Five New Trail Projects to Receive Assistance

Five New York trail projects have been selected to receive assistance from Parks & Trails New York as part of its Healthy Trails, Healthy People program. Selected communities will receive help with technical issues, planning, public outreach, grant writing, fundraising, programming, organizational development and other activities critical to the long-term success of trail projects.

Projects include:

• Black Creek Walk, Village of Mexico, Oswego County

  PTNY will help the Village of Mexico and local citizens initiate a community trail system by developing a trail along the banks of Black Creek.

• D&H Rail Trail, Town of Salem to Town of Granville, Washington County

  PTNY will work with the Town and Village of Granville and the Salem Area Chamber of Commerce as they develop a 30-mile multi-use trail on a state-owned former rail corridor along the border with Vermont.

• Erie-Cattaraugus Rail Trail, Town of Orchard Park, Erie County to Town of Ashford, Cattaraugus County

  PTNY will assist the Erie Cattaraugus Rail Trail, Inc. in their efforts to generate public support for the state's acquisition of 27 miles of abandoned rail bed for future trail development in western New York.

• O&W Rail Trail, Town of Fallsburg, Sullivan County

  PTNY will help the Town of Fallsburg increase usage of eight miles of existing, but presently underutilized, multi-use trail.

• Upper Hudson Rail Trail, Tahawus, Essex County to North Creek, Warren County

  PTNY will assist the Friends of the Upper Hudson Rail Trail, Inc. as they generate community and government support for the creation of a 29-mile multi-use trail within the Adirondack Park.

Healthy Trails, Healthy People is a program of Parks & Trails New York that helps New Yorkers create more active communities and an enhanced quality of life through the development of multi-use trails.

Trails:  Great for health, the economy, environment, and quality of life

New Yorkers need to be more active! More than 60% of New York adults and 32% of New York children ages 10 to 17 are overweight or obese. Obesity adds more than $6 billion annually to health care costs in New York State. Medical research has shown that being overweight or obese can contribute to high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, and an increased risk for some forms of cancer. 

Walking is one of the easiest ways to become more physically active and control weight. And what better place to walk than on a local trail? Close to home, multi-use trails can provide free or low cost opportunities for everyone, irrespective of age or fitness level, to increase their daily physical activity.

Trails can also help protect valuable open space; preserve natural and historic resources; increase tourism and recreation-related business activity; provide safe off-road links to parks, schools, libraries, shops, and neighborhoods; and foster public-private partnerships, community investment, and civic pride.

144 miles of trail in the works
Healthy Trails, Healthy People was launched in 2004, funded in part by a grant from the Healthy Heart Program of the New York State Department of Health. The first five years of the program registered impressive results. Parks & Trails New York staff assisted 27 different communities in 25 counties with their trail development efforts. When these projects are fully complete, 144 miles of new multi-use trail will be open to the public.

How the program works
If you have the vision and the passion but need assistance either getting a new trail started or increasing the use of an existing trail, Parks & Trails New York can help. We do not provide grants. What we offer is the advice, expertise and the wide ranging network of connections of our staff, gained through decades of experience with community organizing and trail development.

Our work is very hands-on. Based on visits to your community and discussions with community members, we provide customized assistance to meet the individual needs of your project - help with technical issues, planning, public outreach, grant writing, fundraising, public meetings, promotion, programming, organizational development, and other activities critical to the long-term success of trail projects.

Selection is based on level of community support and commitment to the project, number and nature of partnerships, clarity of project goals and assistance requested, opportunities to increase physical activity levels within the community, and level of need. Preference will be given to communities with a high level of need that have a majority of low income households, based on Federal Poverty Level income guidelines.

SUPPORTED IN PART BY:

29 Elk Street * Albany, NY 12207 * (ph) 518-434-1583 * (fax) 518-427-0067 * ptny@ptny.org