Batavia resident, former educator shares results from a decade's labor with fellow ANT supporter
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Loren Penman says she’s had a full-time, unpaid job for the last 10 years, yet it has no doubt been worth every minute of labor.
A catalyst for the Autism Nature Trail (lovingly referred to as ANT) at Letchworth State Park and Genesee Commission representative on the New York State Council of Parks, Penman of Batavia was one of the first organizers who reached out in 2014 to Dr. Temple Grandin, a professor of animal science at Colorado State University, and world-renowned autism advocate.
The trail has not ever been part of the state budget, which created a hurdle from the start.
“She said you have to raise the money yourself,” Penman said. “We had to raise $2 million in cash first. We’ve raised $4 million to date.”
The money has come from individual donations and small grants from companies, she said. Penman is proud that ANT has not taken “a penny” from taxpayers or any government entity, she said.
After a series of phone calls, emails, planning, designing, fundraising (lots of fundraising), building, staffing, and endowing over the next seven years, the ANT became a reality, and Grandin, who couldn’t make the ribbon cutting during the pandemic, promised that she’d visit in 2025. A few days ago, she kept her promise. The professor visited Letchworth and gave a talk at SUNY Geneseo.
Penman, a retired long-time administrator and teacher at Batavia City Schools, credits Grandin’s role for the success of the trail. Many school groups have visited since it opened in October 2021, she said.
It was during Penman’s stint as middle school principal that she could especially appreciate the layer of difficulty that an autism spectrum disorder would have added to middle school angst.
“Middle school is a horrible time for kids. Imagine having autism on top of that,” she said.
That was something that registered with her in the 1990s, she said, so when an opportunity arose to bring a sense of peace to folks, she and the late Susan Herrnstein of Silver Lake pursued it with gusto.
They described to Grandin the idyllic setting of Letchworth — the flowing water of Genesee River, an abundance of pine forests — and how the majestic scene of Mother Nature amplified calming effects for many visitors, especially for those with autism.
Grandin carved out parameters for what the trail should be or have:
- A site deep in nature, away from a city.
- Designed with a pre-walk station to orient visitors and ease them into the forest.
- A loop so that the end is visible from the beginning.
- Something to let visitors know they are always on the trail.
- Inclusive of challenges to those new to the forest but with choices to opt out.
- Built with safe places for recovery in the case of meltdowns.
- Equipped with staff with autism expertise and a passion for nature.
- Objects for gentle movement.
- Collections of items from nature to touch, handle, inspect, and/or smell.
- Access to a guidebook with photos.
In response, organizers followed her recommendations, including to resist funding offers to build a trail in Rochester, opting to remain with Letchworth park; created 38 trail markers and a consistent stone use trail surface; developed Alone Zones at key places along the trail; partnered with Camp Puzzle Peace for its nature-loving staff and experience with autism.
There are also cuddle cocoons, wooden gliders, a sensory station with moss, bark, pine cones, nuts, grasses, animal bones, rocks and feathers; ANT-specific guides to facilitate body movement and communication skills; and a video drone tour of the trail on ANT’s website.
Grandin is more than an expert on the spectrum, as she deals with it personally in her everyday life. An esteemed educator, advisor to the animal science industry, and author of several books, she serves as “an inspiration for parents wondering ‘what’s going to happen to my kid?’” Penman said.
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