FOGVG - About the Friends of the Genesee Valley Greenway


		1999 Annual Report Promotion and Public Outreach Print Media The Genesee Valley Greenway was in the news monthly as a result of meetings, outings, National Trails Day events, projects undertaken by youth, and changes in the trail status. Articles appeared in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle - Region, Our Towns, and Outdoors sections, including a front page story and major Our Towns articles on trail partnerships; Lake and Valley Clarion; Mendon-Honeoye Falls -Lima Sentinel; Livingston County News; Mt. Morris Shopper; Brighton-Pittsford Post; Suburban News; Gates-Chili News; Well sville Daily Reporter, Cuba Patriot, Buffalo News, Lake Effect magazine; Conse rvationist; New York Forest Owner; New York Parks and Conservation Association Greenways and Rail Trails Connection; Watershed, the newsletter for the watersheds of the Genesee River and the Rochester Embayment; The Catalyst, newsletter of Elf Atochem; and Rural Futures, produced by the Legislative Commission on Rural Resources. The Genesee Valley Greenway was also described in the book, Take Your Bike! Family Rides in the Finger Lakes & Genesee Valley Region and Take a Hike! Family Walks in the Finger Lakes & Genesee Valley Region, published in 1999 by Rich and Sue Freeman. The Greenway was mentioned in the 1999 Livingston County Tourism Guide and the Livingston County Tobacco Control Coalition's Tobacco Free Living Calendar. Radio and Television The Greenway visit of Executive Director of the Dry Stone Masonry Conservancy, Richard Tufnell, was developed as a program segment on WXXI radio. A longer version of the series of interviews with Tufnell and other project partners was sent to the Associated Press wire. WXXI television filmed a half-hour segment of the locally produced program, Speaking of Rochester with Barber Conable, which will be aired in early 2000. Web Site The Friends maintained a web site that includes maps of the trail, information on the organization, the history of the corridor and the Friends, a description of the trail and nearby attractions, back issues of the newsletter, and a schedule of events. Retail Outlets Schedules of events, newsletters, and membership brochures were delivered to local bicycle shops. Talks A number of groups expressed interest in learning more about the Greenway. Slide talks were provided for the Rochester Bicycling Club, Nunda Rotary, Nordic Ski Club, Burroughs Audubon Society, SUNY Geneseo Students to Promote a Clean Environment, Geneseo Boy Scouts, Belfast Community Improvement Society, Hyatt Regency Hotel Rochester staff, and the SUNY Geneseo Two Dimensional Design Class. A slide talk was also given at the Rails to Trails Second International Conference in Pittsburgh and a meeting of local legislators convened to learn more about the Greenway and the TEA-21 funding application. Representation with Other Groups The Friends of the Genesee Valley Greenway were represented on the Scottsville Citizens Advisory Committee considering Route 251 Bridge replacement; the District Committee, Iroquois Trail Council, Letchworth District Boy Scouts; the New York State Trails and Greenways Roundtable; the Genesee Transportation Council Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee; and the Genesee Riverway Trail Signage Committee. The Friends also joined 23 other New York-based environmental organizations as an affiliate member of Earth Share of New York and will become a donor option as part of Earth Share's New York State work place giving program. Information Tables The Friends staffed informational tables at several events including the Monroe County Soil and Water Conservation District Zoo Environmental Fair, the Portage Grizzly Fest, the ADK Spring Festival at Mendon Ponds Park, and the Caneadea Indian Summer Fest. A display of photos and other information was set up at the Mt. Morris Dam Visitors Center during the months of July and August. Plans are to develop a permanent Greenway display at the Visitors Center in conjunction with the Finger Lakes Trail Conference. Informational Meetings A Greenway informational meeting was held in October for Tuscarora adjacent landowners and interested persons. Response to Public Inquiries The public called, wrote, emailed, and visited the Greenway office seeking information regarding the Genesee Valley Greenway. Maps were the most frequently requested item. Persons also inquired about specific concerns relating to use of the trail. Government officials contacted the Greenway office with questions about the trail's impact on their constituents. Approximately 200 requests for information were received during 1999. Publications The Friends quarterly newsletter,Greenway News, was mailed to members, key individuals or groups, elected officials, and adjacent landowners in Monroe, Livingston, and Allegany counties, representing a distribution of approximately 900. Additional copies of the newsletter were distributed to persons seeking information about the Greenway and at information tables and slide talks. Trail Development and Maintenance Local Committee Organization The Cuba-New Hudson local committee was formed to serve the area between Route 305 in the town of Belfast and the Village of Cuba. The committee met monthly, held several trail clean up sessions, and a National Trails Day hike and picnic. Trail Adopters Seven new trail adopters were added, using the Adopt-a-Trail policy. Trail Maintenance Volunteers spent thousands of hours clearing vegetation from the trail and historic structures, mowing, picking up trash, fabricating and painting gates, meeting to discuss trail planning and management, conducting a detailed inventory of the condition of canal and railroad era culverts, and organizing events.Specific volunteer efforts included: Special Projects Genesee Valley BOCES Career Exploration Class of 25 students - 5 students, 2 adults, 3 hours, 4 days/week, for 4 weeks -336 hours, trail clearing, gate painting, and weeding in the Village of Mt. Morris York Central School Class 2004 - 6 youths, 2 adults, 16 hours, sanding and painting gates Letchworth District Boy Scouts - 150 persons, 5 hours - 750 hours, clearing vegetation from Locks 38, 39, 40, and 41, picking up trash, painting gates, and building steps and a path to the