PTNY E-News: Stop Potential Park Closings

Stop potential park closings - Speak out for parks in FY10-11 budget

State Parks is teetering at the edge of having to close parks. Over the last 18 months the State Parks budget has been cut by 25% and the agency has lost nearly 1,000 permanent and seasonal staff. If State Parks must reduce its budget by another 5 to 10% it will have no choice but to close parks.

Right now, Governor Paterson is developing his FY10-11 budget. It's vital that the Governor and your Senator and Assemblyperson hear from you-their constituents-about the benefits the state park system provides, not only from a recreation and quality of life perspective, but also from an economic perspective.

It is the economic argument for state parks that is our best hope of achieving a level of funding for State Parks that will prevent park closures and allow the agency to continue its capital projects revitalization.

Your call, email or letter can make a big impact!

Call or email the Governor and your state Senator and Assembly member TODAY! They ultimately decide the level of funding. Tell them our parks need sufficient money for operations and capital needs and remind them of the economic importance of our state park system.

Each year our state park system provides nearly $2 billion in economic stimulus for the state and local economies - a 5 to 1 return on investment.

For more talking points, read our op-ed Reinvest in State Parks, printed in the Albany Times Union.

View a presentation about the State Parks budget situation.

Nominations sought for 2010 Greenway and Community Trail Awards

Behind every successful trail project there are dedicated individuals or organizations who rarely receive the recognition they so richly deserve. It's time to honor their efforts with one of Parks & Trails New York�s 2010 Greenway and Community Trail awards.

Award categories include:

Public Leadership
Volunteer Service
Corporate Partnership
Healthy Trails, Healthy People
Outside the Box

Nomination forms must be postmarked, e-mailed, or faxed to Parks & Trails New York by January 25, 2010. Winners will be announced March 10, 2010.

Five new trail projects to receive assistance from Parks &Trails New York

Five trail projects have been selected to receive assistance from Parks & Trails New York as part of its Healthy Trails, Healthy People program. The program is aimed at helping New Yorkers develop more active communities and an enhanced quality of life by creating new or increasing the usage of existing multi-use trails. As part of the 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.

PTNY will assist with the development of four new trails:

Black Creek Walk, a 1.5- mile trail along the banks of the creek within the Village of Mexico in Oswego County.
D&H Rail Trail, a 30-mile multi-use trail on a state-owned former railroad corridor between the Towns of Salem and Granville, Washington County along the border with Vermont
Erie-Cattaraugus Rail Trail, a 27-mile multi-use trail that would use an abandoned rail corridor between the Town of Orchard Park in Erie County and the Town of Ashford in Cattaraugus County.
Upper Hudson Rail Trail, a 29-mile multi-use trail on a former rail bed between North Creek in Warren County and Tahawus in Essex County within the Adirondack Park

PTNY will also work with the Sullivan County community of Fallsburg to increase usage of the 8-mile O&W Rail Trail, especially by residents who are not presently trail users.

Healthy Trails, Healthy People is supported in part by a grant from the Healthy Heart Program of the New York State Department of Health.

Long Island Motor Parkway planning underway at last

Years of patience and persistence finally paid off for advocates of a major multi-use trail across Nassau County when the initial kick off meeting was recently held for the Long Island Motor Parkway Trail project. For more than six years, PTNY and local trail supporters have worked to realize a long-held dream of a 17-mile east-west trail crossing the county following the former route of the historic Long Island Motor Parkway. Several years ago PTNY and trail advocates helped secure $450,000 in Nassau County Environmental Bond Act funds to not only create a master plan for the trailway but also construct an initial trail segment.

Environmental Fund takes hit from latest budget cutback

The latest State Deficit Reduction Plan shaves $10 million off the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF), reducing its appropriation to $212 million for the current fiscal year. However the State has made it clear that it intends to spend only $180 million of the EPF, further reducing the amount that will go to state and local parks, open space acquisition, and farmland protection.

Over the life of the fund, the State has "borrowed" from the supposed dedicated fund to meet other budget obligations to the tune of $500 million, or one-quarter of total EPF appropriations.

PTNY, as a key member of a coalition of 200 environmental groups, has been a staunch advocate for the EPF. Please contact us if you would like more information or would like to find out how you can speak out in support of New York's environment.

Bills to fully fund LWCF introduced

The Land and Water Conservation Fund is the federal government's principal means of assisting in the preservation of outdoor recreation resources including parks, trails, and wildlife lands. Since its authorization by Congress in 1965, LWCF has never been adequately funded, reaching its authorized level of $900 million only once and posting a low of $155 million in 2008.

