Looking to strengthen your park or trail group?   Apply for a capacity building grant today!

A new round of Capacity Building Grantsfor park and trail groups in is underway. The grants, of up to $3,000, will strengthen not-for-profit organizations that are working to build and protect parks and trails in communities across the state -- places that provide an opportunity for close-to-home physical activity, increase tourism, and strengthen local economies. Application deadline is November 16, 2011.

Parks & Trails New York's goal with the grant program is to enable not-for-profits to better fulfill their missions; improve their reach, effectiveness, and impact; leverage more resources; and increase community support for and involvement in park and trail planning, development, and stewardship. Funds can be used to assist with activities associated with organizational start-up and development, training, communications, and member and volunteer recruitment and management. For more information email Parks & Trails New York or call (518) 434-1583.

Parks & Trails New York is offering assistance to communities wishing to develop a new multi-use trail or increase usage on an existing trail as part of its Healthy Trails, Healthy People Program. 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. Applications are being accepted until October 12, 2011.

Selection will be based on level of community support and commitment to the project, number and nature of partnerships, clarity of project goals and description of PTNY assistance requested, opportunities to increase physical activity levels within the community, and level of need. Preference will be given to communities with a high percentage of low income households.

Potential applicants are encouraged to email or call Parks & Trails New York at (518) 434-1583 to discuss their projects before the submission deadline. Healthy Trails, Healthy People is supported in part by a grant from the Healthy Heart Programof the NYS Department of Health.

Ensure outdoor recreation is part of NY's economic future

This summer, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the establishment of 10 Regional Economic Development Councils. Each Regional Council will develop a strategic plan for its region that will set the tone for the types of economic development projects that receive funding. Plans are due in November.

Park and trail advocates can play an important role in ensuring that the link between economic development and recreation is heard by the Regional Councils. The public has the opportunity to provide input on the plans and ensure that the importance of parks, trails and all types of outdoor recreational opportunities to local economies is incorporated into the vision and strategic plan for each region.

Several community forums are scheduled for early October. To find out if there is one in your area and to offer online feedback, visit the Regional Council's website. Visit our special webpage  for talking points and more.

State grants and the councils

In addition, up to $1 billion in economic development funding is now available through a Consolidated Funding Application (CFA) process. Regional Councils will use the CFA as the primary support mechanism to work with eligible applicants to advance projects that demonstrate the greatest potential for job creation and economic opportunity.

Amongst the nine state agencies and authorities that have pooled resources to be made available through the CFA are the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, the  Canal Corporation and the Department of State. If your organization plans to seek funding through one of the grant programs, it's important to consider your Regional Council's vision and plans for economic development in the development of your proposals. Workshops for those applying for funding through the Consolidated Funding Application Process are scheduled for early October. See the schedule. Learn more. 

Finger Lakes Trail and Greenways Conference a great success

The Finger Lakes Trails and Greenways Conference drew over 150 trail advocates from across New York State and beyond to Cornell University in late September.  Attendees were able to get their boots dirty in one of four field workshops, meet old friends and new at the  Nevin Welcome Center at Cornell Plantations, and hear from trail experts from around the state and nation.

Keynote presentations by Jeff Olson of Alta Planning + Design and Craig Della Penna of the Trailside Family Companies  stressed the universal value of trails while imparting a positive tone to the day's workshops.  Designed to appeal to a range of interests, the workshops covered a wide variety of topics including how to get started; addressing public concerns; trail design; regional tourism; community revitalization; and Universal Access.

Initial feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Those that missed the conference can download copies of the presentations and photos from our website.

News from State Parks

Greater drilling protections for Allegany State Park

Governor Cuomo acted on over 100 bills last month, including two bills that provide greater drilling protection to Allegany State Park.

New York State doesn't own all the subsurface mineral rights at Allegany State Park. While the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation's draft plan for regulating hydrofracking includes a recommendation that it be prohibited on public lands, including state parks, it has been unclear what would happen with the privately owned subsurface oil and gas rights in Allegany State Park.  

The two bills the Governor signed into law address this concern and provide broader protection for the park. Under the new laws, any unused mineral rights in the park will lapse and revert to the state after a certain period of time and the State Parks agency will have strict oversight authority over any future requests for drilling.

Daredevil acts making a comeback at Niagara Falls

Nik Wallenda, who set Guinness World Records for high-wire walking and bicycling has set his sights on walking across the 1,800-foot Niagara River Gorge while balancing on a two-inch-diameter steel cable. With the Governor signing  legislation allowing the feat, Wallenda is now one step closer to getting his chance. However, Canada must still approve the exploit. According to Wallenda's Twitter feed, he plans to walk the tightrope next summer. Stay tuned!

