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The Putnam Trail, has been a beautiful sight in van cortlandt park for many years. It has been apart of our community promoting a healthy lifestyle. Many people, like myself, use this trail for exercise. It will be a great loss for the community if this trail is taken away. Please don't close down this trail, it has been a place for all our residents.

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Hope this endeavor is successful

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Please save the historic Putnam trail for future generations of nature lovers. It's important to preserve the beauty of nature for all our children.

Keep The Putnam Trail Open

Thanks for doing this!

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Keep the trail alive and promote fitness

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save the trail and please let it be
for tomorrow's children, and now, you and me
however it's used, whether bike, walk, or run
keep putnam as is for every day fun.

It ain't broke, so don't fix it.

New Yorkers need as much natural environment as possible. We work hard and we need calm, natural, quiet spaces, not more asphalt.

This is a unique and beautiful running trail that I can get to WITHOUT A CAR! Please keep it as it is.

Please save the Putnam trail as a nature trail.
There are plenty of paved paths already..

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Please preserve the beauty of Van Cortlandt Park and the habitat for the species of animals and plants that live in it. Improve but keep natural the bike and jogging trail and preserve this much necessary resource.

Preserve Putman Trail in it's most natural state, especially significant to city dwellers. Bikers are not excluded. They can get a mountain bike.

I Have fond Memories On The Putnam Trail From My Years After College Living In Mahopac Putnam County When I Ran And Rollerbladed To Living In Riverdale, Bronx When My Husband And I Were First Married And Enjoyed Peaceful Walks Together DBefore We Moved To The Suburbs To Raise A Family. Everyone Should Have This opportunity To enjoy Special Moments And Create Fond Memories.

Please do not pave the Putnam Trail. We need to maintain some areas around cities that are not paved.

Thank you

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Don't pave any more NYC trails!

The heading speaks for itself — hope those who are for nature conservancy will prevail. Please, leave Nature as it shines.

Have used this trail many years on my mountain bike, and have enjoyed the scenery.

We have enough pavement in this city. Stop destroying nature with it.

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If this trail is paved over not only are you doing a disservice to the people/taxpayers that use this trail.You will be serving a crashing blow to the enviorment. Once it is gone, it never comes back. There is no need to change what nature has already provided!

We don't need any more paved trails in the Bronx. Please leave it alone. I ride my bike almost daily there.

Save The Trail !!! Leave It Alone !!!

Please keep the Putnam trail natural.

The Putnam Trail has so much sentimental value to me as I began my running career surrounded by the trees of this natural bliss in the middle of New York City. To pave it with asphalt would diminish its charm.

Please Do Not Change The Trail. As a 21 year old, I value the natural beauty for myself and the younger generation.

A 15 foot wide paved path will the destroy the scenic beauty of the Putnam Trail. I detest running on asphalt, the natural trails around Van Cortlandt are what make it unique to other city parks. The whole meaning of a trail is it has natural beauty, please do not pave the trail.

Don't ruin a beautiful nature park in the midst of the city, these parks should be protected. Using rock dust will preserve the trail, while a paved trail will ruin it. Also, there is no need to widen the trail, this isn't a freeway!

I am a bird watcher and do not want to see valuable habitat destroyed by the paving of the Putnam Trail. Please don't ruin this beautiful trail.

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Please save the trail my family lives in the Bronx and they enjoy the trail everyday

Leave nature alone. Do not pave a road that does not need paving. Let generations to come enjoy a natural, beautiful trail.

It's a given that a remodelling a nature like this will be regretted for generations to come. Please keep the trail as it is or with gentle reconstructions.

Regards Mats

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Please save the Putman trail.

Please save the Putnam Trail. I know several people who enjoy this trail on a weekly basis. It is so important for humans to spend time in nature DAILY. If all natural trails are paved we will not have this opportunity. Our children will not know what it's like to run in the dirt and in the woods. They won't know what a deer or a rabbit looks like. The people using this trail want it to stay natural. Keep it that way!

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While I appreciate any efforts to clean-up and improve our natural spaces it's troubling to think that the natural aesthetics will be altered for the worse. Please consider the input of folks that utilize the park on a regular basis and help make it a warm, welcoming refuge from the concrete jungle.

We have enough asphalt in the world, please preserve the little nature we have left.

Please don't pave over paradise!

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Please let nature be.

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Our natural environments are shrinking. This must not happen.

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To pave or widen this trail is not an improvement. Better to add more native plants, and protect the natural beauty & wildlife that make it special. People who wish to run/walk/bike on pavement have many options already! Please protect the unpaved, narrow, natural charm that invites one to wander in appreciation of nature rather dashing through all unaware.

