On Friday, March 28th, The ANT Alliance, Inc. welcomed Dr. Temple Grandin to Letchworth State Park for her first visit to The Autism Nature Trail (The ANT). 

Dr. Grandin was the first expert resource contacted in 2014 by the late Susan Herrnstein of Silver Lake and Loren Penman of Batavia about the idea of creating a nature trail specifically designed for persons with autism spectrum disorder. They described Letchworth's setting, with the moving water of the Genesee River and the abundance of pine forests, and relayed stories they were gathering which told of amplified calming effects for many visitors— especially those with autism.

Dr. Grandin, a professor of animal science at Colorado State University and world-renowned autism advocate, was intrigued by the concept. In a twenty-minute phone conversation with Penman, Grandin identified seven parameters for developing a trail which prioritized and accommodated persons with autism—from its location, design, safety considerations, to its amenities and staffing. Herrnstein and Penman never strayed from these parameters as they forged ahead.

A formidable amount of planning, fundraising, designing, building, equipping, staffing and endowing The Autism Nature Trail at Letchworth State Park followed over the next seven years. Gail Serventi, a retired speech and language pathologist with a background in working with autistic children, joined Herrnstein and Penman, and the three became known as The ANT Aunts. 

As work unfolded over these years Dr. Grandin was kept apprised of the Trail's progress; Penman and Serventi were able to show her in person the schematic design produced by Perry's in.site: architecture before construction drawings were drafted. 

Regular emails and occasional phone calls kept Grandin in the loop right up until The ANT's opening to the public on October 1, 2021. Although invited to both the groundbreaking and ribbon cutting ceremonies, COVID made attending problematic for Grandin. Sadly, Herrnstein, who passed away several weeks before the Trail*s ribbon cutting, never got to meet Grandin.

When Penman went to hear Grandin speak in Syracuse in 2023, she brought photos of the completed project and, once again, invited Grandin to visit Letchworth and the Trail. "I'll get there in 2025" said Grandin, who still was making up postponed speaking engagements post-pandemic.

Grandin made her first visit to The ANT Friday, March 28th, and learned how her advice was incorporated into the Trail's design and operation. 

"You've done a great thing," she told Penman and Serventi. "Now you have to maintain it." She emphasized the importance of upkeep, something The ANT Alliance, Inc. is especially mindful of, since The ANT is not part of the New York State budget. Grandin commented that she thinks more projects of this magnitude will have to come from local efforts.

"Having her understand how much we have taken her advice to heart was really satisfying," said Serventi who now chairs the all-volunteer Board of The ANT Alliance, Inc. the non-profit established to provide stewardship and oversight for the Trail. "Her positive reaction means the world to all of us who put our hearts and souls into the Trail." 

"Susan strongly believed in the adage, 'Nothing about us without us,'" said Penman, referring to the importance of incorporating advice from persons on the spectrum in developing the Trail. 

Herrnstein's two sons and eldest grandchild were part of a small group that met with Grandin at The ANT. Grandin also spoke informally with Penman, Serventi and several others in the library at Perry High School prior to a public talk on livestock behavior, production, and product quality which was arranged by the Wyoming County Cooperative Extension.