locks. Genesee Valley BOCES Metal Trades Class - 40 students, one full year of class time - 200 hours, welding, grinding, and panting gates Allegany County Public Works Department 147 hours ($5000 value - labor, equipment and materials Bill Wisniewski 100 hours, map production and meetings. SUNY Geneseo Two Dimensional Design Class 20 students, one professor, 7 weeks, 4 hours per week - 588 hours designing and executing promotional posters FOGVG Area Committees Nunda-Portage Committee 145 hours, meetings, trail mowings, event organization, and trail clearings. Northern Committee 200 hours, meetings and trail clearings. Mt. Morris Committee 100 hours, meetings and trail clearings. Caledonia-York-Leicester Committee 15 hours, meetings Cuba-New Hudson Committee 650 hours, meetings, trail clearings, and events. Trail Adopters Pat and Jim Tindale 125 hours DeHority Family 6 hours National Association of Women in Construction 34 hours Hill and Gully Riders Snowmobile Club 18 hours BSA Troop #86 East Avon 88 hours BSA Troop #76 York 223 hours BSA Troop #33 Warsaw BSA Troop #53 Silver Springs Little Beard Club Triple Creek Golf Course, Scott Marsh 15 hours York Environmental Awareness Society 23.5 hours Seneca Foods 30 hours Genesee Valley Hiking Club Hillside Children's Center Livingston County Community Services Program 160 hours Elf Atochem 8 hours Canalside Bike Shop Finger Lakes Developmental Disabilities Services Office 162 hours Black Creek Machinery 72 hours Ron and Mary Abraham 60 hours Clint Case 10 hours Letchworth Trail Associates Margaret and Ken Reek 15.5 hours Trail Planning and Development The Friends worked in conjunction with project partners, DEC, and OPRHP, and the New York State Department of Transportation on a number of documents, policies and initiatives needed to design, plan, and operate the Greenway including: TEA-21 application for DOT Regions 4 and 6 Revisions to the Adopt a Trail Policy Unit Management Plan (UMP) document text Trail Maintenance Training Letters to and meetings with historians and others seeking canal and railroad history information for the history section of the UMP and recommendations for interpretive signage text and location Letters to emergency officials informing of trail location and procedure for dealing with locked gates ADA Policy for the trail Frequently Asked Questions Information Sheets - Additional questions relating to the land acquisition Database of Stakeholders - review of names and search for additional persons, especially adjacent landowners, omitted or changed since last creation of the database Projects for Eagle Scout candidates Canal and Railroad Culvert Inventory Visit of Richard Tufnell, Executive Director of the Dry Stone Masonry Conservancy, to provide advice on repair and stabilization of canal era locks and culverts Meetings with adjacent property owners and town officials Discussions with DOT regarding intersecting road projects and opportunities for mutual benefit, including the proposed Mt. Morris Genesee River bicycle pedestrian bridge Preparation of small, medium, and large scale maps of the entire corridor to be distributed to trail users and serve as a basis for the UMP. In addition, board members donated more than 300 hours to board meetings, special events, and special meetings. Public Recreation The number of persons using the Genesee Valley Greenway for hiking, biking, cross country skiing, and snowmobiling increased significantly during 1999 as more sections of trail became available to the public. No information is available on average number of users per day, but informal observations support the statement that usage is possibly twice that of 1998. Outings Organized activities focused on the variety of recreational pursuits possible on the Greenway and afforded persons unfamiliar with the resource an opportunity for a guided initial experience. During the winter, the Genesee Valley Hiking Club hosted cross country ski or hike outings on five separate weekends with the intent of covering most of the Greenway open to the public in Monroe and Livingston counties. Most of these outings began or ended with a visit to a local restaurant. The Rochester Bicycling Club also organized a ride on the Greenway and the local snowmobile clubs organized an event. Letchworth State Park staff hosted a number of bike trips on the Greenway section in the park. The outdoor adventure company, Pack Paddle Ski Corporation also organized a long distance Greenway hike. They contributed part of the proceeds to the Friends. Events 1999 marked the Friends’ eighth celebration of June National Trails Day and the third official celebration of February Winter National Trails Day. The winter event was relatively snowless but warmer than recent years and afforded persons the opportunity to engage in hiking, biking and even some skiing on the trail in the Nunda-Portage area. The June celebration was highlighted by several weekends of events including a trail work session and pot luck lunch in Chili, a hike and picnic in Cuba, a work session in Nunda, and the first-ever organized horseback riding event attended by 42 persons. Education The Friends fulfilled their commitment to education through involvement with a variety of student groups, public slide talks, publicity of the project, and guided history walks. In addition, in April, Richard Tufnell, Executive Director of the Dry Stone Masonry Conservancy, presented a public, slide illustrated lecture on examples of the use of dry stone masonry throughout the world. Tufnell also spent the day with project personnel reviewing the condition of culverts and locks along the Greenway and making recommendation regarding their stabilization and preservation. In November, the Friends hosted a presentation by Rich and Sue Freeman detailing in slides and music their 2000 mile, six month trek along the entire length of the Appalachian Trail. More than sixty persons attended this event, held in conjunction with the Friends annual meeting. 1/3/00 Questions about the FOGVG or the Trail? Email: Fran Gotcsik, Executive Director - fogvg@aol.com Trouble or questions about this website? Email: Brian Managan - fogvg@netacc.net The FOGVG gratefully acknowledges NetAccess, New York State's premiere Internet Service Provider, for hosting for this website. See You on the Trail!