Also Inside (printed version only)
- President's Notepad "Reading the Trail"
A Deal is Struck!
More Land protected in Sterling Forest
The second round of negotiations with Sterling
Forest LLC has come to a close. New York State Governor George Pataki
announced that 1,350 acres will be added to Sterling Forest State
Park; 1,100 acres will be purchased and another 250 acres will have a
conservation easement placed on them. On February 7 at a press
conference in the Bear Mountain Inn, Governor Pataki said the latest
purchase from the Corporation will cost $8 million; the Governor has
committed $4 million from New York State toward this latest
acquisition. Governor Whitman has committed $1 million, and the
balance is being sought from the Federal government and private
sources. Additionally, it was announced that 650 acres were bought
from New York University and 200 acres from Mr. B. Sears Hunter, a
private landowner near Greenwood Lake.
In making the announcement about these new
acquisitions to Sterling Forest State Park, now the largest park in
New York at 19,000 acres, Governor Pataki stated, "this latest
acquisition is for the children of the 21st century." The
Governor spoke before representatives from the Public/Private
Partnership and a class of elementary students from nearby Fort
Montgomery School. Ralph Odell, Director of New York State Natural
Resource Protection, noted "the second most exciting thing today
is having these children here to witness this history that will so
affect their generation." Bernadette Castro, Commissioner of
State Parks, Recreation and Historical Preservation, compared Governor
Pataki's legacy in land conservation to that of President Teddy
Roosevelt.
Gary Haugland, President of the Trail Conference,
stated "all these nearly 2,200 acres make a wonderful addition to
this wildlands within our metropolitan area, but our work is not done
until we have protected the remaining acreage. Executive Director Jan
Hesbon, who is also President of Sterling Forest Partnership, also
expressed his elation and noted, "We want to continue the
negotiation until we save the entire heart of Sterling Forest."
In addition to thanking Governor Pataki for his
leadership, both Haugland and Hesbon are especially grateful to JoAnn
and Paul Dolan, saying, "this acquisition today is a continuation
of the Dolans' dream and a testament to the wisdom of their vision
more than 15 years ago."
The New York-New Jersey Trail Conference has been at work on its
first map of Sterling Forest, and with these latest parcels now
confirmed, the map is projected to be completed for sale in spring of
this year.
See also: Phase II of Sterling Forest
Baier Foundation Gift Assures Continuance of Long Path
and Highlands Trail Project
The Marie Baier Foundation has recently made a
third gift - of $40,000-to the Trail Conference. Each of these
gifts has been designated for trail lands protection in the
Appalachian Countryside, for our Long Path and Highlands Project. One
of JoAnn Dolan's last duties as Executive Director was to formally
thank the Foundation. JoAnn wrote,
"We are so grateful to begin this landmark
year with funding to support our most critical projects. After years
of negotiations on parcels for the Long Path North, we see 2000 as the
time to complete a complex land protection of trail stretch involving
14 parcels. We will be better equipped to address trail issues in New
Jersey and work effectively with our state agency partners in
protecting a trail and greenway corridor with the Baier funds used to
match other gifts. Additionally, we are working with land trusts to
protect critical viewshed lands for the Appalachian Trail. The year
2000 is a symbolic turning point for where we are headed in the next
century for future generations."
Thanks to the Baier Foundation's previous gifts,
the expansion of the Long Path and the Highlands Trail has continued.
John Myers, Trail Lands Consultant for the Trail Conference, stated,
"it has been a slow year for acquisitions, but a significant one
for laying the ground for acquisitions to be completed in the next few
years." This year, John has succeeded in re-opening a ten-mile
section north of the Catskills with the last option being completed on
Ginseng Ridge. New York State will buy six of the properties within a
few years and five more within five years. On nearby Huntersfield
Ridge, John is involved in negotiations with five other landowners for
acquisition to re-open a closed section of the Long Path. The Trail
Conference contributed $1,000 toward purchasing another parcel for a
parking area in the Catskills near Shandaken. Further south on
Schunemunk Mountain, John is talking to property owners to protect the
Highlands Trail there.
