again planning two advocacy days in Albany to talk with key legislators about budget and other priorities related to parks and trails in the state. Please plan to join us and other grassroots activists for one or both of the following dates. Details will appear in the January-February issue of Parks & Trails E-News.
PTNY welcomes new staff
Jen Barkan has joined the PTNY staff as a project intern. Jen comes to us from the San Francisco Bay Area with considerable non-profit and development experience and skills in mapping and database management. She most recently worked on native plant restoration in the Golden Gate National Parks. As a bicycle commuter and lover of the outdoors, she is excited to apply her skills to support the mission of PTNY.
Congratulations to NYS Kodak Greenways Award recipients
Two NYS organizations were among 29 recipients of Kodak American Greenways Awards for 2008. The Otsego County Conservation Association (OCCA) - lead organization in a community coalition seeking to build the Oneonta Susquehanna Greenway with technical assistance through Parks & Trails New York's Healthy Trails, Health People program - will use its $1,000 grant to hold a visioning workshop for stakeholders in the Upper Susquehanna River watershed. In the Rochester area, Continuing Development Services, which serves adults and children with developmental disabilities, received a $2,400 grant to build an accessible trail around wetlands at one of its facilities.
Trails community loses a mentor and friend
We are saddened to learn of the passing of Howard Beye of Rochester, the "go to" man and voice of the Finger Lakes Trail. Howard dedicated more than 35 years to leading work parties and coordinating and mentoring volunteers to create and maintain the 800-mile Finger Lakes Trail. His gentle ways, prolific knowledge and experience, and unflagging dedication to New York's trails will be sorely missed.
New website showcases the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor
The Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor has launched a new website that showcases the Erie Canalway and provides valuable resources and information for communities and organizations looking to foster heritage development and tourism. To help people plan a visit, regional maps highlight the Erie Canalway's historic sites, engineering marvels, nature preserves and parks, and recreational opportunities.
Champlain Canal Trail visioning workshops planned for January
A working group formed earlier this year to encourage development of a multi-use trail along the Champlain Canal corridor as part of the statewide Canalway Trail system is planning two public workshops to gauge the degree of interest, solicit ideas on how best to proceed, and create a vision for the trail. Tentative dates and places for these sessions, with contacts for more information, are:
Be sure that our E-News doesn't get sent to your junk mail folder. Please add Parks & Trails New York (ptny@ptny.org) to your safe senders list. |
Editorial: Compromise on park closure —Schodack, NY
Rail Trail incomplete after a decade—Mohawk Valley, NY
Rail Trail incomplete after a decade—Mohawk Valley, NY
Shuttering parks for winter is just the tip of iceberg — Albany, NY
State sites close early for lack of green— Albany, NY
Coddington Trail would be up to a town other than Caroline — Caroline, NY
Railroad hopes to abandon 28-mile track to W. Valley — Orchard Park, NY
Hudson rail bridge will be high-altitude walkway — Poughkeepsie, NY
Ideas flow on plan for Spa park — Saratoga Springs, NY
Nature center may lose live exhibits — Massena, NY
Petition drive seeks to keep state park open - Schodack, NY
Crisis closes park for winter — Schodack, NY
Bike club honors Rochester/Monroe County - Rochester, NY
Couple enjoys bike built for two
Opening of Amherst-Tonawanda section of the WNY Trailway fills a crucial gap — Tonawanda, NY
Biking New York's Erie Canalway Trail
Parks asked to trim budgets - Albany, NY
A Cycling the Erie Canal Road Trip
November
5 - Public hearing on the Draft 2009-2014 SCORP Plan at 3:00 pm and again at 7:00 pm at Peebles Island State Park Cultural Resource Center in Waterford, NY.
19 - Parks & Trails New York annual award reception honoring Kent Barwick.
21 - Deadline for public comments on the Draft 2009-2014 SCORP Plan.
24 - Application deadline for Bikes Belong Coalition grants.
