Meet the new parks commissioner, Rose Harvey

Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) Commissioner Rose Harvey has enjoyed a long and successful environmental career. For 27 years, she held multiple leadership positions with the national Trust for Public Land, most recently as Senior Vice President and National Director of Urban Programs.

Parks & Trails New York Executive Director Robin Dropkin recently met with Commissioner Harvey to talk about her vision for New York's magnificent parks and historic sites in these difficult economic times.

Robin Dropkin: Why did you decide to take the position at such a challenging time?

Rose Harvey: I've spent my entire working life focused on issues of land and park conservation. Actually, I had a hand in acquiring many of the properties, including parks, the state is now responsible for. When I was approached about putting my hat in the ring for parks commissioner, I felt it was an exceptional opportunity for me to come full circle in my career, to focus on the stewardship side of things. I was fully aware of the challenges, but if this is what you care about, this is what you do. And parks are one of the things I care most deeply about.

 Read the complete interview.  

State Parks Focus

Saratoga Spa spring spouts again

A $250,000 upgrade to the geyser area of Saratoga Spa State Park

means that the only spouting geyser east of the Mississippi, barely a trickle due to built-up mineral deposits a year ago, is again a major tourist attraction.

 "We are so appreciative to our community leaders who stepped forward to restore some of our springs to celebrate the park's 100th Anniversary," said Heather Mabee, Chair of the Saratoga-Capital Park Commission which spearheaded the public-private fundraising effort.

A National Historic Landmark, the 2,200-acre Saratoga Spa State Park attracts nearly 2 million visitors a year.

Read more about the project. 
 

Congrats to NYS Historic Preservation Director for national award

Ruth Pierpont, head of State Park's Historic Preservation Office, received a national leadership award from Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar. Ruth not only manages the Preservation Office but oversees 37 state historic sites and cultural activities at 180 state parks.

Read the Dept. of Interior's press release.

Master planning process kicks off at Hudson Valley park and historic site cluster

A preliminary meeting to help define a long-term vision for  

Margaret Lewis Norrie State Park

and adjoining  

Ogden Mills & Ruth Livingston Mills Memorial State Park, plus Staatsburgh State Historic Site took place June 2. Comments will be accepted until July 1 and may be sent via email. An information packet is available on the parks website.

Two national advocates to keynote September trails and greenways conference in Ithaca

September's conference Finger Lakes Trails and Greenways: Connecting communities, promoting health, and strengthening local economies will feature two nationally recognized trails advocates: Jeff Olson and Craig Della Penna.

Jeff is a Principal with Alta Planning + Design, a national firm specializing in transportation, recreation, and innovation. A Saratoga Springs-based architect and planner, he has more than 20 years'  experience creating greenways, open space, active living and alternative transportation projects throughout the world.

Craig is the owner of Sugar Maple Trailside Inn , the first B&B in New England next to a rail trail, and Pedal to Properties, Della Penna's Trailside Realty, a Northampton, MA trailside real estate and rental agency specializing in properties next to trails. 

The conference, organized by PTNY and theFinger Lakes Land Trust, will be held Friday, September 23 and Saturday, September 24, 2011 at Cornell University in Ithaca.

The program is designed to offer multiple opportunities for local government and tourism officials, trail professionals, business leaders, trail users, and grassroots activists and organizations to share their experiences and learn from recognized leaders in the field. It is appropriate for meeting state training requirements for local planning and zoning boards, but check with local officials to confirm.

PTNY capacity grant helps Friends of Taconic State Park build membership 

A capacity-building grant from Parks & Trails New York has made it possible for the Friends of Taconic State Park to meet and exceed its membership goals. Funds were used to hire a marketing and membership development consultant who helped the group undertake a membership mailing and major member cultivation event and create marketing materials for community events.

 "We have been humbled and slightly incredulous at the extraordinary response to our membership outreach. As of the end of September 2010 we met our goal of adding 100 new members and by January 2011 we reached 184. I truly believe that winning the Columbia County Heritage Award was the result of our increased publicity and outreach efforts, neither of which would have been possible without Parks & Trails New York's support," said Friends of Taconic State Park Treasurer Deborah Cohen.

Thank you to our Green Partners

Sponsorship of bike tour a win-win

Nalgene, manufacturer of reusable containers of all kinds, helps people simplify their lives while respecting the environment. Based in Rochester, N.Y., the company is a repeat sponsor of PTNY's Cycling the Erie Canal bike tour.

