Bonnies Trail Seeks Volunteers for Cleanup

At home in the outdoors, the late Barbara “Bonnie” Blader, a passionate community advocate and the namesake of Bonnie’s Trails.

Into the quiet on Bonnie’s Trails in the town of Lexington

LEXINGTON - This is the type of attention Bonnie Blader would approve of as the call has gone out for cleanup crews to assemble, on October 4, at Bonnie’s Trails, named in her honor in the town of Lexington.

Volunteers are being asked to gather at 10 a.m. near the trail head, across from 771 Beech Ridge Road South (with an October 5 rain date).

“If you have a lopper, work gloves and collapsable hand saw, please bring them along,” says organizer Bennett Wine.

The fruitful labors, while attending to necessary maintenance, also avail folks a look-see at a soon-to-be new section of pathway.

Bonnie’s Trails were formally dedicated in the autumn of 2023 in tribute to Blader, a passionate and seemingly omnipresent community advocate.

She was not one to draw the limelight to herself even while being boldly in the forefront of multiple endeavors benefitting her adopted hometown.

A bit of her story is told on the entrance sign to Bonnie’s Trails, an intertwining stretch of 3 to 4 miles of hiking and cross-country skiing paths located in the quietly remote high hills of Lexington.

Barbara “Bonnie” Blader was a, “mother, wife, teacher, writer, master forester and community activist,” the sign states.

“She was one of the main organizers of the Lexington Farmers Market. She helped to run children’s programs in the summer.”

Blader, who passed away in 2019, is most remembered “for her invaluable work to help bring broadband to Lexington,” the sign states.

“By organizing the community, using her combination of charm and humor, and an innate ability to generate viral videos for the cause, Bonnie was able to help the town secure a grant from the New York State Broadband Initiative.”

Lexington was in a virtual Dead Zone until Blader pushed the powers-that-be with just-the-right pressure to get the ball rolling on modernization.

And there was more to it. “Everyone in Lexington knew Bonnie and Bonnie knew everyone. She was always easy to talk to with a quick wit and a real interest in anyone she should meet,” the sign states.

“These trails have been named for Bonnie because of her dedication to our town, but also because she enjoyed using these trails and helped to bring about their inclusion as a DEP recreation site.”

The looping and intersecting trails, although located at lofty elevations, are not very steep, ideal for snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, walking and just plain taking in the views.

Cleared at roughly 2000 feet about sea level, essentially all of the elevation is achieved by driving to the spot, easily visiting the aptly-named stream trail, marsh trail, meadow trail and ledge trail.

Routine trimming and clearing of tree branches, grasses, etc. is the primary goal on October 4, with an added bonus.

“The Lexington Hiking Club and the Town of Lexington with the cooperation of the Department of Environmental Protection and the Greene County Soil and Water Conservation District are proposing a new trail which will be the longest of all of Bonnie’s Trails,” Wine states.

“This is really exceptional land, different kinds of woods, some old growth deciduous and non-deciduous trees,” Wine says, measuring roughly 1.6 miles and crossing paths with the existing trail system.

“We are hoping to open it soon, getting the trail markers in order and doing some clearing. It gives us the potential to create other trails,” Wine says, noting there are ongoing talks about expanding the existing parking lot.

“One element that makes Bonnie’s Trails so inviting is that the land is relatively gentle, good for people who don’t want to climb,” Wine says.

Bonnie’s Trails are a joint project by the town of Lexington, Greene County Soil and Water Conservation District, the Lexington Hiking Club and the New York City Department of Environmental Protection.