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PRESS RELEASE

 

For Immediate Release:                               Contact:

Saturday, June 7, 2008                                     Paul Ertelt, (518) 449-3870

                                                                      paulertelt@adk.org   

                                                                     

Volunteers Mark National Trails Day with Catskill Projects


HAINES FALLS, NY – Nearly 100 volunteers cut encroaching brush, removed downed trees and cleaned ditches on hiking trails throughout the Catskills today.

The trail maintenance projects were organized by the Adirondack Mountain Club (ADK) to mark National Trails Day. Volunteer crews led by ADK professionals completed work on eight hiking trails on state-owned Forest Preserve land. The day’s work was followed by a barbecue at North-South Lake State Campground, near Haines Falls in Greene County. The event was sponsored in part by the ADK Mohican Chapter, the New York state Department of Environmental Conservation, Cooperstown Brewing Co. and GrandyOats.

“ADK has been involved in National Trails Day projects for 15 years, but in the past, our efforts have focused on the Adirondacks,” said Wes Lampman, ADK’s director of field programs. “This is our first National Trails Day project in the Catskills.”

ADK has been involved in National Trails Day since its inception, and has organized major NTD projects since 2001. More than 600 volunteers participated in those projects, maintaining more than 80 miles of trails, installing 40 sets of rock steps and digging more than 700 feet of ditches to drain trails.

“While we love the Adirondacks, the Catskills and its 300 miles of hiking trails are also close to the hearts of many ADK members,” said ADK Executive Director Neil Woodworth. “The Catskill trails are among the most scenic hiking trails in the nation, and they are within easy driving distance for millions of people.”

National Trails Day was created in 1993 by the American Hiking Society to celebrate trails and raise awareness about America’s 200,000 miles of recreational trails. In 2007, there were 1,100 registered National Trails Day events nationwide, including hikes, bike and horse rides, educational programs and trail maintenance projects. Click here for more information about AHS.

Hiking trails allow people to connect to the natural world, to find solitude and inspiration and to improve their physical and mental health. Trails are often taken for granted, but it takes many hours of hard work to build and maintain a single mile of trail. In the Adirondacks, Catskills and other natural areas in New York state, much of that work is done by volunteers.

“It’s a lot of work. There are many miles of trails to maintain,” Lampman said.

ADK is hoping to draw attention to the need for New York to devote more state resources to backcountry trails. The state Department of Environmental Conservation maintains 5,500 miles of recreational trails on 4.5 million acres statewide, but in 2007, DEC’s entire budget for trail maintenance was a mere $500,000. DEC officials estimate that they need about $2.75 million a year to maintain the trail system adequately.

The Adirondack Mountain Club, founded in 1922, is a nonprofit membership organization dedicated to protecting the New York State Forest Preserve and other wild lands and waters through conservation and advocacy, environmental education and responsible recreation.