December
15 - Application deadline for The Quadricentennial Implementation Grant program
January
22 - Champlain Canal visioning workshop #1
29 - Champlain Canal visioning workshop #2
March
3 - Parks Advocacy Day
11 - Trails Advocacy Day
Parks & Trails New York is a member of Earth Share of New York, an alliance of leading nonprofit environmental organizations. Please look for Parks & Trails New York and Earth Share in your workplace giving campaign brochure. For more information about giving through Earth Share, or to learn how you can help your office set up a workplace giving campaign with Earth Share of New York, check out Earth Share of New York´s web site, www.earthshareny.org.
Citing a flagging economy and reduced revenues, Governor Paterson took the extraordinary measure of ordering mid-fiscal year budget cuts of 10.35 percent for all state agencies. For the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) the reductions add up to approximately $18 million. Given the seasonal nature of much of OPRHP's work, and the fact that the lion’s share of the agency's money had been spent before the budget cuts were ordered, finding areas to reduce spending was a challenge.
To comply with the Governor's order, OPRHP was forced to make difficult and often unpopular decisions, including closing some facilities, laying off seasonal employees earlier than usual and reducing services and activities at facilities that will remain open during the winter months.
In times like these it can be too easy to discount the importance of parks and trails to New Yorkers' quality of life, health, and economy. Parks & Trails New York is more determined than ever to make sure this doesn't happen.
Please support our Campaign for Parks today!
Parks & Trails New York's Postcards for Parks initiative has generated thousands of postcards to Governor Paterson urging him to include a second installment of $100 million in capital funding and sufficient operating funds in next year's budget for the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP). These funds are needed to enable OPRHP to continue with its efforts to overcome the agency's $700 million capital backlog and to assure that OPRHP has the staff and resources necessary to provide clean and safe parks, and high quality recreational programming. If you've already sent the Governor a postcard, thank you. If you haven't sent yours yet, there's still time. It's easy - follow this link to the electronic postcard, fill it out and submit. We'll make sure it gets to the Governor.
Parks & Trails New York testifies at Division of Budget hearing on Parks capital budget
The Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) was one of just five state agencies asked to present testimony at hearings held by the New York State Division of Budget (DOB). The hearing was called to give DOB an opportunity to hear about the revitalization program OPRHP has implemented over the past year and the agency's capital needs for the coming year. In her testimony to the DOB, OPRHP Commissioner Carol Ash highlighted the revitalization projects that have been completed or are underway at nearly 200 state parks and historic sites, and the economic benefits the revitalization work is bringing to communities across the state.
Parks & Trails New York also presented testimony focused on OPRHP's capital backlog of more than $700 million and the need for the second installment of $100 million in capital funds in next year's state budget. We spoke of the vital role the state park system plays in the economy of the state and reminded DOB that investing bonded monies now is an investment in the future -- addressing minor problems before they become major problems and major problems before they become insurmountable.
We want to hear from you... the people who use and enjoy New York's parks and trails and work so hard on their behalf. In each issue of Parks & Trails E-News we'll pose a new topic, and we can't wait to hear your responses! We'll share your responses in future E-News issues, post some on our website, and even draw upon them when advising others and speaking to community groups. Here's the first topic: How to promote trail use.
Send your emails and photos* to mdaley@ptny.org. Be sure to include photo credit and captions and your name and location. *Submitted photos may be used in other Parks & Trails New York materials. |
Draft Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan released for public review
The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) has released the 2009-2014 draft Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP).
Comments on the plan can be sent to Robert Reinhardt, Director for Resource and Facility Planning. The comment period ends November 21, 2008.
The Statewide Comprehensive Recreation Plan (SCORP) is prepared periodically by OPRHP to provide statewide policy direction and to fulfill the agency's recreation and preservation mandate. The updated SCORP serves as a status report and as an overall guidance document for recreation resource preservation, planning, and development through 2014.
