All kinds of minds at Autism Nature Trail

Natalia Zukerman playing for a group of school children at the Autism Nature Trail.
Loren Penmann
Natalia Zukerman playing for a group of school children at the Autism Nature Trail.
At Letchworth State Park in Castile, N.Y. the trees have a secret: they whisper to those who listen closely, especially to those who might hear the world differently. This is where you can find the Autism Nature Trail, or ANT, the first of its kind in this country, perhaps in the world. Designed for visitors on the autism spectrum, the ANT is a one-mile looped trail with eight stations at various intervals, little moments strung together, allowing visitors to experience everything from stillness to wild adventure.
The idea for the ANT was born from a conversation in 2014 between Loren Penman, a retired teacher and administrator, and her neighbor. The two women were discussing the new nature center at the park and Penman’s neighbor said that her grandson, who loved the park, probably wouldn’t be able to enjoy a nature center. He had autism and at age seven was still without language and in a state of almost constant agitation. Her neighbor went on to say, however, that she had observed her grandson finding great calm at Letchworth, a state of being he couldn’t achieve almost anywhere else. Speaking to another friend with an autistic grandchild, Penman heard the same sentiment about Letchworth; it completely calmed her grandchild. What was it about this special place that soothed the spirit?
According to the research of Michael Terman, PhD, a professor of clinical psychiatry at the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University, a concentration of negative ions produces a positive effect on human beings’ general well-being.
Letchworth Park is roughly 17 miles long, following the course of the Genesee River as it flows north through a deep gorge and over several large waterfalls. Full of these tiny, invisible particles, it’s like a natural prescription to help humans feel better, happier, and calmer. Armed with this research and many personal observations, Penman and two friends, Susan Herrnstein and Gail Serventi, reached out to Temple Grandin, a famous voice for autism and neurodiversity. Grandin replied almost immediately and became a consultant in the creation of the ANT which opened to the public on October 1, 2021.
Fast forward to October 2023. Penman reached out to me to see if I would write a song, an original “ANThem” for the trail. Penman and I met in 2010 when I was playing at a venue in Buffalo, New York. We’ve stayed in touch. She was working on securing a grant that would pay for the song, my travel, several school group visits to the park, and an evening performance for the public. Having never been to the park, I had my work cut out for me.
Autism diagnoses have soared by 175% since 2000. According to the CDC, the incidence of autism in 2024 is 1 in 36. Theories abound - environmental toxins, maternal infections, older parents, the rate of prematurity, and on and on. Little is conclusive, but more and more people are being diagnosed, perhaps due simply to the fact that there is more awareness, and that the “spectrum” is widening.
Throughout my years as a teacher, I have worked with children on the autism spectrum and what I have observed is that they seem almost unbearably alert to the world’s wonders and its dangers all at once. Crying is common, but not necessarily for the reasons that have come to be associated with tears- like sadness, grief, or pain - but more an overwhelm at the connection between joy and sorrow itself. The world is terrifying and mystifying and emoting as a way to try to comprehend it seems necessary. Music can be a great source of relief for children on the spectrum, a way to express the inexpressible, a way to alchemize the experience and mystery of being alive.
Grandin said, “The world needs all types of minds.” A slight alteration and “All Kinds of Minds” became the song. I arrived at the ANT early on the morning of June 5 and spent the day with students from Batavia, Mt. Morris, Perry, and Warsaw Schools, teaching them the song. The children ranged in age from kindergarten through elementary school and varied greatly in terms of how they presented on the autism spectrum. Some were nonverbal, using handheld devices that could “speak” for them. Some kids sang along, some shouted. Some cried, some laughed; all of them seemed intrigued by their surroundings, the guitar, and this new song written just for them. Under a bright blue sky, surrounded by ancient pine trees and waterfalls, we sang the chorus together, again and again:
I don’t know why
But I feel better by the water
And the deep wood pine
I can take my time
Cuz the world needs
The world needs
All kinds of minds.
To find out more about the ANT and to donate, visit: autismnaturetrail.com/allears/
Natalia Zukerman is Engagement Editor at The Lakeville Journal and The Millerton News. She also is a singer, songwriter and visual artist. Her cartoons appear weekly in The Millerton News.