I just moved to the Bronx from the Upper West Side of Manhattan BECAUSE of Van Cortlandt Park and it's great trails. Please do not pave the Putnam Trail. I have not met one person who was in favor of this.

Don't try to play god. Leave nature alone. Every living thing has its purpose. Asphalt has nothing to do in a forest! Keep out!

Leave the trail alone .if you pave it the bikers will only go faster and make it unsafe for the rest of us.

I spent my youth running cross country races at Van Cortlandt Park. I became a national runner. Running on the dirt paths through the canopy of trees is one of my favorite memories during the healthiest phase of my life. Now, when I visit, I walk these trails with my sister and her husband and am just as adamant as they are to keep the Putnam Trail as it is now for generations to come. Thank you.

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Don't pave the trail.

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Stop paving parkland.

We have so little parkland in the city. How can we possibly justify destroying one inch if it??

As someone who spent years is highschool life running these trails, as an adult who loves to fish at lake and and a person who understands the fine balance of nature and human presence... It makes no sense to destroy what is beautiful to convenience a minority of Road Bikers. The trail is suitable for mountain bikes and hikers alike.

To waste my taxpayer money on a frivolous project, how about funding the remaining greenway project along the Bronx River.

I am a Hoboken resident who works in New York City and who knows too well the consequences of ruining any natural area. Anyone in New York City who watched the devastation of Sandy should understand the folly of paving over ANYTHING that should not be paved over. Paving over the Putnam trail is a stupid idea, in addition to a waste of taxpayer money. Stop destroying New York!

Save the Trail

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Save the trail

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There is a difference between improving a trail by clearing debris, perhaps laying down a natural substrate for ease of maintenance (and to keep invasives non native plant species from jumping from one side of the trail to the other) and degrading the environment by pouring asphalt in a natural area. What is the science behind moving forward with this project? People in the city go to the woods to escape the "concrete jungle", they trod on asphalt all day long. Once in natural areas such as this, they can breathe the air, feel the real ground beneath their feet and feel whole again. Do not pave this trail. Leave it be. Leave it natural. Maintain it, improve it, but do not turn it into a mini road.

Tired of having concrete and pavement put down all over this city's beautiful green spaces.

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Human-induced habitat fragmentation is one of the major causes of biodiversity loss.
Species confined to fragmented habitats are of major conservation concerns.
Cutting down trees and putting down a paved road could destruct local habitats and fragment populations which could have deleterious impacts on the biodiversity of the trail.
Please preserve the Putnam Trail as is!

we need more natural trails

We enjoy the park the way it is. Please do not ruin the park by cutting down trees and paving a wide road. People go to the park to get away from paved cement & asphalt roads.

Please save the trails

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As someone who has run 60 marathons and / or trail ultras, please save the dirt trails. They are disappearing too fast.

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SAVE THE TRAIL!!!

Please preserve the Putnam Trail. We need to protect our resources.

Please save the trail, I love coming here to enjoy nature and the park.

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There are so many other things they could do in the park to keep it up.  There are better uses of taxpayer dollars.

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Keep it natural please.

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I enjoy walking in the park. Keep it natural.

Keep it natural please.

It would be a big mistake to remove the rugged character of this trail. Nature is hard to come by as it is in this city, and to rid us of this treasure would be counterproductive. Save our tax dollars for better purposes, such as public schools or low-income housing. Just a suggestion.

There are plenty of paved trails throughout the Bronx but there are very very few unpaved trails. Paving this trail over would not only be environmentally damaging, costly, but would also give us a less varied outdoor experience. People seek less manicured trails have a hard enough time finding them. Please preserve this trail as is.

Jose

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PLEASE DON'T DO THIS! NATURAL SPACE IS SO SO LIMITED AS IT IS.

Save the Trail!

I have lived in Staten Island for over a decade (essentially my childhood) and I have seen patches of trees and nature destroyed in favor of houses. No longer do I see the beautiful green trees in the summer like I did when I was younger when I now drive past those areas today. Such a small area of land made such a large impact on me: I can feel the pain of people who want to see the Putnam trail preserved. You are the voice of the people, and this is the people's voice.

Save the trail!

Please keep the Putnam Trail au naturale!

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I love hiking up there, don't pave over it!

Please save your money, stop the paving, and preserve this beautiful trail for all to enjoy...
PLEASE!!!!!

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The Putnam Trail is great! Why would you change it?

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I love to hike.

SAVE THE PUTNAM TRAIL!

Save the Putnam Trail!

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Save the trail!

Paving the trail would take away its natural beauty.

