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We'd love to see you - stop by the ECRT table at the after party! < Back Come see us at Skyride 190 Deborah Stellrecht Jul 20, 2025 We'd love to see you - stop by the ECRT table at the after party! Riding or volunteering for GOBike's 2025 Skyride 190 ride this Sunday, July 20th? We'll be there, too, and we'd love to see you! Look for us at the Lakeside Bash 9am-12 pm. Previous Next

You Are Invited For A Winter Hike On ECRT! Pre-Register

We're busy planning our next event. Check back soon! < Back Stay tuned! Deborah Stellrecht Apr 26, 2025 We're busy planning our next event. Check back soon! Previous Next

< Back Jeff Sellers Previous Next

Let's go for a walk! < Back Upcoming Fall Trail Events Friends of the Trail Sep 12, 2023 Let's go for a walk! We’ve planned several Fall walks to highlight the diverse sections of our 27-mile trail. Our three Friends groups are hosting events in Concord, Orchard Park and Aurora. Members from all groups are welcome to attend each event, so plan to enjoy a stroll and get to know parts of the trail you haven’t yet explored! September 23rd Concord 9:30 am (Rain or shine) We’ll start at Shamel Milling, 9384 Genesee Rd. in the Town of Concord, and walk for 3-4 miles round trip. Meet us on the west side of the parking lot at 9:30 a.m. Register today until September 17th at https://ConcordTrailWalk.eventbrite.com ! October 21st Orchard Park 10:00 am (Rain or shine) We’ve partnered with the Runners Roost for a seasonal Trail Trot on the recently resurfaced section of Erie Cattaraugus Rail Trail in the Orchard Park Village. We hope you’ll join us for this fun walk, trot, or run from the Orchard Park Depot to Jewett Holmwood Road and back. Wear your Halloween costume for the event and you might just see yourself (with permission) in subsequent ECRT and Runners Roost social media posts. Runners Roost is generously chipping in with athletic footwear and clothing for prize drawings at the event, to raise more funds for the improvement, expansion, and maintenance of the trail. Children under 16 should be accompanied by an adult. Parking is available at the ECRT Bank Street lot . Discount coupons for the Byrd House restaurant will be available to all participants. Register by October 17th at https://OrchardParktrailtrot.eventbrite.com November 12th Aurora Stay tuned for more information! Happy Trails from your ECRT Friends Leaders, Mary Carol Dearing - Concord/Springville Nicole Avitahl-Curtis - Orchard Park Laura Gunderson - Colden/West Falls Previous Next

September 10, 1948 - October 15, 2024 < Back Remembering Jim Slominski Erie Cattaraugus Rail Trail Oct 22, 2024 September 10, 1948 - October 15, 2024 Jim grew up near train tracks. “I was fascinated with anything that had to do with trains. When we lived on Liberty Drive off Taylor Road, I could watch trains come and go from our family room.” ECRT relied on Board member and volunteer Jim Slominski for his deep knowledge and dedication to preserving railroad history. As a trustee of the Western New York Railroad Historical Society and chair of the Orchard Park Depot Committee, Jim became involved with ECRT due to a primary interest in preserving the integrity of the former Buffalo-Pittsburg Railroad right-of-way. After joining the ECRT Board of Directors in 2012, Jim was pleased with the trail’s noticeable, significant progress in recent years, especially to see the newly completed section open up in June 2023, connecting the trail to the depot. “It will have an enormous, positive effect on the Village,” Jim declared then. “You’ll see people using the trail on a regular basis to come to the Village to visit the library, to shop or to attend events. I predict we’ll see a lot more interest in and activity around depot which, of course, we welcome!” Jim certainly will be remembered as a generous, supportive ECRT Board member and central figure with the WNYRHS. He was instrumental in getting the OP Depot renovated and opening it up to community groups, especially to ECRT. He was instrumental in getting the OP Depot renovated and opening it up to community groups, and greatly aided in the completion of the OP Village trail. Jim quietly made good things happen. Jim’s quiet presence and steadfast support will be greatly missed by everyone who had the pleasure of knowing him - at the Depot, on the trail and at ECRT events. https://www.lombardofuneralhome.com/tributes/James-Slominski Previous Next

Explore the Rail Trail in East Concord < Back Spring Trail Walk in East Concord Mary Carol Dearing Apr 13, 2024 Explore the Rail Trail in East Concord Mary Carol Dearing, leader of the Springville-Concord Friends of the rail trail, will lead you on a southbound walk on the Erie Cattaraugus Rail Trail, an out and back walk of 3-4 miles, depending on the group's interests. Meet in the Shamel Milling parking lot on Genesee Rd in East Concord for a 9:30 am start. Rain or shine, so dress for the weather and wear sturdy boots/hiking footwear. Register at https://EastConcordTrailWalk.eventbrite.com . Previous Next

Tim Bienkowski Mary Carol Dearing Mary Carol Dearing has served as the Erie Cattaraugus Rail Trail's Friends Leader for Springville since 2016, promoting the trail by hosting numerous public events, and working with local groups to expand the trail beyond the original Pop Warner Trail. Born in Buffalo, Mary Carol grew up in the Northtowns area. She is the youngest of 6 children, with most of her siblings living in Western New York. After earning her Masters degree at SUNY Albany, she worked primarily as a school social worker in the Williamsville school district for over 30 years. Mary Carol moved to Springville in 2015 and she retired 2 years later. Mary Carol and her partner, George, now live in the Town of Concord where they strive to steward and restore the native habitat of their property. She loves to hike, cross-country ski and snowshoe, and enjoys spending many hours outside in her garden. Mary Carol is an active member of several community organizations in Springville, including Grow with Springville and Springville Center for the Arts . She also serves on the Board of Directors of Art’s Cafe and manages their rooftop garden. She loves to hike the ECRT trail in Springville and Concord with friends. Mary Carol believes each section of the trail offers a unique view into its community. In Springville, the old industrial buildings along the Pop Warner Warner Trail serve as a backdrop to the recent Sculpture Alley, where several outdoor sculptures and painted murals line the trail (an initiative of Springville Center for the Arts). “The potential for the trail, especially for this community of Springville, is beyond measurable,” Mary Carol relates. She continues to be a major force in its development. November 21, 2024 Written by: Tim Bienkowski Previous Next < Back