Communities receive PTNY mini-grants for trail projects

PTNY has awarded mini-grants to two of its Healthy Trails, Healthy People communities to help them advance their trail projects. Grants were awarded to:

• Erie Cattaraugus Rail Trail, Inc. to assist with creation of a Neighborhood Trail Plan poster that will initiate the town of Orchard Park's trail planning process. The poster will include enhanced photos to help residents and town officials visualize how a one-mile section of the 27-mile Buffalo & Pittsburgh Railroad right of way south of Buffalo will appear as a completed trail.
• Village of Copenhagen Trail Committee for a trail plan for a section of the 1.8-mile trail in Lewis County in northern New York.

Canalway Trail storm damage update

Damage sustained during the storms on a section of trail near the crossing of 5S and the NYS Thruway.

While Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee have long since passed, the damage inflicted by the storms lingers on in many areas. Segments of the Canalway Trail in Schenectady and Montgomery counties are currently closed due to sustained damages and flooding. The New York State Canal Corporation is advising trail-goers to avoid the trail between Canajoharie and Schenectady until conditions improve.

Particular areas which are currently impassable include the trail at Rotterdam Junction, Lock 8 in Scotia, and the section of trail located where Route 5S crosses the Thruway in Fort Hunter. While other sections of trail may have improved within this vicinity, trail users are being asked to exercise caution while travelling through the eastern portion of the canal corridor.

Salisbury-Dolgeville Greenway in Mohawk Valley begins to take shape

An $11,950 NYS Department of Health Creating Healthy Places grant from Herkimer County HealthNet to the Village of Dolgeville near Little Falls is aiding the development of the first section of the Salisbury-Dolgeville Greenway within the village. According to village Department of Public Works Superintendent John Houle, the trail will be a safe and secure place where people can get out and walk, jog or ride their bicycle and snowmobile in the winter.

Seven years ago, as part of its Healthy Trails Healthy People program, PTNY helped residents of the Herkimer County village examine the issues and opportunities associated with creation of a 2.8-mile rail trail between the village and Salisbury Center and drafted a Next Steps Report. Congratulations to Dolgeville for securing the funds and moving forward with this project. Read more .

Effort underway to create the Great Adirondack Recreational Trail

Lee Keets of the Adirondack Recreational Trail Advocates addresses a crowd gathered for the organization's first public meeting

In late August, the newly formed Adirondack Recreational Trail Advocates (ARTA) held their first public meeting to discuss their proposal to convert a 34-mile section of NYSDOT-owned rail into a world class multi-use trail between Lake Placid and Tupper Lake.

The line is currently leased to the Adirondack Scenic Railroad, which runs a sightseeing train from Lake Placid to Saranac Lake and hopes to extend the trip to Tupper Lake and eventually to Utica. Under the current lease, the State reimburses the scenic railway for work on the corridor, a cost that runs into the hundreds of thousands of dollars each year. Advocates, supported by a recent study, claim that a multi-use trail would prove more lucrative for local businesses.

For more information on the proposed Adirondack Recreational Trail, and to join the growing list of supporters, check out www.thearta.org/.  

Federal transportation funding extended to March

The drafting of a new federal transportation bill has been put off again. All surface transportation programs (including Transportation Enhancements, Safe Routes to School and Recreational Trails) are now being continued at current funding levels until March 31, 2012.

Sen. Boxer (D-CA), chair of the Senate committee that has jurisdiction over transportation, has publicly stated her support for Transportation Enhancements and dedicated funding for bicycling and walking, but there are others in influential positions in Congress who have just as publicly said they want these programs eliminated. Please continue to remind your senators and representatives of the importance of surface transportation programs to the economy of your community and the health of its citizens.  

One of the compromises in the new bill may be that each state will be able to decide how much of their federal dollars goes to bicycle and pedestrian programs. Therefore it is also important to ask your Assembly person and Senator to ensure that NYSDOT does not decide to eliminate or reduce the level of New York's surface transportation program funding that goes to bicycle and pedestrian projects.

Thank you to our Green Partner - Haas Landscape Architects

Hass Landscape Architects (HLA) was founded in 1990 by Mike Haas RLA, ASLA, to provide professional landscape architectural services in the areas of community and land planning, recreational planning, and urban and environmental design. Mike and his team are responsible for the planning/development of over 100 miles of greenway/blueway trails throughout the Southern Tier of NY and the Northern Tier of Pennsylvania including Binghamton's Confluence Park, the Chenango River Promenade and Bikeway; the Chemung River Trail; the Mark Twain Riverfront Park and Portage Trail in Elmira; the Owego River Walk in Tioga County; and the SE Steuben River Vision in Steuben County.  

Hass Landscape Architects was a supporting sponsor and Mike shared his expertise and experience as a speaker at the recent Finger Lakes trails and greenways conference. Thank you Mike.