I LOVE Van Cortlandt Park and the Putnam Trail is one of my favorite parts about it. Paving the trail would ruin it.

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Stop we don't need, nor do we want another road...aren't you supposed to listen to the people! Well, listen...save the Putnam

Please don't destroy this beautiful park! It's a refuge for us city dwellers.

Why destroy something so beautiful?

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These are such beautiful trails. Why???

I did not know they were going to start so soon we must stop them. What is jeff klein saying about this also jeff dinowitz and the other guy who always wants to be with Obama right next to him for a photo op they should all speak up.

Dear Ms. Quinn,
My name is Riccel Kouns. I am 17, a runner, and environmentalist. The Putnam Trail is like a second home to me. It has played a major role in my running career, linking Tibbets Brook Park to Van Cortlandt Park. This is the only trail that remains unpaved and I would like to keep it that way. Paving the trail would be detrimental to not only the runners, who prefer a soft ground, but also to the plants, the animals, and the overall atmosphere of the trail. Putting a gravel road on the trail destroys everything that is beautiful about that small path. I love the peacefulness, the quiet, the light pitter-patter of my feet upon the ground, and the occasional mud pile that I must work my way through. Please do not take away one of the greatest things that connects Yonkers to the Bronx. Please do not destroy a runner's haven. Please save the trail!

Thank you!

The Putnum Trail is one of the few trails we have left in NYC. Children and adults alike deserve and need the opportunity to escape the concrete city without having to spend a lot of money to travel far. There are so many paved bike paths here. Let our children explore and experience nature!

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Undisturbed nature is going more and more precious each day. Please preserve the trail, and allow the community to keep benefiting from it.

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My first experience in Van Cortlandt Park was at 13 with the Harlem Flight Kings. As an adult I learned of the various trails in the backhills, horse trail, backloop, and the hill for the die hard runner. My coach requested to have his ashes thrown in Van Cortlandt Park.

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Don't pave the trail! Conserve and protect our natural resources!

This trail is so precious to our community, to visitors. It is a bit of nature for a walker or runner, a natural surface to jog/run/walk on beneath trees and amid wild green, let's keep it as it is, and bring some real nature, unhobbled by pavement and urbanization, into the 21st century with us, and, hopefully, beyond.

Don't destroy the natural beauty of this trail!!!

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Don't Pave the trail!

We LOVE the Putnam trail AS IS!!!! PLEASE LEAVE IT ALONE!!!

I've been running in my beloved Van Cortlandt since 1975. Currently I'm walking but I remember the railroad track when the tracks were still there. Please keep the park's natural beauty.

Don't do this this will destroy the park we don't need that really!!!

As a newcomer to the Bronx area, I have just begun to explore the wooded beauty of Van Cortlandt Park and The Putnam Trail. Keep it natural, don't pave over the trail.

Why ruin something that is a perfect as it is? This trail is the most peaceful escape from the everyday chaos of city living and so accessible to all New Yorkers. The variety of trees, plants and wildlife would be totally destoyed if this project were to go through. Just last Saturday we observed a snapping turtle sunning himself by a pond, ducks, egrets, as well as masses of wildflowers - marsh marigolds and trout lilies which have taken years to acclimate and spread throughout the wooded areas. All this to be destroyed for a paved and widened road? Don't tamper with it!!

I'm not happy to hear about this decision to ruin another neighborhood to add to the industrial chaos that narrows down the choices for our kids's healthy living. My customers are equally unhappy about this too. You'll hear from them too.

Please do not pave this trail, it would be the worst environmental offense, and make it the unhealthiest for runners and hikers.

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We thought the trail was damaged by Sandy but apparently they are destroying all the trees. This used to be a beautiful trail where you could feel you were far from the city in a very natural environment. This season it is so bare the golfers speak to you and you can see the cars on the highway. It is really sad and to think they want to pave it over is a travesty. Please reconsider the plan - who knows if the trees can ever be restored though.

Please don't destroy this beautiful trail.
This treasure should be preserved for years to come.

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SAVE THIS!!!!!

Exploring the forests in the Bronx was one of my best experiences while living in New York City last year. Please don't spend money tampering with them.

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NO PAVEMENT! There are so many other problems that VCP faces that this money could be spent. Instead of paving why not extend the path south?

Visit the Putnam Trail Chronicle - http://putnamtrailchronicle.blogspot.com

I love the nature trail and the abundance of wildlife. Please don't destroy a beautiful and unique Bronx oasis!

Stay natural !!

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All for an alternate plan :)

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Hell no, we won't go.

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Keep the trail as natural as possible.

Keep trail as is.

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Keep the trail.

