Back in the 1970's, when I was Albany City Archeologist, I had envisioned a 40 mile hiking trail around the entire city of Albany that I called the Albany Greenbelt. I was amazed at how such an ancient city - founded in 1614 - could still have so much original wilderness around its political boundaries after 400 years!! Surely we must preserve it and allow everyone to enjoy it, or so I thought.

While then Mayor Erastus Corning approved of the project, it never got off the ground. So, when I began working as the Pine Bush Preserve Manager in early 1983, for the recently departed Mayor Thomas Whalen, I again proposed the project and this time received his blessing, along with the City Planner and the Parks and Recreation Commissioner. Even a young new alderman named Jerry Jennings thought it was a great idea.

I worked on the project for two years, and with volunteers Maria Trabka and Nancy Williams, we explored every step of the 40 mile route. This combination of hiking and biking trail encircled the four major natural regions that surround the city and that includes the Hudson River corridor, Patroon's Creek/Tivoli Hollow corridor, the Pine Bush, and the Normanskill Valley. Hikers would walk over many a pristine land if the project had been completed.

Part of the trail was to be paved for bikes, but most of it was a natural hiking route that was marked with special markers and a guidebook. It also was educational in scope. Hikers would not only explore the natural history of the region but the trail passed many a historic site as well.

In 1984, I met with members of DOT, who at the time were redesigning the new Exit 24 interchange. They made a commitment to build a paved bike section of the Greenbelt from 6 Mile Waterworks to a section between the Thruway and along the Albany Landfill, about a mile total. It was completed and exists today. The remaining bike route would go up to the Pine Bush preserve and under Route 146 where it would meet with the original King's Highway and other trails until it reached the Normanskill on the western edge of the city. There the city was building a hiking/biking portion of the route down the Normanskill Valley where they were improving the golf range. I also negotiated with several landowners for easements so hikers could cross their lands. Eventually hikers would find themselves back at the Corning Preserve where it began.

At the same time I nominated the entire trail system in the city's Pine Bush Preserve as part of the nation's historic recreational trail system, again with Whalen's blessing. In 1985 it became an official part of the National Recreational Trail system. The basic idea was to have this main 40 mile route (Greenbelt) with junctions where hikers or bikers could detour and visit several natural and historic regions that were adjacent to the main Greenbelt route. The King's Highway National Recreational Trail system was a part of the overall Greenbelt design and allowed a hiker or biker to explore the entire Pine Bush Preserve, before he or she continued the longer route. There was a great deal of media exposure about the project at the time.

Things were going fine until I found out in late 1985 that Whalen didn't like my preservation stance on the Pine Bush and cut the funding for my job and of course work on the Greenbelt.

I bring this up because last year Governor Pataki and Mayor Jerry Jennings came up with essentially the same idea? A newspaper article last week projected a cost of 7 to 8 million for a paved section 10-foot-wide following Colonie Street under Interstate 787 through city streets to Tivoli Park, where it would cross the railroad tracks, then loosely follow the I-90 corridor to Rensselaer Lake, west of Fuller Road and finally around the city. Hmm, sure sounds familiar.

I would like to thank the Governor for coming up with some money for this worthwhile project. Oh, you say they forgot to mention I originally designed it? I'm sure it was just a simple memory slip from the Mayor's "team." The bottom line is a great idea is a great idea. If politics hadn't interfered 20 years ago, yes, we would already be enjoying it. But if the Governor can make it happen now, just think of the future generations that will be able to enjoy a great natural history surrounding one of the oldest cities in the country. Once in a while you need to ignore the egosystems to protect the ecosystems!

Heritage on the Hudson appears every Tuesday in the Troy Record.