Rider registration fees and donations to this event help make incredible progress on the trail < Back Why We Ride Beth Lasky Sep 5, 2023 Rider registration fees and donations to this event help make incredible progress on the trail Beth Lasky, EA2EVL Fondo Chairperson, talks about why we ride the Fondo, primarily to raise funds for the improvement, expansion, and maintenance of the Erie Cattaraugus Rail Trail. Donate, Ride or Volunteer: https://www.givesignup.org/Race/NY/EastAurora/EA2EVLFondo . Previous Next

Bernie Young Bernie Young is a country guy, through and through. He has lived in East Concord with his wife, Jeanette, for the past 50 years. Apart from his 4 children, 13 grandchildren and 7 great-grands, what Bernie loves most in this world is his abiding connection to nature and ‘the great outdoors'. As Bernie welcomed me into his home, he invited me to have a seat in what is certainly his favorite room; a place that serves as both a dining area and his beloved trophy room. Proudly displayed on the walls above our heads as we chatted were beautifully mounted turkeys and deer. (One buck, he noted, boasted a rack listed in the New York State record books “with a score of 145!”) A carpenter by trade, Bernie was founder and sole owner of Young Construction for most of his working life. Generally working alone, he remodeled numerous interior spaces over the years and, with a hired hand or two, constructed several home additions. Now retired, Bernie spends much of his time outdoors. He continues to cut his own firewood and he built a small cabin on a parcel of wooded property he owns on Springville-Boston Road. There, he hunts and fishes and simply enjoys his time with nature. Bernie also proudly serves on the board of directors of Springville Field and Stream. The organization’s recent fundraiser, a “Golf and Shoot”, involved competing trap-shooting teams followed by a round of golf at Concord Crest , dinner and prizes. Proceeds benefitted the Springville Trout Pond project, an endeavor Erie Cattaraugus Rail Trail has been affiliated with this past year, creating an ADA accessible connection from the pond to the trail. In his spare time, Bernie is one of ECRT’s valued, hard-working volunteers .Using an ATV four-wheeler and a tow-behind mower, he does a meticulous job maintaining the trail from Genesee Road to Old Glenwood. He also walks the trail frequently. For Bernie, the trail is a much-loved place he gladly takes care of and truly cares for; a place where he can commune with nature very close to home. More volunteers

Aerial tour of the future trail via drone! Enjoy this Virtual Tour of the ECRT Trail! The Erie Cattaraugus Rail Trail is over 27 miles long and runs from Orchard Park to Ashford, crossing through five municipalities and joining two counties. While the ECRT Board is wo rking with key partners and funders to build the blueprint for the trail, we invite you to enjoy a virtual tour of the trail built from drone footage of the following sections: Springville E. Concord Colden West Falls Orchard Park Springville Section is Open Now is a great time to get outside and reconnect with nature, a constant throughout this COVID-19 crisis. And the perfect place to do that safely is on a trail. That includes the open section of the Erie Cattaraugus Rail Trail, the Pop Warner trail in Springville. It’s a great resource for the whole family!

Volunteer spotlight on Erie Cattaraugus Rail Trail neighbors and volunteers, Larry and Gretel Laing. Larry and Gretel Laing For over 50 years, Larry and Gretel Laing have called West Falls home. They raised their four children there and welcomed seven grandchildren as well as nine great-grandchildren to their lovely spot adjacent to Erie Cattaraugus Rail Trail. For many years, Larry worked for Thruway Builders at both their Orchard Park and Cheektowaga locations. He later retired from Sorento Cheese (now Lactalis American). In addition to raising children, Gretel found time to work for physician’s offices in the Southtowns. When they first learned Erie Cattaraugus Rail Trail had become managers of the former rail corridor located behind their home, and that plans were in the works to build a trail, they were apprehensive, to say the least. “Our property backs right up to the railroad, and we were against it. We thought the worst. What about our privacy? What about safety?” Like so many people on trails across the country, Larry and Gretel soon found they had nothing to fear and, in fact, they have become big trail supporters. “We walk the trail all the time,” notes Gretel. “It’s become such an asset to have a trail like this so close. Both the grandchildren and great-grandchildren enjoy it. It’s like having your own private nature path.” Larry, meanwhile, keeps busy mowing and maintaining the trail. “I keep the section behind us clear, and then I’ll mow all the way from Old Glenwood to the West Falls Depot. It’s a nice walk, and we meet such nice people on the trail. You see folks walking with their dogs and with their kids. It’s good for wildlife, too. It’s been wonderful.” The couple would like to see the surface improved in the future so even more people can enjoy walking and biking on the trail. Larry, meanwhile, could use our help. “My legs aren’t what they used to be, and so I’m looking to get ahold of a used golf cart for trail maintenance.” So, here’s a shout-out to our readers — let’s help Larry find that golf cart! More volunteers