Keep the trail as it is.

Please don't pave the trail!

Please don't pave the trail!

Save the trail.

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Not urban - natural.

Asphalt is not healthy for the ankles.

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Do not pave the Putnam Trail please.

When in Ny, I am constantly seeking green space. Putnam is an oasis in a concrete desert. Please preserve it. :)

I ride my mountain bike through the trail.

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Keep organic.

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Take walks with family and showed my students on a hiking trip recently.

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Thanks!

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good work.

Leave nature alone!

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Leave the trail alone

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Leave the trail.

Leave the trail.

Leave the trail.

Leave the trail.

Leave the trail.

Leave the trail.

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We need more trees.

No need for asphalt!

Leave the rail.

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leave the woods alone!!!!

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Don't pave the trail. It's better un-paved.

This park is my morning coffee, nothing makes me feel better in the morning then a walk through Van Cortlandt Park, my runs on the trail saved me from cholesterol pills. The walk in it is a lifesaver. Don't destroy it with cement, leave it as nature wants it, leave this patch of nature untouched. Give this money to the poor instead.

I like walking on this trail, my knees were happy on this trail.

We are supposed to go green people, not destroy it!

Keep the Putnam Trail the way it is. Asphalt is for city streets, not wild areas of parks.
It's hypocritical to plant trees on city streets and then cut them down in the city parks to make way for an asphalt paved road.

Save the trail!!

Save the beauty of this trail, the trees and greenery that bloomed through the years and animals that inhabit this space.

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Leave the Putnam Trail as-is!

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Pavement would conflict with the natural quality of the path with no real added benefit.

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I like it as it is. I walk, exercise and rest on the trail.

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No paving!

No paving.

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No tienen que hacer eso.

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Don't cut the trees!

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No paving please.

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I end my runs on this trail, and it's a quiet way to end a long run through the streets. Just seems like a waste of what looks like a lot of money. Isn't there another way to allocate these funds?

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There are so few trails available in the city environs. Please save this beautiful one from being paved over.

Please let's save animals and trees.

Let's stop making things worse.

I've always loved hiking this trail. Please don't ruin it.

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Don't kill the animals' home!!!!

Save the park. It's a land mark of our area.

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I heartily support this petition, for the greater good of VCP and all those who use it.

Nature has a right to live!

Please leave the park alone, I have been going there since I was a kid. Now I take my son there, this place has so many memories and cherished moments I shared with my family.

This is wrong, do not destroy our natural paths, do not change what is not broken.

Thank you,

Sereane

From a homeowner and voter. Cementing the trail is one of the WORST proposals concerning our parks that I have seen in a long time.

Repairing the trail is a fine idea. Further "improving" it as proposed is a fatal slice through the body of a great public park. This is one of the great walks in the city, creating a highway in it's place seems so very very unhealthy.

I love strolling around Van Cortlandt Park on a regular, whether it's to lose some lbs or just enjoy the fresh air with my son. NY is covered in roads...there's not many areas which allow families to walk freely and just enjoy nature. Our main destination in Van Cortlandt Park is the Putnam Trail. You cannot destroy it.

Please do not destroy van cortlandt park for a paved road. Me and my family only live a few blocks away and we go to van cortlandt all the time and grew up going there. The parks natural state should resume and making the park better should not consist of removing trees and leaving animals homeless.

We already have a massive water filtration project in the
park. Destroying 400 trees to pour cement does not make sense.

The Bronx needs all the natural beauty it can get. As someone who suffers from tendinitis in the ankles from years of walking on pavement, I value natural surfaces.

I'm okay with not paving.

No paving.

No paving instead maintain nature!

No paving please

No paving please

Please leave park as is!

Leave natural.

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Do not pave it.

Please don't pave.

Please don't pave it.

Please don't pave it.

No, don't pave it please.

Keep as natural as possible. I come here all the time as my favorite place.

Please no paving.

Please don't pave

Please do not pave.

Don't pave.

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Save the Putnam Trail! Please make improvements without the pavement and loss of trees.

Please do not pave the trail. I am a bike rider as well as a lover of birds. I enjoy the tree cover. At a time when the city is promoting more trees. Why are we losing ours

Across the city green spaces are being used in ways which impact NYC's urban wildlife. We must preserve our green spaces and co-exist with the animals that still share our limited green spaces in this concrete jungle

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What should be done is a traffic light or stop sign so kids can cross safely on their way to the park

I have been running the Xcountry trail for years, as a Bronx and now a Yonkers resident. The joy, contentment and serenity that it has provided is priceless. I am very saddened to hear of the proposal to cut down over 400 trees that will decimate this beautiful urban oasis

We need MORE not less green for psychological, physical and emotional needs!

