By DREW KERR, PostStar.com, link to original post

Cross-county skiers at the Saratoga Spa State Park in Saratoga Springs will have a little less room to roam this winter.

Parks officials said this week that cross-country skiing trails that traditionally ran over the Spa Golf Course were fenced in and re-routed around fairways so that the fragile turf underneath would no longer be damaged by snow compacted by heavy ski traffic.

Skiers and snowshoers have had relative freedom on the golf course in previous seasons, but officials said repairing the damage had become a perennial problem they now want to avoid. “It kills the grass, just kills it, and there’s no way to get it back,” said Alane Ball Chinian, a regional director for the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation who works out of Saratoga Springs.

Signs detailing a new 3.7-mile winter trail route and showing pictures of damage done to the turf in past winters have been installed to announce the rules change to park patrons. The decision to keep some parts of the state park off limits comes as officials continue to invest in upgrades at the 9- and 18-hole golf courses within the park.

Skiing and snowshoeing still remains largely open in other areas of the park, where there are a total of around 12 miles of trails. The situation at the state park is unique because it is one of the few locations in the area where skiing occurs in a golf course setting.

Josh Milton, the director of recreation for Glens Falls, said cross-country trails that run through Cole’s Woods at Crandall Park don’t leave any trace after the snow melts and the ground thaws. “We don’t have any problems at all because all of our trails are in the woods where it’s nothing but dirt anyway,” he said.

By Philip Anselmo, Canandaigua Daily Messenger, link to original post

Town residents could start hiking up to a new park on County Road 32 as soon as next summer.
The town made a purchase offer of $125,000 to acquire a portion of the John Miller Farm along County Road 32 and Route 21. The land encompasses 23 acres that would be accessible via a parking area at the corner of Route 21 and Bliss Road, which would connect to a trail that would lead up to the site’s high point, where the town hopes to erect a gazebo.

“It’s what we call a passive recreation area,” said interim town Supervisor Jim Fralick. “It’s a place for people to walk up to, to hike to. … Eventually, we will put up a picnic table. It’s low impact, low maintenance.”

The site’s claim to fame is its view. “It overlooks the whole city,” said land owner John Miller. “It’s probably the largest view of the whole city anywhere in Canandaigua. On a clear day, you can see all the way to Lake Ontario and downtown Rochester.”

What’s more, he said, you can walk up to the top of the site from the city line in under 20 minutes. “It will be worth the walk or the jog up there, just for the view,” he said.

Fralick calls the park a “hub,” from which trails can head out in all directions — down to the lake, down to Outhouse Park, into the city.

There’s only one Miller who is still actively farming in the town, he said. That’s down from six to eight who were in the trade in the past generation. About 20 years ago, the Miller families were still farming land inside the city limits, he said. “There aren’t as many farmers as there used to be,” he said.

He figures preserving the land his family farmed for generations would be the best way to ensure their remembrance. “Maybe the Miller name can live on in that way,” he said.

During a time of state budget shortfalls, NESTLÉ® JUICY JUICE® swings into action with a $350,000 commitment to build playgrounds across the state. With park visits and playground usage on the rise during this down economy, public-private partnerships provide a means to add new services without tapping state budgets.

A new play area for children will take center stage at East River State Park, a seven-acre waterfront park located along the East River in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn. The play area provides a much-needed community gathering spot for families and young children, and combines unbeatable views of the Manhattan skyline and open green space for recreation and relaxation. Now more families in Brooklyn and statewide have access to new, interactive play areas in seven New York state parks.

Children will have a chance to climb, swing and slide on playgrounds at the beach, in urban and suburban neighborhoods as well as at more remote natural settings. New playgrounds were installed at Jones Beach and Robert Moses on Long Island, East River, Saratoga Spa, Green Lakes near Syracuse, and Letchworth State Parks. Another Juicy Juice play area is also being installed at Wellesley Island State Park in the Thousand Islands

The public-private partnership between Nestlé Juicy Juice and the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation was facilitated by Government Solutions Group, a unique marketing company that develops cause-related marketing partnerships between corporations and state park government agencies to help reduce costs, increase revenue, and improve consumer relations.

Click here to read the details & watch a video: Goats Recruited To Rid Long Island Parks of Vines