On September 21, 2016 the Greene County Legislature demonstrated its support of Mountain Bike Trail Expansion throughout the county with Resolution No. 276-16 Elm Ridge Wild Forest Unit Managment Plan (UMP) Recommending Inclusion of Mountain Bike Trails on Mount Hayden, in the town of Windham, NY.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is soliciting public input to incorporate the 806-acre Mount Hayden parcel into the UMP. The site is located in the New York City watershed and was transferred from the city to the DEC in 2012 to provide for continued recreational use consistent with watershed protection.
Unit Management Plans are a collaborative effort between the DEC and the public in developing long-term plans for the State’s public lands, providing information and insight regarding public priorities.
The site is located within the Catskill Park, which offers a network of mountain biking trails set amidst the striking beauty of the State’s Forest lands. The Elm Ridge Wild Forest already features many single track mountain bike trails open to the public. Some 25 miles of maintained trails attract beginner, intermediate and advanced riders.
The Greene County Legislature also expresses its support of Windham Mountain Resort, the Windham Area Recreation Foundation (WARF), the Town of Windham, the Round Top Trails Network and the Town of Cairo whose combined goal is to create a Ride Center Designation as part of the Internation Mountain Biking Association’s (IMBA) Model Trails Program.
The Ride Center Designation includes the development of integrated trail networks and supporting organizations and systems for large-scale mountain bike facilities designed to attract all levels of riders (beginner through advanced) from across the country and around the world.
The Greene County Legislature and the NYS Empire State Development Tourism Office financially supported the WARF in the organization of the sole US Host destination for the Mountain Bike World Cup at Windham Mountain Resort, providing a catalyst for public and private investment to brand Greene County as New York State’s premier East Coast Mountain Biking Destination.
Copies of the resolution have been forwarded to:
- Governor Andrew M. Cuomo
- DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos
- DEC Region 4 Director Keith Goertz
- Natural Resources Supervisor Peter Innes
- Thomas F. O’Mara – Chair, NYS Senate Environmental Conservation Committee
- Rich Funke – Chair, NYS Senate Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks and Recreation Committee
- NYS Senator George Amadore
- NYS Assemblyman Peter Lopez
- Relevant Greene County Municipalities, Organizations, and Businesses
