Champlain Area Trails Honors Founding Member Bruce Klink

Bruce Klink (Credit: CATS) — Bruce Klink

On Sunday, August 2, 2015 Champlain Area Trails (CATS) will lead a hike to the top of the Wildway Overlook Trail and dedicate a bench to honor Bruce Klink, one of CATS founding members, who died in February of 2014. The hike and celebration are open to the public.

“Bruce provided CATS with vision, creativity, common sense, persistence, and a ready smile, all of which have been inspiring and so important for our success,” said Executive Director Chris Maron.

Those wishing to join Klink’s family and friends for the brief dedication ceremony are asked to meet at the trailhead on Brookfield Road a quarter mile south of Reynolds Road in Essex, New York at 1:30 p.m. (Note: The dedication will take place at the trailhead for those unable to make the hike. Everyone willing is then invited to hike the trail for the placement of the bench.) The group will then hike the easy, three-quarter mile route to a spectacular view of the Split Rock Wildway wildlife corridor, connecting Lake Champlain to the Adirondacks where the dedication honoring Klink’s contribution and service to CATS will take place.

“People say CATS began when Bruce and I were talking at the Charlotte, North Carolina airport after I gave a presentation to his grandchildren’s school,” said CATS founding member Steven Kellogg. “We realized we were both reading Bill McKibben’s book, Wandering Home, describing his walk from Ripton, Vermont to the southern Adirondacks. We talked about the need for more hiking trails in the Champlain Valley so when we returned, we gathered people together and decided to begin making trails.”

As a result of Klink’s and Kellogg’s actions, Champlain Area Trails organized in 2009 with the mission to create hiking/skiing trails in New York’s Champlain Valley that link communities, connect people with nature, and promote economic vitality. As a land trust, CATS also works to protect natural areas, clean water, farmland, and scenic vistas. To date, CATS has developed over 40 miles of trails, protected 495 acres of land, and held numerous outdoor education activities. For more information, visit www.champlainareatrails.com.

Old-Growth Forest Network Recognizes Dickenson’s Point (www.essexonlakechamplain.com)
Split Rock Wildway: A Critical Wildlife Corridor (www.essexonlakechamplain.com)
Lake Champlain Winterscapes (www.essexonlakechamplain.com)
Split Rock Wildway: Creating and Protecting a Wildlife Corridor (www.essexonlakechamplain.com)

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.