Year in Review
CPF made substantial progress in addressing the mission of the organization and meeting strategic plan goals in 2021 and early 2022.
National Trails Day
Each year, on the first Saturday in June, CPF celebrates National Trails Day. This year’s event will take place at the Gorge Trail Gateway, CPF’s Signature Project Site at Buyea’s Hardware Store Parking Lot entrance to the Gorge Trail. The Gorge Trail Gateway will be an important Albany Street access to the Gorge Trail providing the public with a beautiful place to enjoy the sights and sounds of Chittenango Creek right in the center of the village. The project will also improve pedestrian safety, trailside amenities and erosion control.
The Bobolink
Bobolinks, members of the blackbird family, winter in South America and migrate to the northeastern U.S., upper Midwest and southern Canada in Spring to breed in open fields. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation notes in their 2014 Species Status Assessment for bobolinks that the birds tend to prefer older hay fields with a mix of grasses and wider-leafed plants such as red clover or dandelion. When not breeding, the males look much like the females with yellow-brown feathers, but the male bobolink in breeding plumage, shown here, is hard to miss.
2022 Grant Awards
On April 18, 2022, CPF was awarded two New York State Conservation Partnership Program (NYSCPP) Grants from the New York State Environmental Protection Fund (EPF). The NYSCPP is administered by the Land Trust Alliance in coordination with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC). The first is a Transaction Grant for improvements to the recently-acquired “Burlingame Trails Northwest Gateway” property on Rt. 20 West, including a driveway and parking area for maintenance, emergency, and public access; drainage and surface repairs, an informational kiosk, signage and markers; and a gate to prevent unauthorized traffic from proceeding onto the trail. The second is a Capacity Grant for a stewardship manager and staff to prepare the renewal package for the Land Trust Accreditation. Land trusts must reapply for accreditation every five years.