Don't pave paradise and put up a tacky road. The Putnam Trail is one of the best (rather) raw nature scenes in NYC. Please keep it that way.

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If it aint broke don't fix it. Don't ruin the most historic park in the Bronx.

i love van court-land park

Do not mess up the putnam trail. Many of us use it for different reasons. I use it to run and get in shape for my fights. Leave it as it it, no one wants it to change.

I have been a birdwatcher for 30 years and have spent many hours on the trail with others enjoying the unspoiled areas along the trail. Paving the trail would be a disaster for those of us who enjoy the peace and quiet of this beautiful part of the Bronx.

i head to the woods to avoid concrete

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Do not pave the trail

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SAVE IT.

We only have so many sacred places left, we should honor Teddy Roosevelt's dream of conservation and save this gift for our children.

Save the Putnam Trail!

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I do not want to see the beautiful trails at Van Cortlandt Park expanded or paved over. Please maintain them in their current form.

I run on that track everyday and this project will ruin the whole natural beauty of the park.

Please save this trail, which is a marvelous running and walking site.

Preserve the trail. Leave Van Cortlandt Park alone.

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Save that trail please. It is the will of the people not those who get 40% Federal Funding. Please look at the books to resolve this problem for the Will of the people if organized is greater than money which is not even there on our credit system.

I train for the NYC marathon on the Putnam trail because it is easier on the legs. Please to do not pave any more of it.

I first walked the trail as a freshman at Manhattan College in 1995. Shallow aesthetic concerns of the moment in the mold of the Highline should not be served at the expense of this historically valuable resource.

Why destroy something that is perfect the way it is!

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Leave the trail alone!

Please preserve a refuge in our concrete jungle!

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This is historic....dont change a thing.

It should always be green. Bicycles always have their space on streets. Parks should always be left alone except to expand.

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save it!

Leave our park alone. Use those tax dollars to feed, shelter or train the homeless, disabled and elderly.

Don't destroy the quality of our air.

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Take away the only nature experience in Riverdale? Yeah, that's smart! smh

pavement in parks doesn't even make sense!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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This cannot be done. The Bronx and the city needs Van Cortlandt park. The park cannot be touched.

Don't do it please!!!

Please do not destroy the only few parks we have left it is unfair to the environment, animals who live on the trail and people who enjoy this natural trail! Let it be!

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Do not destroy the magnificence of Van Cortlandt, it is a gem within our neighborhood. Leave the Putnam Trail alone and preserve the natural beauty, history, and memories of Van Cortlandt park for generations to come.

please save our park.
thank you

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I currently live in yonkers and prefer Van Cortlandt Park over Tibbett's Brook Park. It's not as adventurous or fun as VCP. I love all the nature at VCP especially the pretty birds and greenery.

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Save the trails where I grew up riding my bike.

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This park is the best part of Riverdale it's the largest natural park in the city. I think to change it's natural beauty would be a horrible idea

Do not destroy van cortlandt park. This is a historic park, that has a lot of history for the bronx. A lot of kids grew up n this park including myself.

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Van Cortlandt Park is one of the last precious natural landscapes. This park is one with vast memories for many members for the 5 Boros. Please don't destroy this park family gathers and sport are played here for many generations.

Do not pave the path!

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Leave the Putnam trail alone. Stop wasting tax payer money on nonsense like this & use it to actually fix things that need fixing, like the million potholes that need to be filled.

The Putnum Trail is one of the few trails we have where we run, jog, feel like you are out of the city and explore the wilderness. I was raised in this area and have fond memories here and hope my daughter will be able to appreciate the whole feel. It will be devastating if you even touch one tree here because everyone has a life and purpose here.

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I grew up playing sports of all kind in van cortlandt park, from soccer to baseball, to high school cross country and track and would hate to see some of it destroyed for development that destroys the great trails and wildlife.

Growing up in the Bronx does not allow for much time with nature. I remember hiking and running along the Putnam Trail as a child. This was my only chance to get outside and off of the concrete. I would hate to see that ruined for future generations.

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I think that it would be a disrespect to nature to teat the trail down. Think of the healthy nature walks, the animals that have their home there, the beautiful trees that grow in that area. It would be a crime to hurt a living thing!!!

Grew up in Van Cortlandt Park...

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Save the bird habitat! Nature paths should not be paved. Paving would mess with the natural eco system that many species currently thrive on. This park is a true gem in our urban environment. Green areas in NYC are growing less and less each year. I enjoy the natural NATURE paths every day.

