#cornelloutdooreducation

Cascadilla Gorge maintenance is a year-round effort

Maintenance of the Cascadilla Gorge Trail does not stop with the intensive two-day cleanup. Just like the water of Cascadilla Creek consistently flows to carve the gorge to what it is today, our staff and volunteers constantly work to keep the trail safe and passable. Staff walk the gorge trail in the late winter to assess trail conditions. They look for ice or flood damage to railings and staircases or loose rocks on the gorge walls. They check storm water drains for debris build-up and for fallen trees on slopes and any damage around them. This gives time for staff to make a plan to address the damage before opening the trail. Over winter, staff arborists routinely remove hazardous trees or branches. Once the gorge trail is open, staff walk the trail weekly to check for safety issues or damage, and to pick up trash.

Trash removal
 Removing trash from within the gorge is not an easy feat. Each year, we hire skilled staff from Cornell Outdoor Education (COE) to repel the steep gorge walls to collect hard–to-reach plastic beer cups, chairs, an occasional traffic cone, and other trash thrown from the gorge rim. We continue to work with gorge neighbors to find ways to reduce gorge trash through awareness campaigns and installing mesh fencing inside railings.

Natural debris and trash removal, stair and fence repair, and hazardous tree removal are all part of the routine maintenance required throughout the year. Every so often, large flooding events, or just wear and tear over time, require a more substantial and costly gorge repair, such as restoration of a deteriorating bridge abutment or stone staircase.

How you can help When you are on the trail and see damage, please notify Natural Areas Director Todd Bittner at [email protected]. Oftentimes, hikers collect pieces of trash they find along the trail and make a tidy pile at the trailhead. This is a big help!