According to Nalgene Product Manager Fernando Galiana, "Cycling is a great sport and having an opportunity to support an event that goes through the communities where we live and work makes it a perfect fit. Western New York has some of the best cycling in the country and Nalgene provides the best cycling water bottles so having people experience both is a win-win.

We agree! Thank you, Nalgene.

Complete Streets legislation needs your help

Support continues to grow for Complete Streets legislation 

(S. 5411) that would make our communities safer and more accommodating to pedestrians and bicyclists. The bill has been endorsed by the state associations for town and county highway superintendents, AARP, environmental groups, including PTNY, and many transportation, health, and planning organizations across the state.

The Senate bill (S. 5411) is heading toward passage, but the Assembly and Governor need to hear from you NOW or the bill will die when the session ends June 20. Tell them how important complete streets can be to the safety, health and quality of life in New York State.

Remembering trail champion Elinor Mettler

Elinor Mettler was a tireless advocate for the things she believed in and one of those things was the Harlem Valley Rail Trail. On a vacation in Cape Cod in the early 1980's, Elinor had enjoyed the Cape Cod Rail Trail and she was determined to see a similar amenity built along the abandoned Harlem Valley rail line between Wassaic in Dutchess County and Chatham in Columbia County. Most people thought she was tilting at windmills but Elinor persisted, and today 15 miles of the 47-mile corridor are a public trail, 8 more miles are in the planning stage, and much of the corridor has been acquired for future trail use.

In 2000, Parks & Trails New York bestowed upon Elinor its first Trail Spark Plug Award, in recognition of her commitment and achievement in developing and promoting greenways and community trails.

Read more about Elinor Mettler's remarkable life.

National Trails Day events in New York

Trails across New York were celebrated and enhanced Saturday, June 4, National Trails Day. Here's a smattering of the events that took place.

Chenango County Greenways enjoys improvements

In Norwich, participants worked on a section of the

Chenango Greenway Trail to improve the surface, install benches and signage, and remove trash. The Chenango Greenway Conservancy, which has been developing the riverside trail through the city with help from PTNY's Healthy Trails, Healthy People program, organized the event.

Ribbon cutting in Albany

A ribbon cutting took place on the first two-mile phase of the nine-mile Albany County Rail Trail. Members of Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy's (MHLC) Friends of the Rail Trail Committee  (FORT) organized a day of family fun activities. MHLC and FORT received technical assistance from PTNY through its Healthy Trails Healthy People program.

Clean-up at Kingston Point rail-trail

The Kingston Land Trust and the Kingston Land Trust's Rail Trail Committee, with the support of the Trolley Museum of New York, held their second cleanup of the proposed Kingston Point Rail Trail that runs from Midtown Kingston to the Trolley Museum in the Rondout.

Grand opening on L.I.

The Long Island Greenbelt kicked off National Trails Day with the Grand Opening Ribbon Cutting of the new Manorville Loop Trail. The rest of the day was spent resurfacing El's Trail at the Trail Information Center and doing trail maintenance. 

Canalway Trail goes to the dogs 

National Trails Day was dog's day out on the Erie Canalway Trail as pet owners paraded with dogs of all breeds and sizes along a one-mile stretch of trail between Camillus Erie Canal Park and the restored Nine Mile Creek aqueduct.

Celebrating trails at state parks 

Glimmerglass State Park

in Cooperstown had a children's walk and clean-up, followed by lunch cooked over a campfire. Thacher and Thompson's Lake State Parks featured trail work and reconstruction, with barbecues afterwards. Niagara Reservation State Park held a hike along the Niagara Gorge and Olana State Historic Site showed off its wonderful system of carriage trails. 

Third phase of Dutchess Rail Trail opens

Phase III of the

Dutchess Rail-Trail, opened on May 26. The trail, which will eventually be 12 miles, follows the former Maybrook Rail corridor and a water transmission line runs beneath it. The third phase links the Towns of LaGrange, Wappinger, and East Fishkill and creates more than 8 miles of continuous trail.

Dutchess County Executive William Steinhaus, who received a PTNY Trail and Greenway Public Leadership Award in 2007, has been a champion of the project from day one.

View photos of the opening celebration.

Parks & Trails New York is a member of Earth Share 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.