Register for Mountainkeeper’s upcoming October 19th webinar with the NY State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) examining the negative impacts that informal hiking trails in the formerly trail-less High Peaks are having on local ecology. Informal trails (i.e. “unofficial” paths made by visitors themselves) are particularly problematic for the health of local wildlife and plant species, causing harmful impacts like loss of native vegetation, soil compaction, erosion, forest fragmentation, and introduction of invasive species into interior forest habitats.

Webinar participants will hear from DEC researchers who have been collecting data that will guide development of a visitor-use management plan for the trail-less Catskill High Peaks to help protect these sensitive wild places. Federal USGS Scientist and Recreation Ecologist Dr. Jeffrey Marion also will weigh in to help illuminate the problem, and discuss effective solutions.  Mountaineeper is proud to be co-hosting this important conversation about the health of our region’s natural landscape, and we hope you’ll plan to take part.