Three new bridges bring western New York trail to life
After many years of waiting, the three bridges needed to open the 1.1-mile Moody Trail in the Ontario County Town of Gorham are now complete. Robert Moody had donated the former Lehigh Valley Railroad corridor to the town but the deteriorated timber bridges prevented residents from using it. Thanks to many sources of help, including grants from the Environmental Protection Fund and Coca-Cola Corporation, pro bono engineering and design services, donated steel beams from the county highway department, volunteer labor from residents and community college students, and technical assistance from Parks & Trails New York through the Healthy Trails, Healthy People program, the town was able to get the corridor cleared and the bridges built. Already residents of the town and the Village of Rushville are enjoying the trail. A formal opening will take place in spring 2009 after the town highway crew applies a stone dust surface.
Railroad agrees to railbank corridor south of Buffalo
A scenic recreational trail south of Buffalo moved one step closer to reality when the Genesee & Wyoming Railroad agreed that the 27.6-mile corridor could be railbanked. Because of strong local support for a trail that has 
developed within the last two months, the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) filed a request with the federal Surface Transportation Board (STB) asking that the corridor be railbanked. Railbanking allows the corridor to be used as a trail now while still preserving it for future rail use. The railroad has notified OPRHP that they will participate in the railbanking request. Once the abandonment process is finalized, OPRHP will negotiate with the railroad to acquire the corridor. "Commissioner Ash has established as one of her priorities creating connections through the establishment of shared use trails. Our interest in the Buffalo and Pittsburgh Railroad is to support local groups and officials who see the conversion of a rail to trail as good for the environment, good for the economy and good for the quality of life in the area," said Erik Kulleseid, OPRHP Deputy Commissioner for Open Space Protection.
Meanwhile, trail supporters have incorporated as the Friends of the Erie-Cattaraugus Rail Trail. The Friends would develop, manage, and maintain the corridor as a multi-use trail after it is purchased by OPRHP. Parks & Trails New York is helping the Friends of Erie-Cattaraugus Rail Trail as they generate support for the project, address adjacent landowner and community concerns, and monitor the abandonment process.
PTNY mini-grant aids interpretation of Chenango Canal Towpath Trail
As reported in the previous edition of E-News, Parks & Trails New York awarded a Healthy Trails, Healthy People mini-grant to the Chenango Canal Connections Corridor project to create an interpretive brochure for the Chenango Canal Towpath Trail. That project now is complete, with a color brochure keyed to seven numbered stakes along a five-mile stretch of the trail in the Town of Madison (Madison County). In addition, the grant allowed construction of four new trailhead signs for access points to the trail. Design was done by Rachel Surprenant (pictured), a summer Fellow from Colgate University’s Upstate Institute, with construction and installation completed by numerous Chenango Canal Association and community volunteers.
Save the date for a great celebration!
Award Reception honoring Kent Barwick scheduled for November 19
Parks & Trails New York will be honoring Kent Barwick at our annual award reception on November 19, 2008, in New York City.
Kent is a long-time advocate for New York's public open spaces, as well as historic places and buildings, and an organizer and protector of the fabric and quality of New Yorkers' lives, from the New York City waterfront to Grand Central Station and Central Park to the Erie Canalway and Otsego County landscapes, to name just a few.
The reception will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 at The University Club, One West 54th Street, NYC. For more information, contact Martha Gershun, Director of Development, at 518-434-1583, ext. 205.
Since 1989, Parks & Trails New York has presented an award for outstanding parks and conservation leadership in New York State. In 1993, this award was named for George W. Perkins, a president and long-time member of the Palisades Interstate Park Commission, who worked tirelessly over much of his lifetime to preserve and promote the integrity of New York State's magnificent parks.
