Let’s Go, Columbia County!
Helping people find their next favorite place.
It can be hard to find out where you want to spend time outdoors, but GoCoCo is here to help!
In the beginning…
How GoCoCo came to be
GoCoCo is a project of the Columbia Land Conservancy, a nonprofit land trust based in Chatham, New York. CLC staff and consultants consulted a number of sources to create LetsGoCoCo.org. These included web searches, on-the-ground data verification, and consultations with staff and community members. Our team was inspired by GoFingerLakes.org, created by our colleagues at the Finger Lakes Land Trust. This work is an extension of, and draws heavily upon, books created by Sheldon Evans – Walks by Protected Land, and Columbia County Outdoors. Thank you Sheldon! This site was created and brought to life by Saied Abbasi and Chris Antonelle of WPHelp.co. Thank you Saied and Chris for your vision, tenacity, and commitment to building something beautiful and functional!
Sponsors
Thank you supporters
GoCoCo is possible thanks to generous donors including New York’s Environmental Protection Fund and the NYS Conservation Partnership Program, administered by the Land Trust Alliance. Sponsorship opportunities are available, please be in touch with Rebecca Walker, Director of Strategic Fundraising and Communications, to learn more.
Core values
The principles that guide all the work we do.
Connection
We aspire to inspire. Our goal is to ignite the spark of exploration in everyone.
Care
Everyone has a role to play in caring for land and each other.
Conservation
Having a great time outdoors means being mindful of the impact you make. We believe it's possible for people to have fun and care for land.
Brought to you by the
Columbia Land Conservancy
GoCoCo is proudly brought to you by the Columbia Land Conservancy, a nonprofit land trust in Chatham, New York that brings people together to conserve, appreciate, and enjoy land. Land conservancies, also known as land trusts, are nonprofit organizations that are dedicated to conserving land. Land trusts often use a tool called a conservation easement to protect properties.
Respectful
We treat others with respect – each other, our constituents, and our communities, respectful of different opinions and perspectives.
Inclusive
We are welcoming and inclusive, working to ensure our information, programs, and public lands are accessible to all who are interested.
Collaborative
We work with others to achieve our shared goals.
Serving nature
We work to protect the natural systems that support all life.
Operationally responsible
We manage our fiscal and informational resources with integrity and to protect personal data and privacy.
Resources for learning more
Want to dig deeper into the land you love? Check out some of these resources.
- The African American Archive of Columbia County: Lifting Their Voices, Telling Our Stories
- Columbia Land Conservancy’s Conservation Lands: A Journey into the Pre-colonial Era by Justin Wexler, Wild Hudson Valley
- From the Hudson to the Taconics: An Ecological and Cultural Field Guide to the Habitats of Columbia County, New York by the Hawthorne Valley Farmscape Ecology Program and Hudsonia, Ltd.
Get Involved!
Volunteer, make a difference.
Love getting out on the land? Give back! Many of the organizations with properties featured on GoCoCo are always looking for volunteers.
Meet the GoCoCo team
Discover the people behind your next adventure.
Rebecca Walker
Director of Marketing & Communications, Columbia Land Conservancy
Rebecca had the best time coordinating this project and bringing it to life, mostly because of the great fun she had working with the community members, volunteers, staff, and consultants who contributed their time and talent to making GoCoCo possible.
Reilly Becchina
Former Outreach & Education Intern, Columbia Land Conservancy
Reilly collected and verified all of the data on those public lands not managed by the Columbia Land Conservancy – during the course of a single summer internship! Reilly, you are a rock star.
Maria Jimena Concha
Consultant, Translator
Jimena took great care to ensure that the Spanish language site was not only accurate, but also conveyed the meaning behind the idioms and place names used for various sites. Thank you for being so dedicated, Jimena!
Arianna Ferrario
Conservaton Projects Manager, Columbia Land Conservancy
Arianna used her excellent map-making skills to create a print map version of GoCoCo and design all of the trail maps for the CLC properties. Beautiful work as always, Arianna!
Kira Gruber
Former Outreach & Education Intern, Columbia Land Conservancy
Kira spent her summer doing a deep dive into research about the Columbia Land Conservancy properties and summarizing all of the interesting information she found. Thank you for your attention to detail, Kira!
Sarah Katan
Volunteer
Sarah has a passion for making it possible for people to spend time in nature in ways that are meaningful and accessible to them. She spearheaded the effort to include social stories for each of the CLC public lands.
Leigh McBride and Mack McCormack
Volunteers
Leigh and Mack visited every Columbia Land Conservancy property to test the georeferenced maps. They hiked almost every trail, and that's a lot of miles! They are keen birders and enjoy the variety of habitats which are protected by the CLC. They are long-time residents of Craryville, where they have protected their own property with a conservation easement.
Kathryn Schneider
Volunteer
Kathryn shared her expert insights on the best places for birding. She conducted bird surveys for the US Fish and Wildlife Service. She is past President of the New York State Ornithological Association, a former member of the Columbia County Environmental Management Council, and a Columbia Land Conservancy volunteer. She currently co-chairs the Steering Committee for NY’s third Breeding Bird Atlas Project.
Mallory Schultz
Former Communications & Outreach Coordinator, Columbia Land Conservancy
Mallory was a regular contributor to Let's Go Outside, the GoCoCo blog, and the wit and joy behind the #GoCoCo on social media.
Andrew Szulborski
Public Lands Associate, Columbia Land Conservancy
Andrew walked every mile of trail managed by CLC using a special tool to collect information on grade, surface, and cross slope. Andrew, your tenacity is admirable.
Justin Wexler
Consultant, Wild Hudson Valley
Justin has spent decades researching the Indigenous history and ethnoecology of each of the properties CLC cares for. A life-long resident of the Hudson Valley, Justin has devoted his life to sharing his love for the natural world and for the region's original inhabitants. Obsessed with nature from his earliest years, he has spent most of his life either in the outdoors or in his research on local history and ethnoecology.
The Latest
Find out more about trail guides, happenings in nature, and upcoming events.
Join the Columbia Land Conservancy for an event this August
GoCoCo and explore trails while making new friends. Events fill up quickly, so pre-registration is strongly encouraged. Whether you want…
How to Start Birding in Columbia County.
If you’re in your mid-twenties like I am, you might be getting a bit bored partying every weekend until…
Noticing Nature in the Everyday
Nature is already here – woven into the everyday. And sometimes connecting with nature starts by noticing it.