"We are fortunate to have the expertise of
John Myers at the Trail Conference," commented Trail Conference
Board President Gary Haugland. "Along with Bob Augello, our
attorney for land acquisition and conservation in New York State, John
has an excellent track record in protecting open spaces for the hiking
community. As important is the funding from the Marie Baier Foundation
that makes it all possible."
Along the Highlands Trail in New Jersey, John has
nearly closed a 10-mile gap between Mahlon Dickerson and Allamuchy
Mountain State Park. Permissions have been gained from a quarry owner
and the Lake Lackawanna Association. With John's assistance,
Bethlehem Township has included the Highlands Trail in its open space
plan, and Hunterdon and Warren Counties are pursuing open space
acquisitions for the near future.
Trail Conference Executive Director, Jan Hesbon,
observed, "Land acquisition is a slow process. Much of these
trail systems are built on and around individual landowners, and each
negotiation is a time-consuming process. With my experience in land
protection through The Nature Conservancy, I learned that each person's
attachment to land is an emotional bond in addition to an economic
one, and parting with sentiment is often more painful than parting
with money. I am impressed with how many different negotiations and
acquisitions John Myers is able to juggle."
In the next issue of the Trail Walker, we will continue describing
how the grant from the Marie Baier Foundation is supporting our
initiatives in New Jersey since the appointment of our NJ Field
Representative Larry Wheelock.
Digital Mapping Is Here
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The TC's first digitally produced trail map-of
Sterling Forest-is on the way. For our next digital mapping
projects, we need volunteers for both digital cartography, which
requires a high-end PC, and for GPS measuring on weekdays.
Full
article
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Book Review
Exploring the Appalachian Trail: Hikes in the
Mid-Atlantic States, by Glenn Scherer and Don Hopey. Stackpole
Books, 1998. 372 pages, $19.95. ISBN 0811726665
The Next Generation Challenge: "Green Bond"
the Children in Your Life
Grown-ups, are you taking the children in your life-of
whatever age-hiking? It's a priceless way to experience the world
of open spaces, and share an intimate time together. Start the new
millennium on the "right foot" by deciding to take the
children you know hiking.
You can hike together by yourselves, or, in the New
York/New Jersey metropolitan area, take advantage of the many
opportunities for guided hike programs, combining hiking with
learning, at parks and nature centers. Below is a beginning list of
ideas for you to implement the Green Bonding challenge in YOUR life.
Editor's note: There are more events and programs than
shown below. Call each park for more details, because the Trail Walker's
deadlines are much earlier than the parks' schedules are available.
Sterling Forest State Park � Free, guided "Hikes of the
Month"
Saturdays, March 18 and April 15
Head off to Mombasha High Point on March 18 with staff of Sterling
Forest State Park. This hike is a moderate, 2 mile round trip which
includes a 400 foot climb. Then, on April 15, come out for a journey
on the Indian Hill Loop Trail. This hike is 3 miles long with a total
elevation gain of 750 feet. It is rated difficult because of the
uneven terrain and sometimes rocky trails.
As always, there will be stops along the way to enjoy the view and
discuss the natural and historical features of the landscape.
The "Hike of the Month" is free but registration is
required. All participants should meet at the Sterling Forest State
Park Information Center on Route 17, just south of Route 17A, in
Tuxedo, New York, at 11AM. To register, or for more information call
914-351-5907.
Sterling Forest State Park also has a Family Nature Series, which
usually includes hands-on activities and an easy hike.
New Jersey Palisades section of the Palisades Interstate Park
� History hikes and/or treks-from easy to difficult. For a
full listing of all PIP-NJ events, call the Park at 201-768-0379 or
visit its web site at http://www.njpalisades.org/.
Saturday, April 1
April Fool's Hike. Moderate hike, from 10 AM to 2 PM. Meet at
Blackledge-Kearny House at Alpine Boar Basin. $4. parking per car.
Free admission.
Sunday, April 30
Pickletown. Moderate hike, from 11 AM to 2 PM. Meet at north
parking lot, beyond Englewood Boat Basin. $4. parking per car. Free
admission.
Minnewaska State Park Preserve
Saturday, March 18 Nature Hike: Spring Equinox Exploration.
