Search Results

Grant awarded to assess the historic, high trestle Cascade Bridge spanning Cattaraugus Creek between the Towns of Concord and Ashford, and determine a cost estimate for a new decking design. < Back Erie Cattaraugus Rail Trail Awarded $278,800 EPF Grant through NYS Parks Deborah Stellrecht Dec 21, 2023 Grant awarded to assess the historic, high trestle Cascade Bridge spanning Cattaraugus Creek between the Towns of Concord and Ashford, and determine a cost estimate for a new decking design. (December 21, 2023) Orchard Park, N.Y.: In the latest round of the Regional Economic Development Council (REDC) Initiative awards, Erie Cattaraugus Rail Trail Inc. has been awarded an Environmental Protection Fund - Parks, Preservation and Heritage Grant of $278,800 through NYS Parks. These funds, along with a grant from the Cattaraugus Region Community Foundation with support from the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation , as well as ECRT funds, will be used to assess the historic, high trestle Cascade Bridge spanning Cattaraugus Creek between the Towns of Concord and Ashford, and determine a cost estimate for a new decking design incorporating features based on public and stakeholder input. ECRT will also design and construct a trail approaching from the north to the bridge. This key bridge will be a highlight of the ECRT and future Southern Tier Trail. This award is the result of ECRT’s successful Cascade Bridge Planning and Trail Development Environmental Protection Fund grant application made to NYS through the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) . ECRT President Mary Brummer announced the award, stating, “This grant presents an exciting opportunity. The historic and architectural features of the Cascade Bridge provide a unique foundation on which to build. We look forward to working with the residents and elected officials in the Towns of Concord and Ashford to create a bridge design that our entire region will enjoy.” NYS Senator Partick M. Gallivan (R-C, Elma) announced , “This funding represents an investment in our regional assets and will enhance the experience for residents and visitors alike. I applaud the municipalities, not-for-profit organizations, and others for working in collaboration to identify these projects, which will promote growth, tourism and economic development.” “We are excited about the collaboration that has resulted in an amazing opportunity to reimagine the Cascade Bridge. We are thankful for the work of the Cattaraugus Region Community Foundation to support this effort to create new opportunities for recreation, tourism, and economic development. This historic bridge and beautiful natural setting will provide an amazing connection between Erie and Cattaraugus Counties along the Southern Tier Trail,” said JJ Tighe, Director of Parks & Trails for the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation. From the 1850s through the 1870s, the Buffalo & Pittsburgh Railroad (BPRR) provided a direct route to and from the Pennsylvania coal mines. Passenger service began in the Buffalo division in 1883, and the railroad named some of its locomotives after the towns along its route; e.g. Ashford, Glenwood, Orchard Park, Springville, and West Valley. Passenger service became so popular, the railroad started offering multiple excursions to the Southern Tier. Cascade Park was known for its beautiful, natural setting. The bridge is 185 feet high and 780 feet long. Its 200-foot-high banks, caves, and waterfalls made it the perfect location for picnics and parties in the early 1900s. Passenger service came to an end on the division in 1955. Freight service continued into the 1960s. BPRR officially ceased service in 2008 and applied to the federal Surface Transportation Board for the ability to railbank 27 miles of the corridor from Orchard Park to Ashford. In 2018, ECRT acquired a long-term rail-banking lease which calls for the creation of a multiuse recreational trail along this former rail corridor. Previous Next

Here comes Peter Cottontail, hopping down the ECRT trail! < Back West Falls Easter Egg Hunt Laura Gunderson Apr 12, 2025 Here comes Peter Cottontail, hopping down the ECRT trail! Free event! Learn more about it and please register at www.WestFallsEggHunt2025.eventbrite.com . We want to be sure we have enough candy & prizes for all the kids. Previous Next

We're so grateful for your support, donations, and helping hands! < Back ECRT Thanks you Mary Brummer Nov 28, 2024 We're so grateful for your support, donations, and helping hands! Developing 27 miles of railbanked trail is a huge undertaking, but a joy to do when sharing it with friends and family. Each improved section is a thrill to behold and so satisfying when it functions as an asset to the community. Many thanks to you, our ECRT friends, as we make our trail dreams come true! Happy Thanksgiving to you, with our gratitude, Mary Brummer, President Erie Cattaraugus Rail Trail Previous Next

< Back Lauren Weber 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

Join fellow ECRT Members for a walk on the Erie Cattaraugus Rail Trail in Orchard Park as the sun sets and the full moon rises. < Back Members Sunset/Full Moon Trail Walk Erie Cattaraugus Rail Trail Apr 13, 2025 Join fellow ECRT Members for a walk on the Erie Cattaraugus Rail Trail in Orchard Park as the sun sets and the full moon rises. As a benefit of ECRT membership, you are invited to enjoy new sensations on the trail in a totally different nighttime setting, and to celebrate at the Orchard Park Depot afterward with complimentary refreshments! Listen to the unusual sounds of the night, smell the crisp night air, see the shadows of the trail caused by the full moon and enjoy the trail in a totally different setting! Peer through our telescope for a closer look at the night sky. ECRT members: Check your inbox - you have already received a personal email invitation to this member event. Cost: This is a Free Event for registered ECRT Members Location: Starts and ends at Orchard Park Train Depot Check-in Time: 7:30pm - Orchard Park Train Depot Trail Talk: 7:40pm Walk Start Time: 8pm Light refreshments to follow: Approximately 8:45pm Walk distance: 2.6 miles – from Orchard Park train depot to Jewett Holmwood Rd and back Parking: Available on-street parking and in the Orchard Park Library parking lot adjacent to the OP Train Depot. Previous Next

