Is the Fjord Trail our Pjark, or have we been Fjooled? Only time will tell if the Fjord Trail will hurt or heal the highlands, though Haldane students, like many in our community, have some strong opinions.
The Fjord Trail as currently proposed would run 7.5 miles from Dockside Park in Cold Spring to the Beacon train station, running through the Cornish Estate, Little Stony Point, and Breakneck Ridge. According to the official Fjord Trail website, hhft.org, the trail would consist of a riverside walkway with a width of 10-14 ft. It would also include 4 free parking lots, adding 420 new parking spaces near Little Stony Point, Breakneck Ridge, Dutchess Manor, and Notch, as well as restrooms and trash cans. It is projected to bring in 600,000-1.1 million annual visitors.
Proponents of the Fjord Trail project argue that it would help ease congestion in the lower Main Street in Cold Spring by providing an alternative route for tourists and that the trail would reduce the number of hikers who dangerously walk and park along the sides of Route 9D to get to Breakneck Ridge and other trails. They say that the trail would offer an expansive bike path that would safely connect Beacon and Cold Spring and provide a unique and beautiful space to admire the beauty of the Hudson Valley.
Haldane sophomore Corinna Mueller thinks the trail will be hugely beneficial to the businesses that operate along Main Street. “I just don’t understand why it would be a negative thing for our community,” Mueller stated.
“I can understand those who think it would bring in more tourists and I don’t really want that either, but also they are essentially how our economy thrives by helping the businesses on Main Street so much.” She continued, “Maybe I just don’t know enough about the negative effects of it but I don’t really understand why so many people are against it.”
Trail opponents argue that instead of solving the problem of over-tourism, the trail would serve to bring even more tourists into what they feel is an already crowded area and some worry that the trail’s current proposed starting location at Dockside would forever change the little park, or that the stores on the main street wouldn’t benefit from most of the foot traffic and the business those visitors provide.
Senior Louis Ferreira said the tourist overpopulation and the lack of a say the village has over the project are some of the reasons he, among many others, opposes the trail. “As far as I’m aware of it, Fjord Trail is a state park initiative,” Ferreira said. “There’s some [private donors] financing it, but all in all, it’s predominantly government-organized. I know that we might at this point not have much say in regards to if it gets built, just more so if it starts at Cold Spring. And that’s a big deal because Cold Spring already has enough issues of congestion.”
Opponents of the trail also argue that the width of the trail is insufficient for the amount of tourists the park is anticipated to bring in. The non-profit Protect the Highlands likens the trail to Walkway Over the Hudson, but 60% narrower, and claims that biking along the path would be unfeasible during the busier days. There have also been concerns about the disruption to the flora and fauna that live along the trail. Protect the Highlands argues on their website that the plan would harm the ecosystems of the waterside, which it claims is home to nine protected species.
Haldane junior and Habitat Revival Club President Sofia Kelly has a mixed opinion on the trail. She hopes the project will bring in more native plants to Cold Spring, but is worried about the potential destruction of wildlife in the area. “I know there’s a lot of talk that they want to plant native plants within the construction of the trail,” Kelly stated. “That’s probably a pretty expensive endeavor. And that’s what I would like to see if this project comes to fruition. It would be really sad to see a lot of trees cut down, way too many people in Cold Spring, way too much foot traffic, and essentially just getting rid of another huge chunk of forest in our area. I think there’s a way to do it sustainably. And we’ll see if that happens.”
Haldane students can learn more about the ups and downs of the trail by reading coverage of the debate in our local newspapers and by visiting both www.protectthehighlands.org, the website of a non-profit that opposes the park as currently proposed, and hhft.org, the official website of the Fjord Trail project.
