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NY-NJ Trail Conference's East Hudson Community Trails Program Will Build Trails Close to Home
The New York-New Jersey Trail Conference's new East Hudson Community Trails Program will be inaugurated this year, thanks to a $100,000 challenge grant from Dr. Lucy R. Waletzky and a match in the amount of $30,000 by the Westchester Community Foundation. The trail initiative is designed to expand the Trail Conference's capacity to provide assistance to local trail programs in Putnam and Westchester Counties.
The Trail Conference plans to hire an East of Hudson Field Coordinator early in 2008. The field coordinator, with support from existing professional staff, will tailor and deliver a range of trails-related services in Putnam and Westchester Counties according to local needs.
Trail Conference Executive Director Edward Goodell notes that the Community Trails Program builds on the Trail Conference's nearly 90 years of experience in working primarily in regional park systems, such as Bear Mountain and Harriman State Parks, and on long-distance footpaths such as the Appalachian Trail and Long Path. "In recent years we've seen an increase in requests for our services from local municipalities and non-profit land owners," he notes. "With the explosion of development in our region, open space preservation has become a priority for many. Since well designed and constructed foot trails are the most economical and environmentally sensitive ways to provide public access to open space," he says, "many agencies have contacted the Trail Conference for advice and help. This generous support from Dr. Waletzky and the Westchester Community Foundation will enable us to develop the capacity to respond to more of these requests and to make it possible for more people to get out and connect with nature close to home."
Dr. Lucy Waletzky chairs the New York State Council of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and the Taconic Regional Commission. She is a long-time member of the NYNJ Trail Conference. The Westchester Community Foundation (WCF) is a non-profit community endowment for the benefit of Westchester County. Its mission is to develop and manage philanthropic resources, and to distribute them in a way that is responsive to donor interests and community needs. The Foundation actively promotes charitable giving on behalf of the area's non-profit organizations. WCF is a division of The New York Community Trust, the largest community foundation in the country with assets of approximately $2 billion.
The New York-New Jersey Trail Conference builds, maintains, and protects hiking trails in the NY-NJ Metro region and educates the public about their responsible use. It is a coalition of 100 clubs and 10,000 individuals that supports and tends a network of 1,700 miles of trails, primarily through volunteer effort.
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