CAZENOVIA — Throughout the day on Saturday, June 1, 2024, the Cazenovia Preservation Foundation (CPF) will celebrate National Trails Day with the dedication of four trail kiosks followed by guided hikes on several local trails. At 4 pm, all are invited to gather at Meier’s Creek Brewing Company (33 Rippleton Road, Cazenovia) to swap trail stories and enjoy a buy-one-get-one draft special.

CPF posts educational materials, maps, trail use guidelines, and event information on kiosks at each trailhead to help orient visitors to the trail. Sponsorships of the kiosks support the maintenance and upkeep of CPF’s public-access trails and properties. On National Trails Day, CPF will acknowledge:

• an earlier dedication of the Bennet Family who sponsored the Gorge Trail kiosk in memory of their mother, Barbara Settel, then meet with a CPF volunteer crew to learn about a trail improvement project;
• design and manufacturing company, Knowles Precision Devices, who sponsored the Fairchild Hill Trail kiosk in memory of Kirk Wardell, an advocate of protecting the natural environment;
• Cazenovia residents Chuck and Gyata Stormon who sponsored the Fairchild Hill Connector kiosk in memory of Chuck’s brother John C. Stormon, an outdoor enthusiast and conservation activist; and,
• Syracuse-based Rockbridge Investment Management, LLC, a long-time CPF supporter and sponsor of the Burlingame Trail kiosk.

During 2023, a team of CPF volunteers led by Cazenovia community member Ken Reger, worked to build new kiosks, designed by Tietsch-Kent-Fay Architects, P.C., to welcome visitors to the popular 13-plus miles of CPF trails in and around Cazenovia. CPF trails are maintained by committed board members, staff, and volunteers who trim vegetation, remove dead trees, fill holes, spread gravel, eliminate invasive plant species, hang trail markers, and more. From April through October, CPF hosts Trail Work Thursdays and Saturday Volunteer Workdays. After the work is done on Trail Work Thursdays, volunteers are invited to meet CPF-Board hosts and other volunteers for refreshments and friendly conversation at one of Cazenovia’s local establishments. CPF encourages and welcomes all who are interested to volunteer. For details, visit cazpreservation.org/events.

Currently, CPF has seven additional kiosks sponsorship opportunities available. Sponsor names are featured on the kiosks for a period of three to ten years, depending on location, and current sponsors are given the first option of renewal at the end of the sponsorship period. Individuals and businesses interested in sponsoring a kiosk can contact CPF at [email protected].

National Trails Day Schedule of Events:

Hike 1
Location: Gorge Trail—Clark Street Entrance (near Burton Street Elementary)
Start time: 9 am
Distance: 4 miles; easy, flat gravel trail, along Chittenango Creek

Hike 2
Location: Fairchild Hill—Main Entrance (intersection of Rt. 20 & Rt 92, behind the brown building). Please note: Park ONLY in the indicated trail parking area. If that area is full, please park at Lorenzo State Historic Site or Meier’s Creek Brewing Co. The trail system connects through Lorenzo.
Start time: 1 pm
Distance: 1.25 miles; moderate, grass/gravel path

Hike 3
Location: Fairchild Connector (base of Fairchild Hill at the Lorenzo Connector Trail). Parking options are the same as Hike 2. Follow signs to Fairchild Connector Kiosk.
Start time: 2 p.m.
Distance: 1 mile; moderate; grass/gravel path with some off-trail to view a waterfall

Hike 4
Location: Burlingame Trails (Burlingame Rd., less than a mile west of Rt. 13)
Start time: 3 p.m.
Distance: 2 miles (one-way to Meier’s Creek Brewing Co.); moderate; gravel/dirt trails in woodlands and meadow. Participants can hike there and back or partner with friends to stage a car at each location.

Happy Hour at Meier’s Creek Brewing Company
Location: Join us on the back lawn of Meier’ Creek Brewing Co., 33 Rippleton Road, Cazenovia, NY.
Start time: 4 p.m.

For a map of trail kiosk locations and parking options, visit cazpreservation.org/trails.

All National Trails Day participants can join the last hike of the day on the Burlingame Trails to Meier’s Creek Brewing Co., or simply meet up with the group at 4 p.m. Participants from any of the kiosk dedications or hikes can show their CPF wrist band to get a BOGO draft special.

CPF is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) accredited land trust protecting important historic, agricultural, and natural resources in and around the Cazenovia community in Central New York. CPF protects approximately 3,400 acres of farmland and scenic landscapes through conservation easements and owns over 430 acres of open space with thirteen miles of public-use trails. CPF also holds twelve historic structure easements that help maintain the character of the historic village center and surrounding area. In addition to its ongoing conservation and land stewardship work, CPF also offers over 20 free or low-cost recreational and educational programs for adults and children each year.

For more information about CPF and its programs, visit www.cazpreservation.org/