CATS Success in 2016 & Moving Forward in 2017

2016 ended well for CATS. Thank you! Thank you for using the trails. And a special thank you for donating to make trails, save land, educate about the outdoors, host hikes, promote economic vitality, build optimism, and create happy experiences. Thank you for helping CATS exceed the end-of-year fundraising goal. Hooray! Thank you for all you do, for all the organizations you support, and for all your involvements that make the Champlain Valley a wonderful place to live and visit.

Tradeland

Tradeland! What is that, you ask? It is when someone donates land that doesn’t meet established conservation criteria and we sell it to use those funds to advance our mission. CATS completed its first tradeland project on December 22 when Ray and Joan Asmar gave CATS their 21-acre property in Crown Point and we sold it to the neighbor, Shaun and Debbie Whitford. Thank you Ray and Joan. Your generosity will build new trails like the new Hemlock Hill Trail in Westport.

New Hemlock Hill Trail

Mark your calendar for January 21 because that’s the day we will make the new Hemlock Hill Trail. It’s on Tom Duca’s property in Westport, on Sherman Road. Starting time is 9:00 and we should finish around 1:00. More info on this next week.

Thank you for a great year.

Chris Maron
CATS Executive Director

About Champlain Area Trails (CATS)

Champlain Area Trails (CATS) is a non-profit organization, begun in 2009, which creates and maintains hiking and cross-country ski trails in the Champlain Valley that link communities, connect people with nature, and promote economic vitality. In its short history, CATS has developed 35 miles of trails that when added to existing trails, gets it half-way toward the long-envisioned goal of a 30-mile trail loop between Westport and Essex. CATS will extend its trails to neighboring towns and eventually connect them to trails in the Adirondack Mountains, Vermont, and Quebec. Learn more on the CATS website.