Ran here dozens of times. Would hate to see it be gone!

Keep parks natural.

Keep the trail how it is!!

I have been running for years on the Putnam Trail and would be very upset to see it be ruined by cement.

Save the park

Please stop this new construction and stop with the waste of tax payer money. Van Cortlandt Park is beautiful so why mess it up with this insane project.

Natural paths! Asphalt trails are not needed! The money should be spent in other areas. Its a shame that the "Friends of Van Cortlandt" have not taken the correct stance on this issue. No "friend" of mine.

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Please leave the hiking trails of NYC parks alone, for those of us who love and appreciate them.

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I would like to keep enjoying Van Cortlandt Park as near to its 'natural' state as possible and wish future generations to find so much solace in VC as i do.

Paving the Putnam Trail with asphalt is counter to all that Van Cortlandt Park is all about. The vast majority of trails in the park are stone-dust or dirt surface. Any vehicle that rides on asphalt will also run perfectly on stone-dust. This is not a squishy soft surface, but a firm yet giving one that will easily support even bicycles with narrow tires, wheelchairs, and baby strollers.

A stone-dust surface allows the earth beneath to breathe and absorb moisture. Asphalt smothers the earth beneath it, and any water trapped under the pavement during freeze cycles eventually leads to "frost heaves" which breaks the asphalt.

Cutting away hundreds of trees to widen the path will damage the trail forever. Once paved, it will never return to its original beauty.
New York does not need another asphalt pathway. We need to preserve the natural resources we still have!

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urban trails are essential for good quality of life!

I've lived in the Bronx all my life, and if anything we need more places like this. Not less.

I love van cortlandt park

This city needs to preserve the few green spaces that are left. Do not destroy or trees. Do not destroy our dirt paths. Do not destroy the nature trail. What people really want is nature to be kept natural.

There are other bike trails. Please save this urban walking trail.

PLEASE do not destroy our beautiful park! We love spending time on the trail in the spring, summer and fall.

My husband, son and I love walking along the dirt path that is the current Putnam Trail. It is one of the very few places near our neighborhood that allows us to feel like we really get far away from the noise and cement of the city. We love the path-- my 18-month old son picks up twigs, stomps in mud, examines tree roots crossing the path. To see the character of the path changed by paving it over would be extremely sad-- a huge loss for my family, for the community, and for The Bronx. I STRONGLY urge you to preserve the Trail in its current state rather than paving over it. We have plenty of other paved things in this city. Leave the Trail as it is now. It's beautiful.

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Please save our walking trails. This park belongs to us the people of the neighborhood.

Please, do not touch one of the most natural beautiful place in New York City.

Save the Putnam Trail and the wildlife/ecosystems reliant on that area!

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We should stop paving everything and preserve more of our environment!!

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Please do not destroy the Putnam Trail, it is one of the city's most natural places to visit. I have trained for marathons on this trail, as well as visited to breathe in some fresh air! To destroy it would be a disservice to the community of the Bronx and the larger New York City area!

I enjoy my hikes with my dog and boyfriend on the Putnam Trail. It is the only place in the area that allows us to get away from the city life and experience nature. Destroying this path will not only break the hearts of those that treasure this path, but it will also destroy the home to thousands of animals and plants. We already live in a concrete jungle, please don't add to it. We need MORE places like this park, not fewer of them...

Please, keep our parks.

keep it natural

Please do not destroy the trail. We need areas like this that only through nature we can have

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I am in favor of preserving the nature of the trail. Please do not destroy one of the most beautify nature we have in this area. Preserve it so we will not all regret it. Love this area. Save the trail!!! Save the trees. Save nature!! Thank you.

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Please preserve the trail - I love running on dirt trails and we don't need any more pavement.

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Killing off more trees in a place like the Bronx will do no good for our already polluted air. Disrupting the natural ecosystem will not be good for us humans, nor will it be good for the animals and plants that have created a home there. Why spend so much money killing off something so beautiful, and something that the local residents don't even want to get rid of?!

I grew up going to this park everyday during the summer time! Save the trail!

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Green areas are important for not only recreational use but for physical and emotional well-being. Keep the park open and the save the trails!

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Please save this trail!

The mindlessness if astounding. relatively new resident of the neighborhood--the park is a jewel. we've enough asphalt all around us. leave the putnam trail as it is!

