State park budget: Governor says no parks will close
 

WE WON THE BATTLE

Together, we made sure that the Governor and the powers that be in Albany know how important parks and historic sites are to the people of New York and to the economy of the state. As a result, the Governor as part of his budget release pledged no park closings this coming year.

Unfortunately, this pledge does not help the parks and historic sites, including Woodlawn Beach and Knox Farm State Parks and Herkimer Home State Historic Site, which closed this year due to budget constraints.

BUT WE HAVE TO WIN THE WAR

State parks and historic sites have been chronically underfunded for decades. This year is no different. The Executive Budget reduces funding for New York's 178 state parks and 35 historic sites by more than $17 million. This is on top of a cut over the last few years of nearly 20 percent and a staff reduction of 1400. The additional cuts will have to be absorbed somehow. We may not see closings, but we will certainly see myriad service, hour and program reductions

TELL ALBANY TO REINVEST IN OUR PARKS

The parks agency is struggling, with diminished operating funds and a $1 billion infrastructure backlog. The death by 1,000 cuts to the legacy of our magnificent state park system is a huge price for the people of New York to pay for a miniscule savings to the state budget. We must explore new ways to revitalize our park system, such as fostering a more robust park friends and volunteer program and a new dedicated funding stream for parks.

Read our testimony at the Legislative Budget Hearing on February 8.

Speak out for parks - join us for Park Advocacy Day in Albany March 22.

Pennies for Parks
 

A one-cent fee on disposable plastic bags could generate significant amounts--more than $60 million annually--to help support state parks and address deteriorating infrastructure. A recent poll found that 73% of New Yorkers would support the fee if the money was dedicated to parks. 

PTNY hosts regional park Friends group meeting
 

Parks & Trails New York held its first park friends group regional meeting for the Capital-Saratoga region in January at the

Emma Treadwell Thacher Nature Center

at Thompson's Lake State Park. The meeting was designed to build a stronger park and historic site advocacy coalition and foster more collaboration amongst organizations.

The meeting included representatives from seven friends groups: Friends of Thacher and Thompson's Lake State Parks, Friends of Schodack Island State Park, Friends of Schuyler Mansion State Historic Site, Friends of Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site, Friends of Saratoga Spa State Park, Friends of Johnson Hall State Historic Site, and John Brown Lives, which supports John Brown Farm State Historic Site.

PTNY plans to hold similar meetings in other regions in the coming year.  

Action needed for federal bike/ped funding
 

President Obama's 2012 budget includes a proposed six-year, $556 billion surface transportation reauthorization plan which nearly doubles the level of funding directed to transportation in SAFETEA-LU, the federal transportation law that includes Transportation Enhancement, Recreational Trail, and Safe Routes to School programs.
 

This bill consolidates 55 former transportation programs into five and creates a new livability grant program for projects such as multi-modal transportation hubs and streets that accommodate pedestrian, bicycle, and transit access. The Senate and House may choose to ignore the president's proposal and develop their own transportation reauthorization legislation so let your Senators and Congressional representative know how bicycle-pedestrian programs have benefited tourism, alternative transportation, economic and personal health, and quality of life in your community. Let them hear that their constituents value bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure and want programs that support its development to continue.

Contact your House Senators and Representatives TODAY!

Environmental Protection Fund stays steady at $134 million
 

Kudos to Governor Cuomo for maintaining the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) at $134 million, the same level as last year. The EPF, which is funded through the NYS Real Estate Transfer Tax, provides funds for many environmental programs, including acquisition of land for parks and trail corridors, municipal park and waterfront revitalization grants, and stewardship for state parks, historic sites, and state forest lands and recreation facilities.
 

PTNY is an active member of The Friends of New York's Environment, a partnership of more than 100 environmental groups that is spearheading efforts to restore funding for the EPF and New York's environmental agencies. Contact your state legislators and urge them to support the EPF. Find out more.

Rose Harvey nominated as Parks Commissioner
 

Governor Cuomo nominated Rose Harvey, a passionate and respected park and open space professional, as the new Commissioner of the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. For 27 years, Ms. Harvey held multiple leadership positions with the Trust for Public Land, most recently as Senior Vice President and National Director of Urban Programs. There, she oversaw all real estate acquisitions, urban park design and developments, managed the finances of a $20 million annual operating budget, and closed between $50 and $75 million worth of land and parks transactions each year across eight states.