That situation will hopefully change with the introduction of House and Senate bills. The Senate Land and Water Conservation Authorization and Funding Act of 2009 (S. 2747), introduced by Senators Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M. and Max Baucus, D-Mt , would fully and permanently fund LWCF. On the House Side, the Consolidated Land, Energy and Aquatic Resources Act of 2009 (H.R. 3534) would also provide the full $900 million to LWCF.

The LWCF is financed by revenues from offshore oil and gas royalties. Recent years saw most of the money designated for the fund diverted to other federal programs.

Read a sign-on letter, spearheaded by Governors Paterson and Rell (CT), sent to Congressman Rahall of the House Natural Resources Committee re the LWCF.

Big gains for conservation in federal appropriations

President Obama signed into law a $32.2 billion 2010 Interior and Environment Appropriations bill that provides an overall boost of 17% over 2009 levels.

Among the highlights is a $218 million increase in the National Park System budget, which will be $2.7 billion.

Another highlight is an 82% increase over last year in the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), which will receive $278 million this year. Most importantly for New York State, with few national parks and little federal land, the stateside LWCF, which funds state and local parks, will double to $40 million.

Environmental artist Jeanne-Claude dead at 74

Jeanne-Claude, who, with her husband Christo, created some of the most beautiful, and controversial, environmental art projects of the last 50 years, has died in New York.

Jeanne-Claude and Christo were honored by Parks & Trails New York in 2005 for "The Gates," a series of several thousand orange panels they installed in Central Park. The artists said they sited the project there because they thought of the park as "the ultimate locale for walking at leisure."

Image credit: The Gates, Central Park, Christo and Jeanne-Claude, New York City, 1979-2005,Photo: Wolfgang Volz �2005 Christo and Jeanne-Claude.

From the staff at PTNY

Thank you for your time and commitment in helping to protect and expand New York's parks and trails. Our park and trail advocacy efforts and work in communities are made possible by the generous support of people like you.

Regular Membership starts at just $35. Won't you join us today.

Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area (HRVNHA) grants

Matching funds are available for projects that recognize, preserve, protect and interpret the nationally significant cultural and natural resources of the Hudson River Valley. Grants range from $1,000 to $5,000. Highest priority will be given to projects or programs that feature a designated Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area Heritage Site.

The application may be found online from the Hudson River Valley Greenway website or by emailing the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area.

All applications must be postmarked on or before February 5, 2010.

Parks & Trails New York is a member of Earth Share of New York, an alliance of leading nonprofit environmental organizations. For more information about workplace giving to Parks & Trails New York and Earth Share, check out www.earthshareny.org

DECEMBER 2009

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TrailFinder

Trail of the Month: D&H Canal Trail

The D&H Canal, and later the O&W Railroad, once extended 108 miles from Pennsylvania coal mines to the Hudson River at Kingston. Today parts of the old towpath in Ulster and Sullivan Counties are open as a multi-use trail.

A recent grant from NY State's Environmental Protection Fund will support towpath restoration in Orange County. Check out currently open D&H Canal and O&W Rail Trail segments by visiting PTNY's new TrailFinder - a guide to 115 multi-use trails throughout NYS.

Job Opportunity at PTNY

Project Assistant for bicycle-related projects

Read the job description for this part-time position that can also be used for an internship.

GreenSpace newsletter available on-line Winter Greenspace

Read the winter edition of our GreenSpace newsletter.

Great Holiday Gifts

The perfect gift for walkers, bicyclists, history buffs,
our Cycling
the Erie Canal guidebook, with 42 full-color maps, includes attractions, historic sites, parks, lodging, bike shops and other services along the Erie Canalway Trail.

Order today.

PTNY membership also makes a great holiday gift.

You'll save time while helping to protect New York's parks and trails.

Give the gift of membership.

Capacity Grant applications pour in

Parks & Trails New York received 55 Capacity Grant applications from all over New York State. Thirty counties are represented and applicants submitted for over $145,000 in projects! The Capacity Grant award announcement will be made on January 12.

Caumsett State Park Master Plan/DEIS

The Draft Master Plan and Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Caumsett State Historic Park in Suffolk County, L.I. is now available. Comments can be submitted in writing until January 8, 2010.

Email for more information.

2010 NPS Rivers & Trails projects

The National Park Service's Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance program has selected nine projects in NYS to receive technical assistance during 2010.

New accessibility guidelines for trails - Get your comments in

December 18 is the deadline to submit comments on the "Draft Final Accessibility Guidelines for Outdoor Developed Areas," which will determine how to address accessibility on trails on Federal lands. These guidelines are especially important for trail advocates as they may be used as the basis for future regulations which will apply to new trails on local and State lands. American Trails has a list of ways to submit comments and more information on new changes to the draft guidelines not found in previous versions.

Feral Pigs in Allegany State Park!