PCLT - Lindera Loop Trail

Project Timeline
Spring/Summer 2006: Locate trail site, measure slopes, select surface materials, get estimates for materials and labor to lay the trail, clear trail – 100% Completed

The initial clearing was completed; with the students, a few family members and PCLT board members measuring and marking the trail, then yanking out invasive barberry and other non-native nuisances to make way for permeable landscape fabric, edge protection, and the environmentally and wheelchair-friendly surface to be installed by a local contracting company.

* Fall/Winter/Spring 2006 and 2007: Obtain funding for purchase of trail materials.
100% Completed

* Summer 2007: Lay the trail, design signage and trail gardens, continue fundraising.
100% Completed

The trail construction has been completed, thanks to Carmine Labriola Contracting Company of Scarsdale, New York. Soil and compost were laid to hold the material in place. With the help of volunteers, Anna and Krista planted the beds with native, shade-loving, deer-resistant plants in early October.

Already, the physically handicapped have a place to comfortably spend time in the woods! More funds are needed to set up a maintenance fund to keep the trail looking beautiful!

* Fall 2007: Put in benches, sign board and signs, gardens - 50% Completed
* Spring 2008: Open Putnam County’s first handicapped accessible trail
* 2007/2008: Develop/install educational trail guide
* 2008/2009 and beyond: Enhance trail by enlarging, conducting environmental studies, etc.

This page was updated on
February 19, 2008

Inside 140 acres of Putnam County Land Trust's Peach Lake Natural Area off Cobb Road in Southeast, nestled under the tall canopy of deciduous forest and winding through the understory of native Lindera benzoin (Spicebush), are the beginnings of something new: the Lindera Loop Trail. The trail, a 700-by-5-foot path, will be Putnam County's first handicapped-accessible trail.

Click here for a description of the trail.

The impetus behind the project is the clear and simple conviction of two high school students, Krista Gabarro and Anna Eisenstein, that the wonders of nature should be available to everyone, even those who are physically challenged. The students approached the Land Trust with the idea and we loved it.

(c) 2002 Steven J. Baskauf

This location is home to many native plants and animals including wild monarda, geranium, trillium, may apple, trout lily, jack-in-the-pulpit, Virginia creeper, violet, various ferns, winterberry holly, spicebush, deer, turkey, pheasant, partridge, squirrel, chipmunk, and countless species of small birds. The site of the new trail is also the location of the future headquarters of PCLT -- the house donated by Dorothy O’Brien, an avid bird lover with a passion for preserving natural areas.

The path features an environmentally friendly surface (Item 4 choked with stonedust) that wheelchairs can roll over, and pull-offs or landings every 100 feet. Plans include a small cul-de-sac (the “Loop”), a fern glen, a trail guide, observation areas, benches and appropriate signage. For more information regarding handicapped-accessibility requirements, please visit the National Center for Accessibilty.

Financing the Project:
Materials for completing the trail (landscape fabric, Item 4, stonedust, sign materials) were estimated at $15,000. So far, the project has received donations and grants which have enabled the project to move forward. A fund has been set up for money to be put towards maintenance of this masterpiece.

The Putnam County Land Trust, a 501(c)3 organization, is accepting donations designated for this project. Sponsorship categories have been set up, offering varying levels of recognition. To see these, please click here.

See our list of donors!

How to Help:

Now
To make a donation to the Lindera Loop Trail, send a check payable to:

Putnam County Land Trust
P.O. Box 36, Brewster, NY 10509

(Please place "Designated for the Lindera Loop Trail" in the note portion of your check.)

Later
Now that the trail has been laid, volunteers are needed for building/supplying the native plant butterfly garden, native fern glen, benches, trail signs, pamphlets and observation areas. If you want to volunteer, click here.

Volunteer! With the Project

From the NY Journal News:
" Carmel High School students Anna Eisenstein and Krista Gabarro noticed one thing missing from the expanse of woods throughout Putnam County: a place where the physically challenged could enjoy nature."

How to contact the trail coordinators:

Anna Eisenstein: email
Krista Gabarro: (845) 878-6904

"Dedicated to preserving and maintaining for the public, open spaces, and the natural
resources within, for the purpose of conservation, education, and passive recreation."