Champlain Area Trails Hosts Volunteer Work Day at Essex Quarry Nature Preserve

(From right to left) Judith Murphy and Colin Thoman pruning trees back to cross-country ski height.

Champlain Area Trails (CATS) hosted a volunteer trail project at their new Essex Quarry Nature Preserve on Friday, November 20th. Volunteers helped staff cut brush and fallen trees along two separate paths that are part of a network of trails going in around the quarry.

The day brought in 16 volunteers, along with 3 staff members. To follow with New York State’s COVID-19 guidelines, volunteers were split into two groups and worked on different trails while staying socially distant.

“It was fantastic to see such a great turnout on a Friday afternoon, especially during a pandemic”, said CATS Executive Director Chris Maron. “We had a great time getting out on the trails, making new ones, and having everyone get a chance to see the quarry.”

CATS purchased the 35-acre Essex Quarry property in Essex, NY in December 2019 to create a nature preserve that features 400 million-year-old fossils, a globally rare forest type called a “Limestone Woodland,” and a historic rock quarry. Stone carved from the Essex Quarry walls was used in many of the buildings in Essex. It was also reportedly used for the construction of the State House in Albany, as well as the Brooklyn Bridge.

(From right to left) Nancy Sinkoff, Dan Keegan, and Emily Segada (CATS Operations and Communicaitons Manager) show off their sawing skills.

The nature preserve will feature a network of hiking trails with interpretive signs, which can be used for walking or cross-country skiing. It advances CATS mission of saving land, making trails, connecting people with nature, and promoting economic vitality.

“It was exciting having everyone out for our first volunteer day in a long time due to COVID. We take for granted the simple things – doing trail work, socializing in our community, and meeting new people. We had a great turnout of board members and community members, all of which were so enthusiastic about the quarry and what we are doing with the preserve,” said CATS Operations & Communications Manager, Emily Segada.

The Essex Quarry Nature Preserve is set to officially open Saturday, June 26^th, 2021.

Champlain Area Trails (CATS) is a nonprofit, accredited land trust whose mission is to save land, make trails, connect people with nature and promote economic vitality in New York’s Champlain Valley. Information on future CATS events and activities is available at champlainareatrails.com and by following CATS on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Please call 518-962-2287 or email info@champlainareatrails.com for more information.

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.