Adirondack trail study only scratches surface of benefits
 

A recently released Adirondack Rail Corridor Economic Impact Study compares the costs and economic impacts of a tourist train and a 34-mile multi-use trail between Lake Placid and Tupper Lake. The study estimates $1.2 million in annual net new spending associated with the trail, a greater economic benefit than extending the tourist train to Tupper Lake. PTNY is urging the community to examine the study's assumptions and calculations in greater detail, talk to trail managers from other trails of similar length and environment, and consider the health and quality of life benefits to fully appreciate the impact that a Lake Placid to Tupper Lake Trail can make. Read our take on the study. 

PTNY capacity grant helps group go digital

Thanks to a capacity building grant from PTNY, the nonprofit Owasco Flats Nature Reserve has a new logo, newsletter template, family-friendly information kiosk designs, and its first member newsletter in three years. The Finger Lakes nature reserve is a wetland complex with rich wildlife habitat that features a 1.6-mile rail trail.
 

"We sincerely thank PTNY for giving us the opportunity to expand and improve our organization and our community outreach. The grant has allowed our organization to grow, conduct outreach in the digital age, and improve our trail system," said Sandie Doran, Chairperson of the Owasco Flats Nature Reserve.

Winter Walk first step in Erie-Cattaraugus Rail Trail development
 

Frigid temperatures and blowing snow did not deter more than 100 area residents from turning out for the first trail event for the

Erie Cattaraugus Rail Trail

(ECRT) south of Buffalo. Sponsored by the Village of Springville and the Springville Area Chamber of Commerce and organized and supported by the Village's Trail Steering Committee and Erie Cattaraugus Rail-Trail, Inc the Winter Walk was made possible by a one-day right of entry granted by the corridor's owner, the Buffalo &Pittsburgh Railroad. The Village of Springville is negotiating a license agreement with the railroad to manage the right-of-way within the Village and begin the planning process to convert it to a section of the Erie Cattaraugus Rail Trail, to be known as the Pop Warner Trail.
 

Mayor Bill Krebs said, "This Winter Walk demonstrated the feasibility and the importance of transforming the abandoned corridor into useable green space in our Village. The trail will improve the quality of life in Springville, and provide for economic development, and public safety."
 

PTNY has been assisting ECRT with its efforts to preserve and convert the 27-mile rail corridor to a multi-use trail through its

Healthy Trails, Healthy People program.

Will new power lines enhance trail connections?
 

Saratoga P.L.A.N., the regional land trust and community planning advocate in Saratoga County, has received "active party status" in two proposed power line projects. National Grid proposed a new transmission line from Spier Falls to Rotterdam. The second line, proposed by Champlain Hudson Power Express, will bring power from Quebec under Lake Champlain and the Hudson River. This line would leave the River just north of Fort Edward to avoid PCB's, cross Saratoga County along rail corridors, and re-enter the river south of Albany.
 

Saratoga P.L.A.N. consulted with trail users to identify parts of these corridors that connect existing or planned trail networks, and requested, with support from PTNY, that the NYS Public Service Commission require approval of trails on these segments. Although the PSC has not made decisions in either case, questions from the Administrative Law Judge, the PSC and National Grid make it clear that P.L.A.N's efforts have raised the potential of using power line corridors as trail connectors. Currently, several towns are in discussions with National Grid to allow corridor trail usage.

New snowmobile regulations on the Canalway Trail
 

In January, the NYS Canal Corporation announced changes to its regulations governing use of the Canalway Trail system that will make it easier for snowmobile groups to gain approval to use the trail. Previously, those regulations contained a blanket prohibition on snowmobile use on the parts of the trail under the jurisdiction of the Canal Corporation (about 280 miles of the 360-mile Erie and 60-mile Champlain Canalway Trails). With the change, snowmobile organizations can apply to the Corporation for a permit to use sections of the trail provided that the local community where the trail is located approves. Any permit comes with maintenance responsibilities for that trail segment. For more information see the Corporation's press release.

Attention trail managers: New federal rules on mobility devices coming March 15
 

Beginning March 15, 2011, a new Department of Justice (DOJ) rule takes effect that will require trail managers and other public entities to make reasonable modifications in their policies, practices, or procedures to allow access for other power-driven mobility devices (OPDMD) (i.e. anything with a motor that can be driven, regardless of size or horsepower) unless they complete a documented assessment deeming the location unfit for the OPDMD prior to the arrival of an individual requesting its use. Such assessments must be made according to several reasonable DOJ assessment factors. Find more information and a link to a webinar on the new ruling.