GREENWAY TRAIL USERS GROUP HOLDS FIRST MEETING
BY Karen Ash
Caneadea, NY-November 28, 2007... Eighteen Genesee Valley Greenway trail enthusiasts met for the first time on November 27th at the Caneadea United Methodist Church, hosted by members of the Friends of the Genesee Valley Greenway (FOGVG).
The purpose of the gathering was to establish a local committee for the 12-mile section of trail that runs from Houghton south through Caneadea, Oramel, Belfast, and Rockville.
A local committee is a group of volunteers who enjoy trail-related recreational activities and who work together on trail-related projects of local interest. As committees are formed, they are mentored by volunteers from the FOGVG, but the committees themselves choose what they want to accomplish.
FOGVG Treasurer Joan Schumaker of Nunda narrated a slide presentation depicting the history of the transportation corridor, and outlined goals for future development. NYSDEC Senior Forester Ron Abraham of Rockville, NY, a trail adopter andFOGVG member since 1999, discussed pending infrastructure projects that will enable the opening of additional trail miles in the Houghton-to-Rockville section. He also suggested project ideas for this local committee.
Next, the group expressed individual trail-related goals. These include forming a hiking club; establishing a small park near the new bridge in Caneadea; routine trail clearing and maintenance; placing interpretive signs at key points of historical interest; and using the FOGVG website as a means to communicate with other trail users in the area. Work on these and other projects will begin in the near future.
For more information about this local committee, or to discuss establishing a similar group for another section of the Greenway, please contact Karen Ash at kash@frontiernet.net or 585-409-5918.
The Genesee Valley Greenway is being developed and maintained by a partnership involving the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation; New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation; and the Friends of the Genesee Valley Greenway. To learn more, contact the Friends at www.fogvg.org, 585-658-2569, or fogvg@frontiernet.net.