Maddie Sartori of Millerton and her dog, Millie, competing in the Dock Dogs canine aquatic contest at the Dutchess County Fair in Rhinebeck, New York, on Sunday, Aug. 24.
This year’s county fair welcomed visitors for six days of livestock shows, fried food and carnival rides from Tuesday, Aug. 19 to Sunday, Aug. 24.Photo by Olivia Valentine
MILLBROOK — Since voters approved planned construction work throughout the Central School District, the district board decided on a phased approach to the work in order to move ahead with the most pressing needs.
A statement from Elliot Garcia, Assistant Superintendent for Business and Personnel, outlined the two phases in three parts and gave a timeline for completion.
“The process is detailed and lengthy, but necessary to be certain that the work is done properly,” Garcia said, adding that the start of actual construction work is still months away.
The project is currently in the Schematic Design Phase, Garcia explained, a step when all of the project plans are drawn, including engineering, architectural design and equipment specifications. Part of this design phase is to create a detailed assessment of current conditions such as precise measuring of each window slated for replacement.
Once the detailed plan drawings are completed, they need to be submitted to the state’s Education Department for review and to make any modifications to meet state law and building codes. It will take time to complete the back-and-forth negotiation of those findings before the phased project can go out for bid, Garcia said.
As bids are received, they will be opened publicly and reviewed by district administration and then passed on to the Board of Education for awarding of contracts. Construction will begin soon after, to be scheduled by the contractors.
The overall project has been broken into three phases to allow the most pressing repair work, involving less design work, to progress more swiftly through the process, Garcia explained. An example is the work that is critically needed at the Middle School.
Design work on the two parts of Phase One is to be done first. The design of the Middle School roof replacement, HVAC replacement and Energy Performance began in June, Garcia reported. Plans for that aspect are projected to be submitted to the state Education Department in March 2026. Under that schedule, work might be expected to occur over two summers, 2027 and 2028, when school is not in session.
The other Phase One work will involve the Middle School accessibility renovations and window replacement, with work projected to occur over a nine-month period between July 2026 and May 2027.
The design of Phase Two — Elm Drive and Alden Place — would be slated to begin in June 2026 with plans submitted to the state by spring 2027 and construction projected to occur in summer 2027 aiming for completion in summer 2028.
Overall, the entire project will likely take a minimum of three years to complete, Garcia said of the timeline.
“These much-needed improvements to our buildings will help us better build our students for their futures, and we can only do so thanks to the incredible support we received from our voters,” Garcia said.
Total unclaimed funds account owners estimated from the complete list of currently active unclaimed funds accounts released to the Millerton News by the Office of the New York State Comptroller
The New York Office of the Comptroller currently holds about $70 million in “unclaimed funds” belonging to Dutchess County residents.
Unclaimed funds are a collection of money that has “been lost or forgotten over time, including old bank accounts, uncashed checks, stock certificates, and unused gift cards,” according to the Office of the State Comptroller’s website.
Reporting from the nonprofit newsroom New York Focus in June revealed the comptroller has over $20 billion in total unclaimed funds, the largest collection of lost property in the nation.
The Millerton News obtained the current list of unclaimed fund accounts that included names and addresses of over 8,000 residents of northeast Dutchess County. That’s a little over two in every five people in the region.
All numbers and figures derived from this list are only estimates due to inconsistencies in the addresses kept in records.
Millbrook addresses comprised the largest portion of account owners, numbering over 3,000.
Millerton addresses are associated with 1,500 account owners and Amenia addresses with 1,200.
Stanford and Pine Plains also logged about 1,100 accounts each.
For northeast Dutchess County account owners, 10% of the money owed comes from uncashed New York State-issued checks.
Each record in the list includes a name for the account holder and the unique account number, a recorded reporter for the lost funds, a description of the lost funds and the year the funds were reported. The complete list of funds held by the state comptroller contains over 12 million records from 1985 to 2025.
The state comptroller does not publicly release the amount of money held in each account. Amounts could range from as little as a single cent to hundreds of dollars.
The comptroller’s website allows for a search of the list to initiate the claiming process.
