It's More About The Vision Than The Pine Barrens Trail Center Dedication

Article Contributed by Ken Kindler

Pine Barrens Trail Center Meeting
March 2017
Attending:  Mindy Block, Kara Hahn, Al Krupski, Annelies, Jane Fasullo, Ken Kindler

A small group of us met at the Riverhead County Center last week to discuss the re-opening of the Trails Center in Manorville. As we introduced ourselves, I was flattered that Kara Hahn recognized me – saying “oh, you’re the guy who helped create the Forsythe Meadow Trail in Stony Brook.”  That’s a 36-acre park dedicated to Nora Bredes, A Suffolk County Legislator who died after a long battle with breast cancer in August 2011 at the age of 60.  Nora was a champion of drinking water protection and open space preservation. ​​I then remembered how I had learned about the dedication of the trail a couple of years ago while I was surfing the internet the day before the event and decided to attend. To her credit, Kara recognized me in the crowd and without having prepared it in her statements and while praising the Boy Scouts for the work they had contributed on this Suffolk County Parks-built trail, gave me credit for my work on the trail.

During our meeting I made the observation that there should be a better sign indicating where the Trail Center is.  Al Krupski, said immediately, with some energy, “like the NYS signs?”  I immediately exclaimed, “those things are horrendous,” and the conversation quickly veered to how the Trails Center was shut down very shortly after it had been re-named for Ray Corwin who passed away in April of 2010.  My mind drifted back to a conversation I had with Ray about ten years ago after a Pine Barrens Enforcement Council meeting, during which he said that he didn’t think parks and buildings should be re-named in memory of people. Ray had said this in response to my observation that even though I had just written a Dan’s Papers article about Barcelona Neck, I kept forgetting the name of the person for whom it had been re-named - Linda Gronlund.  I wonder what the view is like from Barcelona Neck in Spain?

For the dedicated building to mean something, it should help advance Ray's vision for the Pine Barrens. - Ken Kindler

We need to invest in the Trail Center. Our Pine Barrens trails are a regional resource of great value – they protect our water supply and invite tourists into Long Island’s beautiful natural surroundings. We could use pure Pine Barrens aquifer water from a deep well to attract people to the Trail Center and educate them on the importance of protecting our aquifer. See if we could get Dick Amper interested in funding the well.  I think Ray would appreciate this, more than having the building named after him.

The media needs to do a public education campaign about this. We also need to provide clear driving directions and a visible address, so that people can find the Trail Center.  Perhaps we should remove the ugly brown “Trail Center” sign by the Mobil station entrance.  When I was working in or around the center, the sign would often bring in people looking for directions to “our Lady of the Shrine, or which way to the Hamptons?”

Internet access at the Trails Center would make volunteering time there more attractive.  Volunteers could use downtime to get caught up on research and writing in between welcoming visitors.
The trails community includes hikers, mountain bikers, horse, mule, and donkey riders, runners, and naturalists who may be hunting for mushrooms, rocks, or birds or just seeking a quiet place to meditate. The Trails Center is a great place for people to meet and share.