For all those interested in trails advancement in our region- the next round of public input and meetings for the Genesee-Finger Lakes Regional Trails Initiative is here!

Since the fall of last year, folks have been working hard on the Regional Trails Initiative Plan Update, and Livingston County has participated actively with input coming from municipalities, trail groups or organizations, and trail users.  The next opportunity for public input is this weekend and early next week.  See the attached flyer for details.  The main goals at this time are to obtain public comments, determine how to refine the recommended network, and set priorities for implementation.   I anticipate being in attendance at the Public Open House in Batavia.  I look forward to seeing you there!

Pubic Open Houses:
Saturday, April 11, 2015, 9 am- 1 pm.  Rochester- City of Rochester Public Market.
Monday, April 13, 2015.  6 pm – 8 pm.   Batavia – Genesee County Building No. 2
Tuesday, April 14, 2015.  5 pm – 7 pm.  Geneva – The Ramada.

If you would like to review and comment on the network now – please do!  Check the website and wiki map – and please pass the links along to your fellow citizens.  I have also included a copy of the RTI map, in pdf format, zoomed into Livingston County.  The full Region map can be viewed at the website link.

The Livingston County Planning Department is also participating on the Regional Trails Initiative Steering Committee.  The next Steering Committee meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, April 15, 2015.  If you have any questions or have input that you would like to provide, please feel free to contact me before this meeting so I can share your input.   Please feel free to distribute this email and attached resources.  We would like to hear from all who are interested.

Come celebrate with Letchworth State Park on Sunday May 3rd from 1 to 4 pm, to honor all the park’s patrons and supporters for voting to help the park win a recent national poll as the #1 State Park in the USA.

Stop at the Glen Iris Inn under the tent for a special sweet treat, raffles for Whitewater Rafting with Adventure Calls and a raffle by Balloons over Letchworth.  Posters, bookmarks and other trinkets will be handed out by The Friends of Letchworth State Park.  Be part of a group photo at 2:30pm and enjoy a special guided hike touring the Glen Iris Grounds at 3:00pm.  Stop by the Park’s Visitor Center for a chance to win a 2 night stay at Letchworth State Park’s Conference Center and get a free bottle of water in the Visitor Center Gift shop courtesy of park concessionaire “The Basics”.

There is no entrance fee on May 3rd.  Handouts are available while supplies last.

Join the Nature Conservancy on a very challenging 2-mile hike as they descend from one of the highest elevations in Hemlock Lake watershed to the eastern shore of Hemlock Lake. Hikers will get a sneak peek of the Conservancy’s upcoming newest trail system, learn about the history and ecology of the Finger Lakes Region and marvel at the local fall splendor.

Please note: This will be a very challenging hike, traveling over very steep terrain, with little to no maintained trail.

Meet at Rob’s Trail Parking

Please register if you are available.

Saturday, April 23, 2016 at 10:00AM , this will be a short hike, with lots of history about the CCC Camp at Big Bend in Letchworth State Park.  The announcement, states: 3 hour, moderate walking 1/2mile, bring a lunch.  At 10:00AM, the “meet locale” is at Parade Grounds parking lot, and then there will be a carpool to the event site (the Big Bend CCC Camp).

This event  is offered thru the Letchworth State Park hike and activity series.  A very active series that holds numerous hikes and other activities year round, mostly in Letchworth State Park and on the Genesee Valley Greenway State Park (aka GVG -or- GVGSP).  These events are published in The Genesee Naturalist published quarterly.

This event is led by Historian and author Tom Cook, author of a book about the Letchworth Park CCC Camps, and author of other books as well.

Also of note, Tom Cook will be presenting the Avon Preservation and Historical Society (APHS) program about the Genesee Valley Canal (GVC) during which he will particularly highlight the challenging area of canal construction in and surrounding present day Letchworth State Park.  This APHS program is scheduled at 2:00PM on Sunday April 24th, 2016 at the Avon Opera Block second floor meeting room (handicap accessible) located at 23 Genesee St in the Village of Avon (off the west/southwest side of the traffic circle in the Village of Avon that Routes 5&20 navigate through.

Following this presentation, Springwater Trails will be holding a hike (hike meet at ~3:15PM or so) on the former GVC corridor (now the Genesee Valley Greenway State Park aka GVGSP -or- GVG).  This Springwater Trails hike will be on the GVG (spanning miles 12-17 of the GVG) in town of Caledonia which is just across the Genesee River from Avon.  Various length hike groups are planned for on this hike, the shortest of which is suitable for mobility limited hikers (inclusive of wheelchair hikers).

Please join us for the historic opening of Rob’s Trail—Hemlock Lake

Rob’s Trail links Hemlock and Canadice Lakes, the last two undeveloped Finger Lakes

9:30 AM Refreshments available
10:00 AM—Dedication & Ribbon Cutting
10:30 AM—Inaugural Hikes

Parking available at intersection of South Old Bald Hill Road and Rt-15A

Please RSVP or call 585-546-8030 ext. 7927

PLEASE DONATE! Your donation will support trail development work! Visit nature.org/cwny

Katherine J. T. Humphrey will present a discussion on what is new or current in home food preservation – like increased interest in fermentation, using less energy, using what is available locally and seasonally, deciding on what method of preservation would be best for a single person or for a household of many people, where to begin if a novice or an experienced home preserver, and the place to go for research based answers to questions, especially when it comes to safety and quality considerations.

Katherine was a full time Cornell Cooperative Extension Educator 1969-1991, and a CCE Livingston County Home Economics Program Leader. She has been a CCE Home Food Preservation Instructor since 1989.