Moderate, starts at 1 PM.
Saturday, April 1 Nature Hike: Rainbow Falls. Moderate, 10 AM to 3
PM.
Saturday, April 8 Nature Hike: Gertrude's Nose. Strenuous. $5
parking per car.
Saturday, April 22 Family Hike: Earth Day Meander. Easy, 10 AM to
12 noon. $5 parking per car.
All Minnewaska programs are free, but require advance registration.
Call 914-255-2011 for details and to register.
A calendar of events in Harriman-Bear Mountain, Sterling Forest
State Park, Minnewaska State Park Preserve, and the Trailside Museum
and Nature Center is available. Send a self-addressed, stamped
envelope to: Special Events, c/o Palisades Interstate Park Commission,
Bear Mountain, NY 10911.
$9.35M infusion for NJ open land preservation
In December 1999, the Doris Duke Charitable
Foundation announced that it will provide nearly $10 million in grants
for open-space preservation in New Jersey over the next four years.
The New York-based foundation will give the bulk of
the grants - $8.4 million - to The Nature Conservancy and the Trust
for Public Land to buy land or conservation easements in the
Highlands, Pine Barrens, and Barnegat Bay regions, with the goal of
preserving at least 10,000 acres in Bergen, Passaic, Morris, Sussex,
Warren, Ocean, and Burlington counties.
Maureen Ogden, chair of the Garden State
Preservation Trust, hailed this news as a vital infusion of funds to
augment the $1.5 billion Green Acres bonding plan approved by voters
last year - all of which focuses on achieving Governor Whitman's
goal of preserving 1 million acres of forests, wetlands and farmlands
over the next decade.
The two recipient groups seek parcels that form
greenways, protect watersheds, and add to existing parklands and farms
with conservation easements.
The Trust for Public Land, a San Francisco-based
non-profit organization with regional offices in Morristown and New
York has helped to purchase about 11,000 acres in New Jersey in the
past two decades, including 3,400 acres that are now part of Bergen
County's Ramapo Mountain Reservation. The Nature Conservancy, based
in Arlington, Va., has a regional office in Chester, and has helped to
preserve more than 42,000 acres in New Jersey since 1955, including
High Mountain in Wayne.
Before Duke's death in 1993 at age 80, the tobacco heiress
maintained an estate in Hillsborough, Somerset County. Her will left
about $1.5 billion to create charities to advance her interests in the
arts, environmental protection, and medical research. In 1997, The
Duke Foundation contributed $5 million to the public-private
partnership that purchased Sterling Forest. In 1991 Duke donated 1,000
acres to The Nature Conservancy to preserve a rare boreal forest-usually
found near the arctic-called Mashipacong Bogs in Sussex County.
Health Hints for Hikers
The Tricky Ticks
A recent issue of the New England Journal of
Medicine reported a case of a young girl who experienced a flaccid
paralysis. In one day she was unable to walk and her condition
worsened requiring supplemental oxygen. A tentative diagnosis of
Guillain-Barre syndrome, which can be life-threatening, was made.
As astute pediatrician who was aware that tick
paralysis can be mistaken for Guillain-Barre syndrome, looked for a
tick. Using a fine-tooth comb, he found a 15 mm engorged tick on the
scalp which he removed with tweezers. The tick was identified as
Dermacentor Variabilis (a common dog tick) which is associated with
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Recovery was as rapid as the onset. In
one day the patient's paralysis disappeared.
There are about 60 different ticks that can cause
this paralysis but in the United States only the dog tick and the wood
tick are causes. The paralysis is caused by a neurotoxin secreted by
the tick. It is a rare disease usually seen in children up to 12 years
of age. Although all the literature deals with children, adults who
weigh around 100-pounds can also be susceptible. The reason is that
the larger the body mass, the less chance for getting the disease.
If you happen to develop a flaccid paralysis in 24 hours and are
diagnosed as having Guillain-Barre syndrome, ask your doctor to
examine your scalp with a fine-tooth comb and tweezers. It may save
you thousands of dollars in medical bills.
New Trails and Relocations in the East Hudson Highlands
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