Names of individuals, businesses and government organizations are varied on the list. The Village of Millerton has eight account numbers with outstanding unclaimed property from outstanding checks to vendors, New York State uncashed checks and other reported unclaimed property types.
According to the list, the Town of North East has an outstanding unclaimed property account dating back to 1997. The funds were reported by Pitney Bowes Inc. and recorded as relating to outstanding checks issued to vendors.
The village and town clerks expressed surprise at the reported unclaimed funds when the News stopped by their offices on Monday, Aug. 25, but vowed to start filing claims.
The Northern Dutchess Paramedics station on Route 22 south of the Village of Millerton.
MILLERTON – North East Supervisor Chris Kennan is focused on improving the financial challenges that rural communities face in maintaining emergency medical services.
He and other elected officials are urging New York Governor Kathy Hochul to sign a bill that recently passed both the Senate and Assembly but remains unsigned. The legislation would exempt EMS services from the state’s property tax cap, giving local governments more flexibility to manage costs and sustain their EMS programs.
According to the legislative justification for the bill, known formally as Senate S1515 and Assembly A2177A, “Many communities across New York State are struggling with providing emergency medical services to their residents for a number of reasons including rising costs, low reimbursement rates, and the lack of trained personnel.”
In an interview with The News, Supervisor Kennan highlighted the fiscal strain EMS places on the town’s budget. “I’ve reached out to everyone,” he said of his efforts to advocate for the bill. “I’m waving the flag as vigorously as I can.”
On May 27, the New York State Association of Towns released a memorandum supporting the bill, stating, “NYAOT strongly supports this measure that would remove EMS services from the real property tax cap, and therefore allow local municipalities to maintain, expand and better support their local EMS services.”
Even with its statewide benefits, the bill carries no fiscal impact for state or local governments, making it a practical solution despite being held up in legislative limbo. While the bill would significantly ease budget pressure, it represents only one step toward addressing EMS challenges in Millerton.
The town’s annual contract with Northern Dutchess Paramedics, which it shares with Amenia and Dover, exceeds half a million dollars in 2025 and is expected to spike above $700,000 next year. Kennan said one reason the cost is so high is because NDP is only partially reimbursed by those who use its services, and with “less than a call a day,” much of the financial burden falls on the town and taxpayers.
Meanwhile, EMS response disparities remain a critical issue in Dutchess County. In a June 13 open letter to County Executive Sue Serino, members of the Democratic Caucus of the Dutchess County Legislature acknowledged the launch of supplemental EMS services but criticized the effort’s effectiveness, calling for a more aggressive, long-term strategy.
“We believe the current approach remains a temporary solution — and one that still falls short of delivering equitable results across the entire county,” the letter states. It also references data showing response times in many rural towns remain well above acceptable targets. “This is not just a data point; it is a serious public safety issue affecting thousands of Dutchess County residents.”
Recent second quarter data further highlights these concerns, showing an ongoing imbalance in supplemental EMS response between rural and urban areas. It reveals that Region 5, which includes North East, Millerton, Amenia and Dover, almost never received supplemental EMS services provided by the county. Throughout all of Q2, supplemental EMS was dispatched only one time in Amenia but was canceled en route after interception by a closer agency.
The data also highlights the financial and performance disparities facing Region 5. Amenia and North East are among the highest spenders in Dutchess County, paying over $167 and $172 per person respectively for EMS coverage, more than three times what Dover spends. Despite that investment, response times for Region 5’s “Priority 1” calls, defined as potentially life-threatening emergencies, are the worst in the county with only 40% of calls responded to within the recognized standard of nine minutes or less. In contrast, Region 6, which includes the City of Poughkeepsie and the Town of Poughkeepsie, saw 84% of Priority 1 calls in 9 minutes or less.
While North East shows relatively better performance with no calls exceeding 15 minutes, Amenia and Dover see significantly more delays. Rural towns are paying high costs for EMS, yet still experiencing the slowest emergency response times in Dutchess County.
Asked what he would like to see from the County officials, North East Supervisor Chris Kennan responded, “I’d like to see them provide an additional ambulance over here so we could reduce the demand on NDP and our taxpayers.”