TAKE FIVE!

December 29, 2020

Amanda Langseder:
Hi, I’m Amanda Langseder and welcome to Sullivan 180 Presents Take Five!. Our guest today is Heather Jacksy. Welcome Heather, and thank you so very much for being here today. Can you please introduce yourself and your title?

Heather Jacksy:
Sure. I’m Heather Jacksy. I work for Sullivan County Planning and my title is senior planner.

Amanda Langseder:
Excellent. Can you tell us a little bit about the proposed Sullivan O & W Rail Trail Alliance?

Heather Jacksy:
Sure. For the past couple of years Sullivan County has been working very hard on a feasibility study for the Sullivan O & W Rail Trail, which could be a 50 mile plus multi-use trail that will run from Mamakating all the way up to Livingston Manor and an additional 10 miles that would go from Monticello down towards Port Jervis and with an on-road connection through the casino area. So it’s a really great asset, 25 miles of it are currently already built but they’re not contiguous. So there’s the seven mile stretch in Hurleyville and there’s a little chunk down by Mountaindale and it’d be really nice to have it be sort of a destination worthy link. So we really need a regional approach, which is why the County took the project on. But in order to facilitate the development of it and to make sure that all the towns through which it passes feel represented, we’re putting together this Alliance group and the Alliance group will help sort of coordinate which parts get developed next and have a regional approach to maintenance and marketing and events and stuff that we can have along the trail.

Amanda Langseder:
That’s great. I really do appreciate the fact that you all are pulling together. This group, I’ve taken my kids bike riding on the piece in Hurleyville, and it’s such a gift to our community to have that as a resource to get active and get moving. What can people find when they go on to trailkeeper.org? I’ve used that website, but if somebody has never gone on it before, what would they find?

Heather Jacksy:
Trailkeeper.org is all of the trails in Sullivan County for hiking. There aren’t any particular for biking, but you can bike on Walnut Mountain and on the O & W. It’s a good resource for finding out where the trails are nearby, where the trail heads are. And there’s a little bit of information on whether or not they’re an easy trail or a more difficult trail. In fact, we have a page that if you’re just starting out on your health kick, trails, that you can sort of start and they’re easier, and you can find that tab on trailkeepers.org.

Amanda Langseder:
I was going to ask you exactly that question. You answered it for somebody who’s just starting out. So some people, of course, they may want to start this right now, and we’re going into the winter months. Can people use the trails in the winter?

Heather Jacksy:
Yes, but they should be prepared with the proper footwear because trailkeeper.org tells you where the trails are but we do not maintain the trails,and a lot of the trails are just, if it snows, it snows, if it’s muddy, it’s muddy. So be prepared with the proper foot gear. Also, because we found during COVID that trails are extremely popular that maybe you want to check and see whether or not the parking lot is full. If the parking lot is too full, find another trail head to go to. We have so many great spots that you can hike in and you really want to play it safe. Especially now.

Amanda Langseder:
People want to get involved, say they really love their local trail. They want to make sure that it’s there for a long time and it’s maintained, or they want to help fundraise for the future of the trails. How can they get involved?

Heather Jacksy:
Well, there are several ways and that’s because our trails, aren’t all owned by the same entities. So they should find out who owns the trail first. And if they can’t find out, they’re welcome to contact us here at Planning. And then either the town or the DEC, or even work with New York, New Jersey trail conference, and of course, Sullivan Renaissance has a lot of groups that have been very instrumental in making sure that the trails are maintained and have beautiful plantings and stuff near them.

Amanda Langseder:
So you’ve got a beautiful daughter and I’ve got boys and we love right now, especially during COVID when we’re inside so much, we’re on screen so much to get out and use the trails. And sometimes I try to think of fun ways to engage my boys on the trails. But you have any tips for getting our kids excited to be out biking?

Heather Jacksy:
Yes, I do. Actually. I’m not really certain it’s worked for me, but yeah!

Amanda Langseder:
That’s okay. I’ll take all the tips I can get.

Heather Jacksy:
There are a million scavenger hunts that you can just download and it’s like find a tree that looks like something, or even just find a tree with this kind of leaf or depending on what age your child is and what their interests are. So I think that helps also having somebody else, that’s a peer of theirs and because if you stay six feet apart and you’re outside and you’re wearing masks, it’s a very safe way to engage with other people. So have a friend come with, and then there’s a little bit of friendly competition and mutual interests.

Amanda Langseder:
Play dates on the trail. I’m going to plan one this week. That’s great. Is there anything else that you would like to share?

Heather Jacksy:
Yes. Just that our trails are such an asset and the rail trail that we’re looking to build out the Sullivan O & W Rail Trail, it not only is fun and great for people to use, it really does improve the community’s health and it improves the economic health. In many ways, people who have houses on the rail trail, their houses are worth more than houses, the same style and make and upkeep as ones that are, you know, just a mile away from the trail. And so they’re a real asset and hopefully we can get ours built. We have the sense that the 25 miles that are currently built are sort of the low-hanging fruit. And now we’ve got sort of the more difficult passages, but we’re working with a lot of great partners. And I think if we all come together, we can have this great thing that will not only be useful to us as residents, but to draw people from other places to use it as well and may be a part of our economy.

Amanda Langseder:
Thank you so much for joining us today Heather. I really appreciate your time and thank you for all you do to help us get out and get active here in Sullivan County. Thank you.