Deb Fenn Tim and Lisa Scheidel Tim and Lisa Scheidel have spent the past 38 years enjoying their beautiful Sharp Street home in the Town of Concord, in large part due to its proximity to what is now the ECRT trail. Their property features an expansive lawn with magnificent, mature trees. The backyard perimeter slopes about 5’ to meet the trail. Access is made easy, as the Scheidels installed and maintain a convenient stairway that they and their dog Torque use on a regular basis. “We were using the corridor even back when it was still an active railroad,” admits Lisa. “It’s a great place to see all kinds of wildlife. It’s like having a park in your own backyard.” Tim, a construction worker with Ingall’s Site Development, does extensive mowing on the trail, generally from Middle Road to Genesee, and often cleans up storm damage, such as felled branches and trees. Lisa, a school bus driver, enjoys long walks on the trail where she encounters all kinds of people–from horseback riders to joggers. Both keep an eye out for anything suspicious and report incidents promptly to the ECRT maintenance team. “We see all kinds of people using the trail. We see walkers and bikers of all ages. It’s the perfect place for cross-country skiing and snowmobiling, when the weather allows, and a great place for kids to get outdoors and exercise year-round. And you can get from one place to another without using the roads,” notes Lisa.T he couple looks forward to some surface improvements in places where the ballast is prominent, as then even more cyclists and walkers could then use and enjoy the trail. They also realize how important the trail is for local business. Tim, an avid snowmobiler, noted how his sport brings significant income to the area. For the Scheidels, every season brings a different kind of beauty to their section of the trail. Tim shared several fall and winter trailscapes with me, captured on his cell phone. The trail has become such an integral part of their daily lives and has clearly brought them great joy and pleasure. Thanks for all the support and trail work, Tim and Lisa, and keep enjoying “your trail!” November 1, 2023 Written by: Deb Fenn Previous Next < Back

OP Depot Clean-Up 2023 < Back Spring is Here! Kathleen McCrone May 19, 2023 OP Depot Clean-Up 2023 Steve Williams, a wonderful and enthusiastic ECRT volunteer, managed to get several volunteers out on the trail near the OP Depot. Many workers make for lighter work and these worker bees spread several yards of mulch and made the area ready for Train Day on Saturday. We are so lucky to have so many volunteers. Fran Hogenkamp even used his tractor to help spread the mulch. Enjoy some photos from the day! Previous Next

Former communications executive, history teacher and ECRT president, Deb has been an advocate for and board member of the trail since its inception. "When finished, this multi-use trail will be a safe, spectacularly beautiful place for south towns' residents to bike, hike and so much more. It also will bring welcome economic benefits to every town and village it traverses." < Back Deb Fenn Former communications executive, history teacher and ECRT president, Deb has been an advocate for and board member of the trail since its inception. "When finished, this multi-use trail will be a safe, spectacularly beautiful place for south towns' residents to bike, hike and so much more. It also will bring welcome economic benefits to every town and village it traverses." Previous Next

Deb Fenn 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. December 1, 2023 Written by: Deb Fenn Previous Next < Back

Partner, Rupp Baase Pfalzgraf Cunningham LLC Environmental/Brownfields, Land/Use Zoning, Energy, Municipal, Administrative and Litigation Attorney < Back Marc Romanowski Partner, Rupp Baase Pfalzgraf Cunningham LLC Environmental/Brownfields, Land/Use Zoning, Energy, Municipal, Administrative and Litigation Attorney Previous Next

Deb has enjoyed a varied career, owing to a curiosity about everything! She served for 5 years in the Canadian Air Force as an Avionics Technician, then went on to do work in the fields of Technical writing, computer programming and web design. In 2013 she took a break from IT to manage the office end of her home parish of St. George in West Falls. Deb retired from the parish when it closed in 2024. She continues to work part-time as a medical receptionist in Orchard Park. Deb believes that time spent in nature is essential to our spiritual, mental and physical wellbeing, and she enjoys running the open portions of the trail whenever possible. Her goal is to do everything she can to increase financial support for trail improvements and community engagement with the ECRT organization. < Back Deb Stellrecht Deb has enjoyed a varied career, owing to a curiosity about everything! She served for 5 years in the Canadian Air Force as an Avionics Technician, then went on to do work in the fields of Technical writing, computer programming and web design. In 2013 she took a break from IT to manage the office end of her home parish of St. George in West Falls. Deb retired from the parish when it closed in 2024. She continues to work part-time as a medical receptionist in Orchard Park. Deb believes that time spent in nature is essential to our spiritual, mental and physical wellbeing, and she enjoys running the open portions of the trail whenever possible. Her goal is to do everything she can to increase financial support for trail improvements and community engagement with the ECRT organization. Previous Next