Purpose
The New York State Trails Council (NYSTC) was established in October 1981 to ensure citizen participation in trail planning and
management. The NYSTC was made the formal Citizen Advisory Council for administration of the National Recreational Trail Act.
The Citizen Advisory Council was organized to:
- advocate trail interests to all levels of government and to the public;
- provide a reliable source of information on trail based recreation;
- coordinate efforts to develop, construct and maintain recreational trails;
- foster trail user ethics; and
- provide a forum for mediating differences among trail-user groups
The Trails Council currently consists of delegates representing eleven trail activities, including all-terrain vehicles, bicycling,
four-wheel drive vehicles, hiking, equine trail interests, nordic skiing (cross-country), running, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, trail-bike
riding (motorized), and water trails. The representatives for each of these user groups are trail users who do not represent
commercial interests.
The Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, the Department of Environmental Conservation, the Canal
Corporation, the Department of Transportation, The Hudson River Greenway, the New York State Senate and Assembly, the Federal
Highway Administration, the National Park Service, Parks and Trails New York and the Tourism Advocate also have representatives
to the Council. These representatives do not have voting privileges but serve as advisors by participating in discussions and raising
issues for the Council to consider. The Trails Council is provided with technical assistance and support through the Office of Parks,
Recreation and Historic Preservation and the Department of Environmental Conservation.
Delegates
- All Terrain Vehicles - Alex Ernst
- Bicycling - Ivan Vamos, Steven Samuell, Michael Vitti
- Equine Trail Interests - Sara Chevako, Carol Schmelz, Mark Wehnau
- Four-Wheel Drive - Todd Syska, Steven Alheim
- Hiking - Irene Szabo, Gary Haugland, Wes Lampman
- Nordic Skiing - Ronald F. Farra, James Underwood, Tony Goodwin
- Running - Laura Clark, Jimmy Buff
- Snowmobiling - Anne O'Dell, James P. Jennings, Robert Bryant
- Snowshoeing - Katharine Wolfe, H. Neil Zimmerman
- Trail-Bike Riding (motorized) - Len Howard
- Water Trails - Mike Prescott, Tom Casey, Dan McLaughlin
Minutes of previous meetings
Notices (next meeting dates): September 19, 2009