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Hello, I found out that my original signature didn't go through so I'm trying again. Between my first signature and now I've talked to many people about this issue by spreading flyers in the kingsbridge, riverdale and yonkers areas, so I have something to add to my original message. Of the hundreds of people that i talked to, I met only FOUR people who were actually aware that pavement is being planned. THE COMMUNITY CANNOT HAVE AN OPINION ON THE ISSUE IF THE COMMUNITY DOESN'T KNOW ABOUT IT. SPREAD THE WORD! LET PEOPLE KNOW WHAT IS BEING PLANNED FOR THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD! DON'T BE AFRAID TO TALK TO PEOPLE ON THE STREET- WE ARE ALL NEIGHBORS. WE NEED TO SHARE THIS INFORMATION.
I will also say this about pavement- paving the trail will invite people on mopeds, who already like to ride on the paved parts of the VC park parade grounds. Note that they do NOT like to ride on the paths that have stone dust. Paving the trail will lead to lots of people on mopeds which will lead to ACCIDENTS on the trail.

Formally from The Bronx. Don't do this to VC Park. Spent many a days there enjoying the park and The Putnam Line in the 1960's.

I am Bronx born and bred. I can think of so many other projects more deserving of funding than paving the Putnam Trail. Leave the Trail the way it is, and use the funds for more appropriate projects. And please elected officials - remember, we all vote!

Van Cortlandt is a much needed escape from the asphalt of the city streets. Do NOT use our city resources to destroy something in the name of 'improvement'.

Don't fix what's not broken, and don't spend taxpayer dollars that don't need to be spent.

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Please focus on conserving wildlife instead of gentrifying it.

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Save the trees!

Please save our park and wildlife! Van Cortlandt Park is a treasure and a resource for our community.

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Do not destroy parts of Van Cortlandt nature preserve just for sake of saving a small amount money in the short term but a larger continuous amount in the long term.

Please don't pave over. There is already so little wildlife.

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It's so important to protect our wild spaces. I urge to reject the proposal to pave over the trail. Thank you.

I am actually a cyclist and runner, so understand the desire for cycling options, but this is not the place to pave -- it is a rare and wonderful resource that should be saved.

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Please do not destroy one of the few natural oasis this city has remaining! It would take away not only from the beauty of the park, but from the quality of life enjoyed by those who live near the park, and those who visit it! Thank you.

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Please do not pave the Putnam Trail!

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Is nothing sacred anymore?! We have enough concrete all over this city, leave our parks to their natural beauty!

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The trail is the little slice of real nature in a modern city. LEAVE IT BE FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS!

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Van Cortlandt Park is a rare gem in this city and paving over a portion of the park, cutting down trees, and diluting the air quality are neither in the best interest of the community at large or the people that frequent the park. I urge you to leave this wonderful park as its community wants it - clean, natural, and a quiet refuge from the city around it.

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So many people come to enjoy the beauty and nature of this park, please don't take it away from us!

The Putnam Trail's fine, what's left of the original, as it is. Please leave the Putnam Trail alone. Road cyclists have enough, and we pedestrians are running out of, space in which to play. Indeed, there are plenty of bike lanes -- which need to be painted more clearly in the Bronx, so there's a nice way to put people to work if work is what this is about -- along the miles and miles of road for cyclists. And -- just to make the case better -- those trees the planned action is intent on removing help maintain what little breathable air there is in the Bronx. The Putnam Trail is fine as it is; leave the trail alone. Thank you.

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Think what would happen if the proposal were to pave two acres of Central Park. It seems to me that the City targets what they believe to be poorly organized communities to plant their boondoggles that really benefit few but the politically-connected contractors. Look at what happened to the Mosholu Golf Course also in Van Cortlandt Park. How many years over time estimate and how much over budget. Do not listen to the jobs, jobs, jobs rhetoric of the labor unions. Find out first how many people from the neighborhood have actually been hired as workers. This is a beautiful park, a gem, only 25 minutes from Manhattan. Please listen to the community and the people who use and love the park as it is, not the special interest groups who would compromise the integrity and beauty of this park for some unspoken motivations.

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Please continue to save the environment - and our ability to be nourished from it - and do not waste any more City money by leaving the Putnam Trail just as it is to be maintained by those who love it and use it.

Don't want these woods to go. They have been a part of my life, they should go to the next generation

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i spend my time cataloging the biodiversity of this park! theres rare species! dont do this!

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The efforts by the "Bike the Bronx" group, folks who are clearly motivated by their wish to zip through Van Cortlandt Park on their bikes, by citing the needs of wheelchair users and stroller pushers (seriously) are disturbing to me. The Putnam Trail has a backwoods character, mud and all, which must be retained.

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Just save the damn trail already!

Trail runner here. Do you really want to pave everything in NYC? I come here several times a year. This will be much less of an attraction if paved.

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Asphalt is only good for bikes/cars.
Runners and walkers should come first.
Biking is a sport in these terms, and should not be privileged on public land.

