FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 30, 2026  

Contact:
Olivia Dwyer
Jay Town Councilor
o.dwyer@townofjayny.gov
(518) 320-6669

Community Input Advances Jay Outdoor Recreation Planning

Enhancing parks, creating trails, and improving river access emerge as local priorities.   

AU SABLE FORKS, NY – The Town of Jay’s Recreation Economy for Rural Communities (RERC) initiative reached a major milestone last weekend, as a series of workshops brought together community members, town officials, and representatives from federal, state, and regional agencies to shape the future of parks, trails, and river access in Jay.

More than 40 people attended Friday evening’s community welcome event, with 20 people participating in Saturday’s workshop. Attendees at both events had the chance to share their vision for outdoor recreation in the town’s hamlets of Upper Jay, Jay, and Au Sable Forks. 

“What made this weekend so meaningful was hearing directly from our community about what matters to them,” said Town Councilor Olivia Dwyer. “Their input will guide the town’s outdoor recreation priorities, and our job will be to work with the partners RERC convened to secure funding and technical support to make the community vision real.” 

The RERC program, which is managed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, is a planning assistance program that helps communities identify strategies to grow their outdoor recreation economy and revitalize their Main Streets. More than 200 communities applied for RERC in 2024, and in 2025 Jay was one of 25 communities selected nationwide for the program’s third round. The RERC process will help Jay create a community action plan to catalyze outdoor recreation initiatives over the next three years.

Community presentations spark brainstorms

Friday’s event included presentations on current community projects. The ADK Civics Club—a social group that builds civic understanding and engagement—presented their initiative to develop a dog park in Au Sable Forks. Then the Barkeater Trails Alliance, a nonprofit that builds and stewards mountain bike and ski trails, shared a conceptual plan for multiuse trails at Four Peaks, a 600-acre parcel added to the Adirondack Forest Preserve in 2024 adjacent to the Wilmington Hardy Road trail network. 

“BETA is proud to partner with the Town of Jay and explore ways we can enhance community-based outdoor recreation,” said BETA Board Co-Chair Patrick Carey. “We see a strong need for approachable and inclusive local trails. Accessibility to trails has a positive impact on health, happiness, and connection to nature, allowing everyone from young to young-at-heart to enjoy this beautiful place we call home.”

Four Peaks does not currently have any marked or maintained trails or a parking area. The New York State Department of Conservation (DEC) would conduct a planning and public review process to approve any new trails on Forest Preserve land.

Before the workshop, Jay’s RERC steering committee of community members and local partners identified topic areas to guide discussion: 

  • Enhance recreation access by making close-to-home recreation amenities easily accessible for a wide range of ages and abilities to build a sense of community.
  • Strengthen connections between Jay’s three hamlets and surrounding communities through consistent wayfinding and interconnected routes and services.
  • Enhance Jay’s hamlets and main streets to support small businesses and meet the needs of residents and visitors.
  • Engage community members in parks and trails stewardship to grow a sustainable outdoor recreation economy.

Members of Jay’s RERC steering committee are:

  • Olivia Dwyer, Town of Jay
  • Mike Battisti, Community Member
  • Sam Blake, Lake George-Lake Champlain Regional Planning Board
  • Patrick Carey, Barkeater Trails Alliance
  • Adam DeSantis, Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism (ROOST)
  • Jessica Deslauriers, Essex County Community Resources 
  • Jessica Douglass, Town of Black Brook 
  • Ed Harstead, Community Member
  • Dan Kelleher, Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism (ROOST)
  • Nick McDonald, Monaghan Medical Corporation
  • Matthew McNamara, Adirondack Park Agency
  • Jody Olcott, Essex County Industrial Development Agency 
  • Tim Rowland, Jay Community News 
  • Joe Vacca, Community Member 
  • Norman Ward, Ausable Acres Property Owners Association 
  • Noah Weber, Essex County Soil and Water Conservation District

As workshop attendees participated in brainstorming, discussion, and action planning, themes of access to nature, hamlet connections, and riverfront access emerged. Projects identified included:

  • Extending Henry’s Trail in Au Sable Forks. 
  • Improving river access at the Covered Bridge in Jay.
  • Creating hiking and mountain biking trails at Four Peaks.
  • Developing nature trails in Upper Jay. 
  • Exploring an off-road pathway to connect all three of the town’s hamlets.  

Agencies share resources for funding and technical expertise  

RERC partners invited representatives from a range of agencies to help identify funding opportunities and technical support for turning community ideas into reality, including the National Park Service, the Northern Border Regional Commission, USDA Rural Development, the New York State Department of State, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, NYSDEC, the Adirondack Park Agency, the Lake Champlain-Lake George Regional Planning Board, the Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism (ROOST), and the Northern Forest Center. These representatives toured Jay’s recreation sites and hamlet centers on Friday, with State Senator Dan Stec joining to hear about RERC and Jay’s outdoor recreation initiatives.

“I think I speak for the whole facilitation team when I say we were blown away, not just by the scenery and what Jay already has going for it in terms of outdoor recreation, but also by the passion and dedication people brought into the room,” said Joe Fox, Outdoor Recreation Manager at the Northern Forest Center and a member of the workshop facilitation team. “At the Center, we start by listening and working alongside local leaders, then we help communities across the Northern Forest with advisory services, peer networks, and access to capital to get projects done, similar to how the RERC program works with communities. I look forward to exploring how we can support Jay as this plan takes shape, and I hope even more people get involved.”

Learn more by attending October 14 virtual event

The Town of Jay invites community members to bring their voices to the outdoor recreation planning process. The next opportunity to hear updates and share ideas will be a virtual post-workshop event on Wednesday, October 14, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. via Zoom, with a link posted to https://www.townofjayny.gov/jay-town-calendar/. All who live in or visit Upper Jay, Jay, Au Sable Forks, and neighboring communites connected by the Ausable River are welcome to attend, no experience required. For more information, contact Jay Town Councilor Olivia Dwyer at o.dwyer@townofjayny.gov.