Parks & Trails New York joined many national, state and local organizations in signing on to a letter, circulated by the Safe Routes to School National Partnership, asking Congress to build in health performance outcomes into the next transportation bill slated to be taken up by Congress in 2009. Currently, the federal government spends $60 billion per year on transportation infrastructure but more than $300 billion on health care costs due to physical inactivity, traffic injuries and deaths, and poor air quality, partly because people cannot safely walk, bicycle, or use public transit. As the new transportation bill is developed in the coming months, Parks & Trails New York will be working to ensure that our Congressional representatives realize the important health, economic, and quality of life benefits of programs such as Transportation Enhancements, Recreational Trails, Congestion Mitigation Air Quality, and Safe Routes to School that support trails and other facilities for safe bicycling and walking.
Quadricentennial Implementation grants available
In 2009, New York State, along with Vermont and Quebec, will commemorate the 400th anniversaries of Henry Hudson's sail up the Hudson River and Samuel de Champlain's exploration of Lake Champlain, as well as the 200th Anniversary of Robert Fulton's first successful commercial steamship operation on the Hudson River. The Quadricentennial Implementation Grant program is intended to provide seed money to organizations for local Hudson Valley Quadricentennial projects, programs, and events that celebrate the legacies of Henry Hudson, Robert Fulton, and Samuel de Champlain, and that showcase the Hudson River Valley region. Grants will be limited to $2,500 to $5,000 and must be matched dollar for dollar by recipients. Application deadline is December 15, 2008.
For further information contact the Hudson River Valley Greenway at (518) 473-3835 or hrvg@hudsongreenway.state.ny.us.
Bikes Belong offers funding
The Bikes Belong Coalition welcomes grant applications from organizations and agencies within the United States that are committed to putting more people on bicycles more often. Grants of up to $10,000 are available through the Facility and Advocacy Grants program. The Application deadline is November 24, 2008.
New action guide on developing and promoting community trails available
The national Partnership for Prevention, with funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has published Places for Physical Activity: Facilitating Development of a Community Trail and Promoting Its Use to Increase Physical Activity Among Youth and Adults, an action guide aimed at helping community trail and public health coalitions, businesses, local recreation, planning and transportation agencies, legislators, and others seeking to build and encourage use of a community trail.
After an overview of evidence that creating or enhancing access to trails, combined with informational outreach activities, is an effective way to help people adopt more active lifestyles, the core of the guide consists of 19 action steps organized into three sections: "Getting Started," "Moving Forward," and "Looking Beyond." Appendices include an outline for determining resource needs, suggestions for evaluating success and a list of references.
Study reveals connection between parks, physical activity
Researchers collected observational data on 28 specific features from 33 parks, and 7-day physical activity logs from adult residents to study whether park size, number of features in the park, and distance to a park were related to its usage. In the final report, Association of Park Size, Distance, and Features with Physical Activity in Neighborhood Parks, results showed that the number of features was a significant predictor of increased use for physical activity, while size and distance were not. Park facilities (e.g., bike trails or ball fields) were more strongly related to park-based physical activity than park amenities (e.g., drinking fountains or picnic area). Of facilities, trails had the strongest relationship with park use for physical activity. The study can be found in the American Journal of Public Health, 98(8): 1451-1456.
New study shows proximity to trail positively affects property values
A new study looked at sale prices of single family residential properties located within one mile of southwestern Ohio's Little Miami Scenic Trail. It was found that sale prices increased by $7.05 for every foot closer a property was located to the trail.
The Rails-to-Trails Conservancy releases Active Transportation for America: A Case for Increased Federal Investment in Bicycling and Walking.
The report makes the case and quantifies the national benefits - for the first time - that increased federal funding in bicycling and walking infrastructure would provide tens of billions of dollars in benefits to all Americans. The premise is that active transportation is a viable option for everyday travel and will cost-effectively reduce oil dependence, climate pollution and obesity rates while providing more and better choices for getting around town.
Read the report to learn more about how adequate federal investment in bicycling and walking will create healthier places for healthier people.
