Andes Rail Trail recipient of PTNY Grant

Immediate ReleaseCatskill Mountain ClubJanuary  30, 2015Contact:  Ann Roberti 845-676-3643The Catskill Mountain Club and Andes Works! announce that they are the recipient of an additional grant from Parks and Trails New York for work on the Andes Rail Trail.  Grant funds were received from PTNY in December to allow the groups to purchase and install a trail registration box and three interpretive signs for the Andes Rail Trail.The registration box, built by Andes resident Fred Reckner, has already been installed on the trail and is recording the comings and goings as well as comments of users of the trail.  The information garnered from the trail registers is invaluable for planning trail maintenance, for future trail building projects and to support discussions with town governments, business leaders and communities about the benefits of these trails.“I have always wanted to have an interpretive sign near the old train turntable on the Rail Trail to show trail users how the operators of the train turned the locomotives 180 degrees using only human power and well-designed mechanisms.  It is a fascinating piece of history on the trail that people pass without even noticing” says  Ann Roberti, the CMC leader of the Rail Trail project.   “Having an interpretive sign with pictures and a description of the turntable will be a wonderful addition to the trail.”Also planned are signs focusing on additional history as well as the flora and fauna of the trail.The Andes Rail Trail has previously received grants from Parks and Trails NY which funded the construction of the kiosk and roadside sign as well as the printing of an informational brochure and map.For more information about the Andes Rail Trail, see the link in Where to Go, above.  To learn about becoming a member  of the Catskill Mountain Club, click on the Join/Renew/Donate link above.   To volunteer for our trail building/trail maintenance work, email Wendell  at catskillmountainclub.org.