Full Press Release

GOVERNOR ANNOUNCES $2.3 MILLION FOR RECREATIONAL TRAILS
Funding Supports Trail Development and Maintenance across New York

Governor George E. Pataki today announced $2.3 million in grant awards for 30 trail-related projects around the State as part of the federal Recreational Trails Program. There are 20,000 miles of trails throughout New York, extending across wildlife areas, mountain peaks, waterfalls, lakesides, urban and suburban walkways, and historic sites.

“New York’s expansive trail system offers year-round recreation opportunities for the many outdoor enthusiasts who live and visit our great State,” Governor Pataki said. “Through these grants, we can continue to expand, improve and protect our trails, providing valuable access to the spectacular scenery, and vast open spaces across the Empire State. >From the gorge of the mighty Niagara to the mountains of the North Country and the shores of Long Island Sound, these awards will ensure endless enjoyment of the State’s rich natural resources.”

New York has one of the most expansive trail systems in the nation, providing public access to the many natural resources across the state. The trails, which lead through public and private lands, are maintained by state and local municipalities and motorized and non-motorized trail group volunteers.

New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Commissioner Bernadette Castro said, “Once again, Governor Pataki has demonstrated his unparalleled commitment to the environment here in New York. These latest awards will help local communities across the state protect their unique environmental character while strengthening the statewide trail network so that we can all share in the scenic beauty that New York has to offer.”

The grants will be used for such projects as increasing access to waterfront areas, constructing trail bridges, purchasing trail grooming equipment, and linking larger trail networks. Trail development plans must emphasize providing access for the disabled and minimizing environmental impact.

DEC Commissioner Denise M. Sheehan said, “These grants are important reminders of how valuable our State’s natural resources are to our everyday lives and of New York’s strong commitment to protect and preserve these resources under the leadership of Governor Pataki. They not only serve to benefit our overall environment, but also as vital tools for popular recreational activities. It’s essential that we continue to protect natural areas so that all New Yorkers have access to the State's invaluable landscape and for future generations to experience and enjoy.”

State Department of Transportation Commissioner Thomas J. Madison Jr. said, "Trails across New York State provide hikers, bikers, snowmobilers and pedestrians with opportunities for recreation that are safe and environmentally sensitive. Governor Pataki has done more than any Governor in New York history to protect and preserve our open spaces, and these grants contribute to that legacy by helping local communities maintain and expand their trail systems."

State Parks administers the federal matching grant program providing funding to state and local governments, not-for-profit organizations, corporations, and partnerships for the maintenance, renovation, development, acquisition and construction of trails and trail-related facilities. Funding is provided through the Federal Highway Administration’s Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21), Recreational Trails Program.

2007 Recreational Trails Program Awards:

BROOME COUNTY

Whitney Point Ridge Riders Snowmobile Club $100,000.00
Trail Grooming Equipment Purchase
The Whitney Point Ridge Riders Snowmobile Club, Inc. will purchase a new tracked groomer to help maintain over 150 miles of snowmobile trails that connect with seven neighboring snowmobile clubs within Broome, Chenango, Cortland, and Tioga Counties.

CATTARAUGUS COUNTY

Portville Snowmobile Club, Inc. $79,266.00
Trail Grooming Equipment Purchase
The Portville Snowmobile Club, Inc. will purchase a Class A Groomer to maintain 37 miles of snowmobile trails which connect to Allegany State Park and the Allegany National Forest.

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY

Chautauqua Rails to Trails, Inc. $37,600.00
Trail Grooming Equipment Purchase
Chautauqua Rails to Trails, Inc. will purchase trail grooming maintenance equipment that will benefit both Chautauqua Rails to Trails and Chautauqua Lake Snowmobile Club trails. The two organizations maintain 80% of the trails in Chautauqua County.

DUTCHESS COUNTY

Scenic Hudson Land Trust, Inc. $100,000.00
Madam Brett Park Trail Improvement Project
The Scenic Hudson Land Trust, Inc. will upgrade the surface of a trail located in Madam Brett Park in Beacon, NY, a designated Hudson Valley Greenway trail, and build a ramped extension to an existing boardwalk. The goal is to make the existing trail universally accessible and to connect it to a trail being developed by the City of Beacon on an adjacent property. This project will provide a crucial link of trails along the Hudson River and the Fishkill Creek.

Town of Poughkeepsie $75,000.00
Peach Hill Park Trails and Trailside Facilities
The Town of Poughkeepsie will develop recreational trails and trailside facilities at Peach Hill Park, a 157 acre site at the highest elevation in the town.

