Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy

Mohawk River Community Partners Now Part of MHLC!

The Mohawk River Community Partners of Colonie, Inc. (MRCP) has formally merged with the Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy as of January 19, 2012.

Incorporated in March 2004, MRCP was organized to identify, preserve, protect and promote the natural, scenic, cultural, historical, economic and recreational resources of the Mohawk River waterfront area in the Town of Colonie. The Mohawk River Community Partners have worked in cooperation with the Town of Colonie to encourage public/private partnerships locally, regionally and nationally to create and implement strategies to preserve, interpret, enhance and develop the resources of the Mohawk River waterfront for all to use and enjoy.

With a mission very similar to MHLC's but in a focused geographic area, volunteers from the former Mohawk River Community Partners will continue their activities as a committee of the Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy with staff support for the administrative and organizational details. We believe this is a great opportunity to increase our protection efforts in the Town of Colonie and build a stronger organization to meet our mission of Saving Special Places!

MHLC Receives Two Grants for Rail Trail

The Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy (MHLC) is the recipient of a $10,000 grant from the Greenway Conservancy for the Hudson River Valley, Inc. The announcement of the 2011 Greenway Conservancy Small Grants Program was made at the Greenway Conservancy’s meeting on October 12, 2011 in Hyde Park.

The grant will be used to develop a graphic and interpretive theme for the Albany County Rail Trail that incorporates the history of the rail line and its relationship to the communities it served. The trail extends from the South End of Albany to the Village of Voorheesville, passing through the towns of Bethlehem and New Scotland. Funds will also be used to purchase and install informational and educational signs, as well as other amenities, such as benches along the section of the rail that is open to the public.

Daniel Mehlman and Scott Lewendon, who have years of professional design and landscape architecture experience, have volunteered to lead the process. They will lead a design team that will conduct community meetings to solicit input on the theme, community values, and design standards for the trail from local residents and trail users. From this, a theme will be developed that will be incorporated into signage, maps, and educational information along the entire trail. It is anticipated that much of the design work will be done over the winter and installation of signs and interpretive material can start by next summer.

A Special Purpose Grant of $2500 was also received from the Hudson Mohawk Road Runners Club. This was an especially generous grant for the organization. These funds will be used to purchase crushed stone to improve the trail surface for runners and walkers.

The Hudson-Mohawk Road Runners Club is a not-for-profit organization with over 2,400 members, and is dedicated to promoting the sport of distance running through education and training to promote running as a part of a healthy lifestyle, promoting personal fitness and community through organizing and managing running events, providing means of communication among club members and creating opportunities for social activities.

Accreditation in the Plans for 2012

MHLC's board of directors at the August board meeting voted to apply for the second cycle of the Land Trust Accreditation in 2012. This is a major step for MHLC. Over the past six years, MHLC has made steady progress in implementing Land Trust Standards and Practices that have been developed as best management practices for land trusts across the country. The board now believes we are ready to have the Land Trust Accreditation Commission review our work.

"The Commission was established in 2006 as an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance. It is governed by a volunteer board of diverse land conservation and nonprofit management experts from around the country. The Commission conducts an extensive review of an applicant’s policies and programs before making a determination to award accreditation and the right to display the trademarked seal. The Commission tested the voluntary accreditation program in 2007 and began operations in 2008. There are now more than 100 accredited land trusts across the United States."

Albany County, Town of Bethlehem, and MHLC Partner to Open a Section of the Rail Trail

Albany County, the Town of Bethlehem, and MHLC have signed an agreement to open a 1.85 mile section of the Albany County Rail Trail to the public for limited, non-motorized use. This section of the trail will run from the Bethlehem Veteran's Park on Delaware Avenue to the Slingerlands Firemen's Park on New Scotland Avenue.

The ribbon cutting was held on Thursday June 2nd. The Grand Opening with family fun activities planned by members of the Friends of the Rail Trail Committee occured on Saturday June 4th.

We know there is tremendous interest in allowing bicycles on the opened sections of the Rail Trail through Delmar. "Phase 2" of the three way agreement between Albany County, Town of Bethlehem and Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy will make improvements so mountain bikes will be able to use the trail.

There are two places where some fencing or other work needs to be completed due to steep banks on the sides of the trail. One is behind Curtis Lumber where fencing needs to be installed on both sides of the bed. The other is west of Gardner Terrace. At that point there was originally two tracks for a siding, so an option is to move the trail to the center of the path to avoid the need for fencing. That will take a re-grading.

Before this work can be done, funds must be raised. We recognize the public's interest and hope a budget is developed soon so we can raise the necessary funds and the job can be
completed in the foreseeable future.

Adopt a Forest Parcel

MHLC has established an "Adopt a Forest Lot," an innovative program designed to encourage youth groups and families from urban areas to explore the woods. This program will provide these groups who have no acreage of their own the opportunity to use and enjoy a small parcel of land they will "adopt" and help manage. MHLC will use its Normans Kill and Schiffendecker preserves in Bethlehem for this program as these lands are very close to the city of Albany. The program is funded in part by the New York State Conservation Partnership Program with funding from the NYS Environmental Protection Fund, Groups interested in participating in this program can see the rules, agreement, and waivers here: