In The News

January, 2017

Cuomo pitches 750-mile biking-hiking trail plan for NY state

Fox News

ALBANY, N.Y. – New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is proposing to complete and connect two greenway trails crisscrossing the state from Manhattan to Canada and from Albany to Buffalo to create a 750-mile paved biking and hiking route that will be marketed as a national tourist destination.

Editorial: Always there for our area parks

Press Republican

An editorial from Plattsburgh, NY applauds the results of our 2016 You Gotta Have Friends annual report.

Cuomo calls for statewide trail system

Daily Gazette

To the excitement of hikers, bikers and cross-country skiers, Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday proposed extending the state's off-road trail system to span the state, from Buffalo to New York City and New York City to the Canadian border.

Grassroots groups for NY state parks raised $9M in a year

SF Gate

A new report shows grassroots groups supporting New York state parks raise millions of dollars a year. The report on non-profit "friends" organizations that support state parks and historic sites says the groups raised $9 million in 2015.

December, 2016

Long Island underspends on pedestrian safety

The Suffolk Times

A group of parks and transportation improvement advocates, including Parks & Trails New York, recently called attention to a lack of state spending on sidewalks and bicycle lanes and trails in Suffolk and Nassau counties, saying the region lags behind the rest of the state.

Grant paves way for rail trail completion

Granville Sentinel

A letter of support from Parks & Trails New York helped the town of Granville receive a grant to help fill in the “missing links” of the Delaware and Hudson Rail Trail. The trail will extend from Salem in New York to Castleton, Vermont, when it’s finished.

November, 2016

Harlem rail trail opens new section

Register-Star

The Harlem Valley Rail Trail Association broke ground on a new 1.5-mile section in the town of Copake Thursday, November 17, with an anticipated completion date slated for Memorial Day 2017.

October, 2016

New map program provides friendliest bike routes in Albany

Albany Times Union

The Albany Bicycle Coalition is working with Parks & Trails New York to develop an online map that would allow users to insert their starting point and destination and be directed to the most bike-friendly route throughout the City of Albany.

September, 2016

Preserve federal-state partnership that shaped Onondaga Lake Park

Syracuse.com

A commentary supporting the Land Water Conservation Fund. The author, Bob Geraci, is one of our board members who was commissioner of Onondaga County parks from 1995 to 2009

2nd competition launched for state park funds

Press Republican

Friends groups of state parks are eligible to apply for $500,000 in competitive grants through the State Park and Trail Partnership. This, a second round of competition, is funded through the State Environmental Protection Fund.

Sonnenberg Gardens and Mansion State Historic Park receives Parks and Trails NY grant

Wayne Post

Sonnenberg Gardens and Mansion State Historic Parks recently received a $75,000 grant to hire a full-time manager of corporate fundraising and major gifts from Parks and Trails New York and the New York State Office of Parks, Preservation and Historic Preservation.

July, 2016

Fahy becomes first legislator to cycle the Canalway

Albany Times Union

Assemblywoman Patricia Fahy, D-Albany, an avid cyclist, became the first state legislator to complete the annual Cycle the Canalway ride from Buffalo to Albany. Fahy completed the weeklong ride Sunday, journeying 400 miles across upstate New York. She was accompanied by her daughter, Eileen Bequette, and her two sisters Bernadette and Marian Fahy.

Tent city pops up at JCC as canal bike tour rolls in

Daily Gazette

The Schenectady Jewish Community Center in Niskayuna was awash in a sea of 400 tents Saturday night as the 18th annual Erie Canal Bike Tour made its final stop before completing the 400-mile journey in Albany this morning. Meegan Finnegan, director of development at Parks & Trails New York, which organizes the tour, said the goal is to raise funds for the 360-mile Erie Canalway Trail, which is about 80 percent complete. Parks & Trails is hoping to have the trail completed by 2025 in time for the Erie Canal’s bicentennial that year.

700 bicyclists finish 400 mile ‘Cycle the Erie Canal’ ride in Albany

ABC News 10 - Albany

600 cyclists roll into Syracuse on Erie Canal tour, camp in Burnet Park

Syracuse.com

The tents are home for nearly 600 bike riders who are participating in the 17th annual Cycle the Erie Canal Tour, an eight-day, 400-mile bicycle tour from Buffalo to Albany. Syracuse is the midpoint. To celebrate making it half way, the riders held a reception at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo, which is in Burnet Park. On Thursday, the bicyclists will leave Syracuse, passing through DeWitt and stopping in Chittenango at noon before ending the day in Rome.

More than 650 Bicyclists Headed to Rome

Rome Sentinel

The 18th annual Cycle the Erie Canal, a 400-mile, eight-day cycling tour, began in Buffalo Sunday and arrives in Rome Thursday. It concludes in Albany on Sunday, July 17. “Apart from its breathtaking beauty, the Erie Canal corridor plays a vital role in this state’s history and present economy and we’re proud to showcase all these aspects in our 18th annual cycle ride,” Governor Andrew M. Cuomo said.

Regional State Parks Receive Funds for Trail and Access Improvements

New City Patch

State parks in Rockland, Putnam, Westchester, and Orange counties will receive funding funding through the NY Parks 2020, according to an announcement by Governor Andrew Cuomo’s office. The governor’s office announced $1.3 million in funding for 17 projects around the state to improve and expand hiking trails and outdoor recreational access projects in state parks.

Cyclists Pedal from Buffalo to Albany

WGRZ-Buffalo

Video news segment from NBC in Buffalo covering this year's Cycle the Erie Bike Tour.

Gov. Cuomo announces 18th annual “Cycle The Erie Canal” bike tour

WIVB News 4--Buffalo

The eight-day, 400-mile cycling tour begins in Buffalo on Sunday, July 10 and concludes in Albany on Sunday, July 17. “Apart from its breathtaking beauty, the Erie Canal corridor plays a vital role in this state’s history and present economy and we’re proud to showcase all these aspects in our 18th annual cycle ride,” Governor Cuomo said.

June, 2016

Letter: Grateful to See State Parks Revived

Newsday

A letter contributed by Richard Remmer, PTNY's Vice Chairman, in response to a May 29th piece in the Long Island-based publication stating that "New York is 'well on the way' to making its state park system a model for the nation."