Trail Conference Staff Update: Summer 2020

July 01, 2020
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New York-New Jersey Trail Conference

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Trail Conference Staff Update: Summer 2020
NY NJ Trail Conference Headquarters

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The Trail Conference welcomes Melissa, Tracy, and Kylie to our trail family.

Tracy Arcella

Tracy Arcella joined the Trail Conference staff in January as Field Trail Builder. Her love of nature and the outdoors began at an early age and led her to study biology at the College of William and Mary and the University of Notre Dame. In 2017 she joined the Trail Conference’s Conservation Corps working on the Bear Mountain Trails Project and discovered a passion for trail building and for stonework in particular. She returned to the Conservation Corps in 2018 to serve as the crew leader for the Bear Mountain Trail Crew. Tracy has also worked with the Palisades Interstate Park Commission and most recently spent a season building trails in Maine. She is excited to return to the Trail Conference and is looking forward to sharing her love for the trails with new Conservation Corps members.

Melissa Cascini

Melissa Cascini joined the Trail Conference in March as New York Program Coordinator. She grew up in northern New Jersey exploring the trails in Norvin Green State Forest, Ringwood State Park, and the Delaware Water Gap, where she found her passion for hiking and the outdoors. After graduating from Ramapo College in 2017 with a degree in sociology, Melissa joined the Trail Conference Conservation Corps in 2019 as the crew leader for the Trail Steward Outreach and Education Program. She spent the entirety of the program educating hikers and assisting volunteers with trail maintenance in the Hudson Highlands and Catskill Park. These experiences, as well as the volunteers she was able to engage with, further prompted Melissa’s passion for the environment and drove her to seek a career with the Trail Conference. When she’s not working on trails, Melissa enjoys gardening, baking, kayaking, and exploring new local hikes.

Kylie Yang

Kylie Yang joined the Trail Conference in June 2020 as the New Jersey Program Coordinator. Kylie grew up in southeastern Virginia, where she frequented Shenandoah National Park and fell in love with the Appalachian Trail. In 2015, Kylie set out from Springer Mountain in Georgia on a 2,189.2-mile northbound Appalachian Trail thru-hike. Upon completion, Kylie went to work as project manager for a Richmond, Virginia-based consulting firm. During this time she was able to continue to focus on her passion for the outdoors and Leave No Trace by volunteering with local trail organizations, such as Keep Virginia Cozy. Kylie returned to her beloved Appalachian Trail in the spring of 2018 where she joined the Trail Conference as a New Jersey Appalachian Trail Ridgerunner. There she spent two seasons maintaining trails and shelters, assisting the West Jersey Crew, and educating hikers on Leave No Trace. If you don’t find Kylie hiking with her Vizsla, Sullivan, you’ll find her at a Bruce Springsteen concert, or a local vegan restaurant.