NYC Parks Department - Please leave the historic Putnam Trail alone. What the NYC Parks Dept really needs to do is put new black top down on the roads in Central Park as they are littered with potholes. Also please put new dirt and cover all the pot holes on the bridal path. If you want I will give you a helping hand. Once you have done both these things the hard working tax payers of New York will thank you for adding value.

Do not alter the Putnam Trail. Leave it the way it was meant to be.

Please don't destroy this natural beauty

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Please don't pave the pathway

Save the Putnam Trail !!

Paving over the path diminishes the natural beauty of the path and invites high speed vehicles that would endanger and bother walkers and joggers.

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Please save the natural pathway of Van Cortlandt Park's golf course!!!

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Mayor Bloomberg has been an active advocate of tree planting in NYC's 5 boroughs, so why ever would he agree to replacing trees with pavement to a nature trail in Van Cortlandt Park? NYC needs all the green, not gray space, it can get! And, when it's already there why destroy it!?

I would like to offer my public access timeslot to promote your cause. I would like to video tape a meeting of the organizers at the address on your website. This would look nice, like not just a bunch of scruffy people who want this trail saved. If the Manhattan audience understood the money trail behind this, your problem would be over and the Parks Department would back off. We just have to present it to the public in an elegant manner.

Keep the trail as is.

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Please save the Putnam Trail. In defiance of dumb judgment. Do not destroy this beautiful urban oasis. The Putnam Trail is home away from home for many locals, walkers, runners, cyclists and children who use the trail daily. It would be a real eye sore and disruption to the trail's natural beauty to widen it, use concrete, or any other materials. Leave it alone!!!!!! Vanny and the trail blend perfectly. Very few things in life do. The Putnam Trail is fine as long as its not tampered with. Let future generations enjoy the trail's natural history. Mark Heller, co-founder indefiance series, runner, triathlete.  I have raced in vanny since i was 12 years old. It's one of my favorite places in the world.

Save The Putnam Trail!!!!!! We can do this.
Love Eva

Please keep this area in a natural state. It is better for the health of walkers and joggers, plus we cannot lose any more trees in the city.

Please do not destroy the beauty of the Putnam Trail.

Keep the Putnam Trail for all the hikers and nature lovers to enjoy. Do Not Pave

I fully support the effort, preventing the City from paving the Putnam trail.

I commend those who are working to preserve the Putnam Trail. Having run for over 55 years and run around the world I realized that only those communities that set aside trail space will have a lasting legacy for future generations. A community with trails is a richer community in health, fitness, beauty of nature and direction connection to our ancient roots.

Jeff Galloway
US Olympian
www.RunInjuryFree.com

Please keep the trail unpaved.

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Please don't pave over the trail.

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Preserve the historic Putnam Trail.

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Paving the Trail would be a serious waste of taxpayer money and a terrible destruction of nature.

This proposed project does not seem to make sense either from an environmental or economic perspective. May common sense prevail.

Please save some nature in our natural parks, of which Inwood and Van Cortlandt are examples. I grew up playing and hiking in Van Cortlandt and urge the paving over of trails for the convenience of bicycles to stop here. This is not the 20 mile Cape Cod Rail Trail. It's a modest little path like those in the forested area of Bronx Botanical Garden. Those who don't want dirt in their sneaker treads can find other paths. So little remains natural, please respect this quiet zone.

This makes no sense. Have we learned nothing from deforestation and disrupting natures delicate balances? For what? Joni Mitchell sang about it in "Big Yellow Taxi". Those of us who truly, authentically, and purely use the Putnam Trail to be in nature, and not as some byway or speed way on the way to some place else, know that this is a travesty. Please. Stop this nonsense.

Was it the Times article where someone said it should be paved basically because it's not as 'fun' to ride when it's muddy? I've ridden my road bike plenty of times on that stretch, I'm not the greatest bike handler, with no problems. A dismount or two, squirt of the water bottle to clear my cleats, and I'm good.

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Please do not, I REPEAT, DO NOT, pave over the trail. The reasons are multiple: the required widening of the trail to permit the paving; the addition of an impermeable surface which will increase destructive runoff of rainfall water which, when focused, can become destructive to the area; the fact that the people who are theoretically to be benefited, bike riders, are saying do NOT PAVE; the fact that this is a large tract of more natural wild woods located in the middle of a large city and people do not need this path paved, as it should be allowed to remain in as natural a condition as possible.

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Can't there be a better way? Why would you want to kill off anything natural? We don't have much left to save. Leave our parks and beaches alone.

Why does this need to be paved?

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