BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN) - Zoar Valley is known for its deep gorge, sheer cliffs, flowing waterfalls, and dense forests. Its scenery attracts many hikers.
Officials have, for years, stressed the importance of staying on marked trails from the Valentine Flats Trail and the Forty Road parking lot. Despite the warnings, Zoar Valley has claimed the lives of several hikers over the years who have slipped and fell while walking.
New York Department of Environmental Conservation officials plus families of those who have died at Zoar Valley announced upgraded safety measures at the multiple use area. The changes include hundreds of new signs along the trail warning of dangerous spots. DEC officials also shortened the Overlook Trail at Valentine Flats to keep visitors away from the rim of the gorge, created ADA-compliant trails, hired two new assistant forest rangers, and restrictions on upstream access from the Forty Road Parking Area.
"We need to not only demonstrate these improvements but make sure the public understands that when they come here, they need to think safety first," DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos said.
Families who lost a loved ones have advocated for increased safety measures. Marla Walker, who lost her daughter, Brooke, is one of those parents. Brooke Walker died last August while hiking. She was 16 years old and would have turned 17 on Wednesday.
"Brooke won't get to celebrate 17," Marla Walker said. "One of the reasons we're here is that a lot of people can celebrate lots and lots of birthdays. Brooke continues to give back and all of you are giving back to make Zoar Valley beautiful, which it already is, but safer and better. That's why we're here. It's about making a difference and we're all making a difference today."
Other families were in attendance, including the family of Bill and Amanda Green, who died in 2017 while hiking with their children who survived a fall, and the family of Conor Long, a teenager from Hamburg who died in 2018.
"We don't ever want to see another person die of an injury," MaryBeth Long, Conor's mother, said. "A fall, whether it's rafting or whether it's hiking, we want to make it safe. This is so important to us and for all the families here."
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Next year, the DEC will install a special memorial at the overlook platform. The memorial will remember Brooke Walker and the others who have died accidentally at Zoar Valley.