One Time Gifts

New York’s Champlain Valley depends on you. Your investment in CATS will ensure that you, and future generations, can hike and connect with nature on our growing portfolio of trails and protected lands. 

By making a one-time gift, you advance our mission of saving land, making trails, connecting people with nature, and promoting economic vitality in New York’s Champlain Valley. Your investment allows us to maintain our lands and trails to the highest level of excellence, and you help us plan and complete new and exciting projects throughout the valley. And beyond the direct and tangible impacts of your gift, you are helping to make the Champlain Valley a more desirable place to live. You are building family traditions, and you inspire thousands of people to appreciate, nurture and protect this amazing landscape. 

Is monthly giving a more sustainable alternative for your financial support?

If so, please join our Bobcat Club. You’ll provide a stable income for our programs, plus you’ll receive a bunch of exciting member benefits.

We welcome donations by check. Checks may be written to Champlain Area Trails and mailed to:

Champlain Area Trails
PO Box 193

Westport, NY  12993

Champlain Area Trails (CATS) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. CATS’ success is largely due to the impactful support of those who share the values of our mission of saving land, making trails, connecting people with nature, and promoting economic vitality in New York’s Champlain Valley.

CATS APPAREL

Stay tuned for an online store coming soon!

Do you want to live forever? By making a planned gift to Champlain Area trails you create a legacy that will endure for generations. There are many ways to make a planned gift and the process is easy.

planned giving

Join the dedicated individuals and families who have taken steps to preserve New York’s Champlain Valley with a planned gift to Champlain Area Trails (CATS).

By directing your legacy gift to CATS, you will help protect the Champlain Valley’s natural areas, farmland, clean water, and scenic vistas, while making it possible for CATS to create more hiking and skiing trails that link communities, connect people with nature, and promote the economic vitality of the Champlain Valley.  Your gift may also allow you to take advantage of tax benefits that will protect your family’s inheritance.

Most traditional donations are in the form of cash, stock, or securities, but planned giving involves leaving a gift through your will. It is a way to give without huge upfront investment and anyone can make a planned gift. Perhaps you’ve thought, “I don’t have that kind of money,” or ” I only have a small amount of land.”  Or maybe you’re not sure where to start.  The good news is it’s easy to begin a conversation about your vision for the future–and how CATS can help you achieve it.

There are many planned giving options for you to consider in our Legacy Society program.  Feel free to contact Chris Maron, Executive Director, with your inquiries.  He can be reached by phone at (518) 962-2287 or by email for confidential discussions related to planned giving options.

Spirit Sanctuary

Champlain Area Trails is a proud partner of the Spirit Sanctuary. This three-acre green burial ground rests in the heart of the Split Rock Wildway in Essex, New York, and was created by the Eddy Foundation. Choosing a green burial can support Champlain Area Trails and leave a lasting environmental legacy.

Click to learn more.

Interested in supporting conservation and trail work through a gift of property? You can make a big impact by donating land, a house, or business property to Champlain Area Trails. Learn how.

Gifts of Land & Property

Few more enduring legacies can be imagined than the protection of a natural landscape. CATS accepts real estate gifts with special ecological, recreational, or scenic value.

Real estate which does not meet these criteria may be donated with the understanding that CATS will sell the land and use the proceeds to purchase another significant natural land. In either case, you may claim an income tax deduction based on the fair market value of the land at the time of the gift.

CATS is happy to name the resulting nature preserve in your honor or memory of a loved one. Before accepting such a generous gift, Champlain Area Trails staff and board will work with you to determine if it’s suitable for the organization to accept it.

To clarify the next steps please contact your financial advisor and call Chris Maron, Executive Director, at (518) 962-2287 or email him and he will be happy to guide you through the process.

GIVE TO CATS IN HONOR OF SOMEONE YOU CARE ABOUT

Memorial & Honor Gifts

Making a gift to Champlain Area Trails in honor or memory of someone special to you is a great way to accomplish two things.

1. 1) You are contributing to our mission and vision of linking the Champlain Valley communities together with a vast network of hiking trails and conserved lands.
2.   
3. 2) You are honoring someone you care for, whether it’s a friend, family member, or even your pet. When you make a memorial or honor gift, we will send a personalized card to that person or their family letting them know you have made a contribution in their honor. We will not share the donation amount. Their name/s will also be published in our Annual Report in the “In Memory of” or “In Honor of” section.
4.   

We will also send you a personalized thank you letter acknowledging your gift.

If you have any questions, feel free to call Chris Maron, Executive Director, at (518) 962-2287 or email him.

Learn how to support CATS through a gift of stock and take advantage of several tax benefits.

Gifts of Stock

How to Make a Gift of Stock

Transferring stock to Champlain Area Trails is easy to do.  It’s also a great way to maximize your Federal and State income tax deductions to the fullest extent permitted by law. Your income tax donation is based upon the current market value of the stock at the time you donate it.

Please remember that it may take several days for your broker to complete a transfer of stock, so plan adequate time if it is important to complete the transfer by year-end.

For stock transfer instructions and questions, please call Amber Adamson, Development & Communications Director, at (518) 962-2287 or send her an email. She will connect you with our broker.

After you have completed the transfer, please let us know. This is important because your broker may not include your name in the transfer and we may not know who the gift is from. Notifying us enables us to track the transfer and acknowledge your gift promptly.