The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (State Parks) has announced 15 grant recipients for its campground and day-use improvement initiative, the Enhanced Visitor Experience (EVE) program that provides money for new amenities and activities for visitors. [Read more…] about State Parks: 15 Campground & Day-Use Improvement Projects
John Boyd Thacher State Park
Winifred Goldring: America’s Female First State Paleontologist
The latest episode of the A New York Minute in History podcast digs into the life and career of Winifred Goldring (1888-1971), an incredibly prolific scientist who overcame prejudice to become the first female New York State Paleontologist at the New State Museum.
Goldring was born in Kenwood, now part of Albany, NY, and she would eventually go on to become the fifth State Paleontologist of New York and the first female State Paleontologist anywhere in the country. She was also a highly successful educator and innovative exhibit designer and would spend 40 years as a scientist at the State Museum. [Read more…] about Winifred Goldring: America’s Female First State Paleontologist
New Warming Hut Opens at John Boyd Thacher State Park
The Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (State Parks) has opened the Hop Field Warming Hut at John Boyd Thacher State Park in Albany County. The new 1,250-square-foot facility includes a wood-burning fireplace, year-round restrooms, and a warm refuge with books and board games for those exploring the park’s cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and snowmobiling trails. [Read more…] about New Warming Hut Opens at John Boyd Thacher State Park
New York’s Postwar State Park Architecture
After World War II, the taste for rustic architecture that defined the interwar period of New York’s state park design began to wane. This also happened across the National Park Service system, which fully embraced modern architecture in the mid-1950s. [Read more…] about New York’s Postwar State Park Architecture
Ride the Nature Bus in Albany, Schenectady or Ulster County
In Albany and Schenectady, Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA) provides the Beaver Line and Warbler Line that bring riders to points of interest like Six Mile Water Works Park, the Albany County Rail Trail, Five Rivers Educational Center, and Thacher State Park. [Read more…] about Ride the Nature Bus in Albany, Schenectady or Ulster County
John Boyd Thacher State Park Designated National Natural Landmark
The National Park Service has designated John Boyd Thacher State Park at National Natural Landmark (NNL) on December 11, 2023, one of 604 across the nation.
NNL designation recognizes the site’s significant natural features and the State’s commitment to stewardship of this national treasure. [Read more…] about John Boyd Thacher State Park Designated National Natural Landmark