January 2010 Update:
The County purchased the Rail Trail property!
Read an update from us on the project's current status (PDF)

NOTE: Please send an email (see sample below) to our County Legislators and County Executive.

Congratulate and thank them for achieving this important milestone, AND please let them know you feel the Rail Trail project is a high priorty for funding.

Albany County Executive Michael Breslin:
Email: CountyExec@AlbanyCounty.com
Phone and other contact info (scroll down by his photo)

Find Your Albany County Legislators:
Listing of Legislators by District (click on district # for details)
OR Find Your District on the Map (scroll down for maps, further down for the newly revised districts)

Here's a sample email you can copy and paste to quickly create your own email or letter.

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The communities along the old D&H rail line running from Voorheesville to the Port of Albany have a unique opportunity to turn an unused rail bed into a multi-use trail for active transportation and recreation.

Helping lead these efforts alongside Albany County is the Friends of the Rail Trail (FORT). Our mission is to support and promote the Albany County Rail Trail to ensure its enjoyment by residents and visitors of all ages.

And you can help - whether through volunteering, donating, or just spreading the word throughout our communities about the benefits of the rail trail.

For more information about the rail trail please visit the Albany County Rail Trail website.

The communities along the old D&H rail line running from Voorheesville to the Port of Albany have a unique opportunity to turn an unused rail bed into a multi-use trail for active transportation and recreation.

Helping lead these efforts alongside Albany County is the Friends of the Rail Trail (FORT). Our mission is to support and promote the Albany County Rail Trail to ensure its enjoyment by residents and visitors of all ages.

And you can help - whether through volunteering, donating, or just spreading the word throughout our communities about the benefits of the rail trail.

For more information about the rail trail please visit the Albany County Rail Trail website.

Friends of the Rail Trail is a committee of the Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy, representing a synthesis of several groups that have strongly advocated for the trail's development. FORT combines the rail trail efforts of the Tri-Village Greenway Committee of the Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy with two groups that previously championed the establishment of the rail trail - Citizens for an Albany Rail Trail (CART), and the Friends of the D&H Rail Trail.

More importantly, we're also members of your community. We're your friends, neighbors and the folks who support our local businesses.

There is much work that needs to be done to bring the Albany County Rail Trail to fruition. In the near term, FORT will

• Help gather citizen input on the planning of the trail
• Raise public awareness of the trail and promote its use
• Work with local residents to address any concerns over safety, security, cost, etc.
• Create signage, maps, brochures, and trailside amenities
• Coordinate volunteer efforts
• Encourage awareness and safety among community members
• Promote the linkage of the trial with other rail trails, pedestrian paths and community assets and businesses
• Help establish adequate and safe access to the trail, including parking and other infrastructure.
• Raise funds for ongoing maintenance, signage, interpretive brochures and trailside amenities
• Work with law enforcement officials and each of the communities along the trail to ensure the trail is used properly and safely

Volunteer. Donate. Enjoy.

When completed by Albany County, the Rail Trail will connect the village of Voorheesville with the City of Albany, running nine miles through the towns of New Scotland and Bethlehem. It will be a crown jewel of these communities for generations to come. There are several ways you can get involved now.

Volunteer-There is much to be done between now and the completion of the trail, and we can use all the help we can get. We are currently

• Conducting outreach and meeting with local residents, businesses and other stakeholder groups to educate and build support for the trail
• soliciting citizen input on trail design and construction for Albany County and its engineering firm
• recruiting more volunteers

To volunteer, please e-mail RailTrailFriends@gmail.com.

Donate-We have also begun raising funds to support infrastructure, services, and future upgrades along the trail. You can support our efforts with a tax-deductible donation.

Note: Please be sure to specify "FORT" in the comments section when you donate on-line here, or in the memo line of your check if you mail in your donation (to FORT Committee, MHLC, PO Box 567, Slingerlands, NY 12159 or use the form attached to our brochure)

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Sample Email or Letter. Please send to your County Legislator AND County Executive Breslin

Dear ___________,

Thank you for past support of the Albany County Rail Trail, a 9-mile corridor between Albany and Voorheesville. Congratulations on the County’s purchase of the land for trail in December 2009!

I am writing to urge you to please continue to support the creation of this vital link in our communities, and to find and approve the funding necessary to develop this corridor to its fullest potential.

We all understand that times are tough economically, but I believe that the trail will be an important economic asset to Albany County—especially in a time of economic crisis, and here’s why:

• The trail will provide opportunities for local businesses as potential customers travel the corridor. A 2009 study of 14 trails in the Northeast found that an average of approximately $4.14 million dollars per trail, per year was spent by trail users on consumable goods alone.
• The trail will lead to improve health for county residents, as they use the Rail Trail for recreational purposes and local errands. More than half of all Americans are overweight or obese, and one-third of children are. You can be proud to have provided an easy and fun way for residents to exercise, improve their health and reduce healthcare costs.
• The trail will improve air quality in the county as residents can commute to work by bike or foot rather than by automobile.
• The trail will provide significant energy savings. The Capital District Transportation Committee estimates that trail users are expected to make approximately 255,930 trips during a 190-day peak period each year, resulting in an estimated savings of about 18,800 gallons of fuel per year.
• The trail will foster a sense of community as local residents use the trail or volunteer there.
• The trail will provide linkage among Albany County’s communities.
• Communities with a rail trail across the U.S. have seen an increased value in their homes.
• Trail users will be able to see some of Albany County’s heretofore hidden scenic treasures.
• Unlike many of the important but less visible projects accomplished by the County, the Rail Trail will provide a highly visible benefit residents will use frequently.

You are to be commended for the vision to purchase the land for the rail trail. Please continue to support the project so that this vital link can become a reality.

Sincerely,
(Your name)