Young-Morse Historic Site (Locust Grove) $61,000.00
Locust Grove Estate Trail Restoration and Expansion
The Young-Morse Historic Site will restore and expand Locust Grove, a 180-acre National Historic Landmark estate located in the Hudson River Valley. The project will include restoration of 3.5 miles of historic hiking trails, the development of 1.5 miles of new trails on recently acquired property adjoining the estate and the construction of three trail head information/directional kiosks. These historic hiking trails are designated as part of the Hudson River Valley Greenway Trail.

ERIE COUNTY

Town of Orchard Park $100,000.00
Chestnut Ridge Village Recreational Trail
The Town of Orchard Park will construct and rehabilitate 6,775 linear feet of pathway, including 6,375 linear feet of crushed limestone and 400 linear feet of wooden boardwalk in Chestnut Ridge Village Park. Additional development includes the construction of a 12-foot wide wildlife observation deck, a four space parking lot and various trailside amenities.

FRANKLIN COUNTY

Franklin Snowmobilers, Inc. $100,000.00
Trail Grooming Equipment Purchase
Franklin County Snowmobilers, Inc. will purchase a new groomer to improve the 299 miles of snowmobile trails it maintains.

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation $100,000.00
Santa Clara Tract All Terrain Vehicle Route
This project is to rehabilitate existing trails (9.16 miles), construct two designated parking areas, install barrier gates and construct a new ATV trail (1.64 miles) of the Santa Clara Tract.

FULTON COUNTY

Nick Stoner Trailers, Inc. $14,804.00
Trail Grooming Equipment Purchase
The Nick Stoner Trailers, Inc. snowmobile club will replace equipment they are currently using for the maintenance of 13 miles of a 35 mile trail system.

Oppenheim Trailblazers, Inc. $90,240.00
Trail Grooming Equipment Purchase
The Oppenheim Trailblazers, Inc. will purchase a groomer and drag to maintain approximately 49 miles of trails. This is the main trail between Oppenheim and Ephratah, creating a unified trail.

HERKIMER COUNTY

Trackside Blazers Snowmobile Club, Incorporated $100,000.00
Trail Grooming Equipment Purchase
Trackside Blazers Snowmobile Club, Inc. will purchase a new groomer tractor for the maintenance of 104 miles of snowmobile trails in Oneida and Herkimer Counties. This area of trails links the trail system at Old Forge to the Tug Hill snowmobile system.

JEFFERSON COUNTY

Barnes Corners Sno-Pals, Inc. $31,785.00
Rehabilitation of a Portion of C5A
Barnes Corners Sno-Pals, Inc. will restore approximately 1,000 linear feet of the C5A trail that has been damaged.

Friends of the Nature Center, Inc. $16,920.00
Friends of the Nature Center Trail Improvement
The Friends of the Nature Center, Inc. was created to assist with the management of the Minna Anthony Common Nature Center. In order to maintain and improve the quality of the trails, the Friends of the Nature Center will purchase trail maintenance equipment and trail materials including gravel, wood chips, culvert pipes and some additional finishing materials.

Thousand Islands Land Trust $72,858.00
Historic Zenda Farm Trail
The Thousand Islands Land Trust will develop a year-round, fully accessible, one and one-half mile non-motorized diverse use trail on the 223-acre site of Historic Zenda Farm in the Town of Clayton.

KINGS COUNTY

Prospect Park Alliance $100,000.00
Lookout Hill Trails Restoration
The Prospect Park Alliance will restore 1,000 feet of the path on Lookout Hill, one of the Park's original historic trails and a unique setting for bird watchers. The project will involve removing and replacing concrete and clearing existing storm and sanitary sewer pipe.

LEWIS COUNTY

Plateau Riders, Inc. $100,000.00
Trail Grooming Equipment Purchase
Plateau Riders, Inc. will purchase a new groomer and drag for the purpose of maintaining trails for snowmobiling in the Towns of Martinsburg, West Turin, and the Village of Turin. This will improve the connection between rural communities and enhance the local economy by maintaining a key portion of the county-wide trail system.

ONEIDA COUNTY

Lost Trail Snowmobile Club, Inc. $98,386.00
Trail Grooming Equipment Purchase
The Lost Trail Snowmobile Club, Inc. will purchase a new tractor to groom and maintain 48 miles of New York State Snowmobile Corridor Trails. Maintenance of these trails is important because it links Lewis, Oneida and Herkimer Counties, providing access to the Adirondacks and the Tug Hill Region.

ONONDAGA COUNTY

Town of Camillus $96,000.00
Public Accessible Trailhead Project
The Town of Camillus in conjunction with the Camillus Snowmobile Club will construct a publicly accessible trail head for both snowmobilers and bicyclists with special needs. Constructing the unloading ramp as an extension to the existing restroom facilities will provide riders with easy access to both of these facilities. This project will be the first of its kind in Onondaga County.

