Free bus takes people to nature
It’s not the “Magic Bus” memorialized by British rock band the Who — it’s a Nature Bus, launched by the accredited Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy this year to take city residents of Albany, New York, to some of the region’s most scenic outdoor destinations.
MHLC and Capital District Transportation Authority partnered on the free bus service, which runs every Saturday (during the summer months) from downtown Albany locations to multiple parks and trails, including two MHLC properties: Bennett Hill Preserve and Normans Kill West Preserve.
Thanks to the new bus, riders can explore trees at Pine Hollow Arboretum, bird watch or fish at Lawson Lake County Park, and take in striking views of the Helderberg Escarpment from Bennett Hill Preserve trails and Thacher Park. The bus service started in June and runs through Sept. 25 with generous support from state, local and private funds and partnering conservation agencies and organizations. The locations all have easy-to-navigate maps and well-marked trails to make the user experience fun and accessible.
“We think this is a great model to hopefully replicate in other parts of New York state and around the country,” says Sarah Walsh, MHLC’s conservation director. “Land trusts have the ability to reach out to their local transportation authority to take similar steps for equity and nature connections where they work. For us it was just about asking the question, and Nature Bus was born.”