RED HOUSE — Collaboration between Cattaraugus County and Allegany State Park has resulted in state-of-the-art trail and facility mapping using GPS.
Daniel Martonis, director of county Real Property Tax Services, showed members of the Allegany Region Commission on Tuesday that cooperation is part of his mission to promote tourism.
Jay Bailey, Allegany Region director, introduced Martonis and thanked him and his department for their development of trail maps and others in cooperation with state park manager Thomas Livak.
There are GPS maps of hiking and biking trails, cross-country skiing trails and snowmobile trails. Some trails already have new signs that include a QR code that will let the user download the map to a cellphone. The maps also include elevation information helpful to hikers.
Reserve America, the company that handles state park reservations, uses the county’s GPS points and photos to show potential visitors cabins, cottages and campsites. It also shows how close water sources are and where restrooms are located.
Martonis, a Chautauqua County native, told commissioners he is a nature lover who has been coming to the park for more than 30 years.
“The state park is a huge (economic) driver in the county,” Martonis said. “Anything we can to do help the park, we’re glad to do.”
Many of the campers are contributing to the county’s sales tax coffers.
“You have to make things simple,” Martonis said of the GPS programs used to make the maps.
He has also helped map out the former Little Ireland settlement in the park, as well as the old Carnahan Cemetery on Wolf Run Road. Both contain photos of current conditions.
Martonis also showed a feature of the county’s viewer that is linked on the state park’s website. It compares aerial photographs taken in 1956 of various areas of the state park and compares it to more recent aerial photography.
The Allegany State Park map is the most downloaded map on the county’s website, www.cattco.org, Martonis said.
There are also tools for the more experienced user, including 3-D images of trails with various points where photos document the area, Martonis said.
“I think it’s a terrific thing,” said Dalton Burgett, chairman of the commission. “I don’t know how far this has gone in other state parks.”
He promised to share the information about the program with other parks officials.
“We love the park,” Martonis said, speaking for his GPS coordinator, Chris Holewinski. “We do a little bit at a time.”
Most of the labor is involved in traveling the trails and taking photos, Martonis said. The data is downloaded into the computer, and the GPS program can display the data in many ways.
One of the latest projects has been mapping the Cain Hollow campsites and facilities. Each site has a photograph, and the map shows the nearest restrooms and whether they have a shower.
Livak said people use the viewer as a tool to research their stay.
Livak and Martonis used to work together when Livak was director of the county Department of Economic Development, Planning and Tourism, so he was aware of the Real Property Tax Services Office’s capabilities.
A link is available to Reserve America to reserve a cottage, cabin or campsite. There is also an interior photo of some cottages.
