Parks & Trails New York held its 2025 Empire State Greenways Conference in Kingston Oct. 15-17, with trail advocates, municipal planners, engineers, land trust representatives and elected officials gathering to learn, network and get inspired. WLC’s Board Chair Kevin Smith was one of the featured speakers at the conference’s plenary session. Kevin also helped to lead the field experience on the Ashokan Rail Trail (ART) for 40 cyclists at the conclusion of the conference.

Speaking on the more than 10 years of advocacy work to win approval for the ART, Kevin provided insights on building a sustained coalition, working with key stakeholders, keeping the momentum and being willing to re-engage by building on past successes. Kevin’s presentation was part of the broader discussion of “Trailblazing Together: Developing Ulster County’s System.”

Ulster County Planning Director Dennis Doyle and Deputy Planning Director Kristen Wilson bookended the session detailing the county’s success in building and connecting shared-use trails with specific trails highlighted by Kingston Mayor Steve Noble, Wallkill Valley Land Trust Executive Director Christie DeBoer and Open Space Institute Vice President Peter Karis.

The Greenways Conference also included a keynote address from Janette Sadik-Khan, former New York City Transportation Commissioner, who spoke about increasing pedestrian and cycling spaces across the city — including transforming Times Square — during Mayor Bloomberg’s administration. Ryan Chao, president of the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, served as Friday’s keynote speaker to provide a national perspective on the benefits of rail trails for non-motorized transportation.

If you’d like to help Kevin and the coalition he leads expand the ART to Kingston, please go to KATrail.org to join the mailing list and learn more. We need your help!