By Jeff Senterman, Board Member
From left: Catskill Center Executive Director Jeff Senterman, DEC Senior Supervising Forester for Region 3 Jeff Rider, Trail Conference Catskills Program Coordinator Doug Senterman, and DEC Forest Preserve Forester for Region 3 Ian Dunn help open the new trail at the Catskill Interpretive Center. (Photo credit: Rosalind Dickinson)
Good things sometimes do take time, and that was the case as we celebrated the opening of a new 0.5-mile nature trail at the Maurice D. Hinchey Catskill Interpretive Center (CIC) this National Trails Day. The trail began taking shape more than three years ago with Trail Conference, Catskill Center, and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) staff helping lay out and design the trail over what could be graciously described as difficult terrain.
The construction of the trail went into overdrive this spring with Trail Conference staff, Conservation Corps members, and volunteers doing the majority of the construction in the last few months. Trail Conference Catskill Program Coordinator Doug Senterman deserves much of the credit for shepherding the project to completion and for creating some awe-inspiring wooden staircases along the route.
It was with all this history and goodwill that we met at the start of this new trail on Saturday, June 4, and celebrated the newest Catskill trail—this time, one that will greet thousands of visitors to the Catskill Park each year as they stop at the Catskill Interpretive Center for information and direction on their Catskill adventures.
I was proud to be there as the Executive Director of the Catskill Center a board member of the American Hiking Society, and a board member of the Trail Conference. The Catskill Center manages and operates the Catskill Interpretive Center in partnership with the DEC, and through the help of our operating partners like the Trail Conference. The American Hiking Society created National Trails Day, and it was a treat to represent them at what is becoming an annual Catskill occurrence—a new trail, thanks to the hard work of Trail Conference staff, volunteers, and partners!
Many thanks to all who made this possible. I hope you’ll stop in and visit the CIC and take a walk on another amazing new Catskills trail!