OSWEGO/JEFFERSON COUNTY

Winona Forest Recreation Association $97,548.00
Winona State Forest Trail Rehabilitation/Restoration
Winona Forest Recreation Association (WFRA) is an all volunteer multi-user organization hosting and supporting year-round events. WFRA will purchase equipment for maintenance and development of 70 miles of trails within the Village of Pulaski, which will provide total accessibility to the greater populace regardless of physical ability or interest.

OTSEGO COUNTY

Exeter Trailblazers, Inc. $94,342.00
Trail Grooming Equipment Purchase
The Exeter Trailblazers, Inc. will purchase a used Class-A tracked groomer and a new multi-blade grooming drag to maintain 61 miles of the NYS snowmobile trail system that includes C7B and secondary trails. The goal of the organization is to improve the trail conditions, thus increasing the level of safety and enjoyment for the snowmobile riders and also the cross-country skiers who currently use this trail.

QUEENS COUNTY

City of New York Dept. of Parks and Recreation $84,480.00
Willow Lake Trail Restoration
The City of New York Department of Parks and Recreation will clear and resurface 3,250 linear feet of an overgrown pedestrian path near Willow Lake in Flushing Meadows Corona Park providing an east-west connection in the southern portion of the park, as well as direct access between the Forest Hills and Kew Gardens neighborhoods.

RENSSELAER COUNTY

Village of Hoosick Falls $100,000.00
Hoosick Falls Rails-to-Trails Greenway
The Village of Hoosick Falls will re-create a historic walking and biking trail that extends for two miles along an abandoned rail corridor through land acquisition and development. The trail runs through the village, abuts the river in many places and provides abundant opportunities for scenic views, canoe access, picnicking, public information displays and parking.

ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY

St. Lawrence County Snowmobile Association $100,000.00
Trail Grooming Equipment Purchase
The St. Lawrence County Snowmobile Association, Inc. will purchase a 2008 Tucker 1000 groomer to maintain a portion of the Remsen-Lake Placid Railroad Corridor. This connector trail crosses over Franklin County, St. Lawrence County and Hamilton County.

STEUBEN COUNTY

Finger Lakes Trail Conference, Inc. $9,000.00
North Country Scenic/Finger Lakes Trail
The Finger Lakes Trail Conference, Inc., an affiliate of the North Country Trail Association will repair and reroute 1.4 miles of existing trails in two segments. Segment A will relocate northeast of the existing trail along the flat, raised shoulder of the road by clearing, hardening, and drainage management; whereas, Segment B [.4 miles] will be rebuilt by clearing, ditching, hardening, and sidehilling.

SUFFOLK COUNTY

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation $50,031.00
Flax Pond Tidal Wetland Catwalk Extension
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation owns numerous tidal wetland properties on Long Island, purchased for the protection and preservation of these critical habitats. By extending the existing catwalk on the Flax Pond property with the proposed open grate system, the department will maintain and enhance public access and use of the property as well as provide improved public access to the Long Island Sound, while minimizing impacts and restoring areas that are currently being damaged as a result of that use.

Town of Riverhead $100,000.00
Calverton Park Recreational Trail
The Town of Riverhead has committed $5.1 million towards the design and construction of athletic fields adjacent to the location proposed for the Calverton Park Recreational Trail. The proposed 8.9 mile long, non-motorized, fitness trail will augment the four ballfields and four multi-purpose fields and provide recreational opportunities for bicyclists, walkers and runners.

TOMPKINS COUNTY

City of Ithaca $100,000.00
Connector Trail: Six Mile Promenade to Winter Village Trail
The City of Ithaca will install a 395 linear foot segment of a connector trail which will link Six Mile Creek Promenade in the town core to the Winter Village Trail and the Six Mile Creek Natural Area. Construction will include removal of existing asphalt paving, repair and recapping of existing channel wall, installation of handrails along the wall and installation of a 6-foot wide compacted stone dust path, maintained for accessibility. The completion of this project will develop a continuous trail from Six Mile Creek Natural Area to the future Black Diamond Trail.

ULSTER COUNTY

Town of Gardiner $100,000.00
Gardiner Rail Trail
The Town of Gardiner will acquire 6 miles from the Wallkill Valley Land Trust and develop that land for the Gardiner Rail Trail. As part of the development, they plan to rebuild and clean out drainage ditches to make it safer for trail users.

WESTCHESTER COUNTY

Town of Somers $75,440.00
Angle Fly Preserve Trailways
The Town of Somers in conjunction with the Friends of Angle Fly Preserve will develop 10 miles of new trails on the newly acquired 654-acre Angle Fly Preserve property located in Somers, NY. Construction of the trail includes crushed stone, 1 trailhead kiosk, a parking lot gate and property signage.

TOTAL: $2,384,700.00