History, Natural History & the Arts
The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) is developing a Master Plan and Environmental Impact Statement (MP/EIS) for Clermont State Historic Site, located in the Town of Germantown, Columbia County.
Interested parties will have the opportunity to contribute to the master planning process during an online public workshop to be held Thursday, May 12th, at 5:30 pm. [Read more…] about Comments Sought On Clermont State Historic Site Management Plan
The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (State Parks), the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), and Parks & Trails New York (PTNY) has announced that registration is now open for the 11th annual I Love My Park Day, which will be held on Saturday, May 7th, at state parks, historic sites and public lands across New York.
This statewide event is a volunteer initiative to enhance parks, historic sites and public lands and raise awareness and visibility to the state outdoor recreation assets and their needs. [Read more…] about 11th Annual ‘I Love My Park’ Day On Saturday, May 7th
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), in collaboration with the State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) and the Adirondack Park Agency (APA), are hosting a two-part webinar series on integrating inclusivity, accessibility and sustainability in providing access to state lands. [Read more…] about Public Forums on Outdoors Inclusivity, Accessibility, and Sustainability Planned
The Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation has announced the launch of the New York State Historic Business Preservation Registry.
First proposed by Assembly Member Daniel O’Donnell and State Senator Jose M. Serrano, the online registry was established to honor and promote New York businesses that have been in operation for at least 50 years and have contributed to their communities’ history. The first round of designations includes 100 businesses across the state. [Read more…] about State Launches Historic Business Preservation Registry
Sterling Forest State Park in Orange County, NY is growing by an additional 130 acres that includes a portion of the former Greenwood Forest Farms, the first resort in New York State incorporated by and for Black families.
Between its founding in 1919 and through the 1960s, a portion of this property was Greenwood Forest Farms, which was founded by a group of prominent Black families and civic leaders from New York City, the resort became a haven for cultural and civil rights leaders from Harlem and Brooklyn, including writer Langston Hughes. Some descendants of the original pioneers now live in the neighborhood year-round. [Read more…] about Sterling Forest State Park Expands With Purchase of Historic Black Resort
Governor Hochul has announced that a new State Park to open to the public later this spring in Kingston, Ulster County, NY will be named for 19th century African American abolitionist and suffragist Sojourner Truth.
Covering more than 500 acres and a mile of Hudson River shoreline, this park was once an industrial site for production of cement, quarry stone, and ice harvesting. Sojourner Truth State Park will be first new State Park since 2019. [Read more…] about New Sojourner Truth State Park in Kingston Opening This Spring
Overnight reservations at campgrounds operated by the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (State Parks) and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) climbed to record highs this year.
Over the last decade, as improvements were being made statewide under the NY Parks 2020 capital program, total overnight stays at State Parks campgrounds have risen nearly 45 percent. [Read more…] about State Campgrounds Set Attendance Record for 2021
The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (State Parks) have announced that nine projects and one individual are being recognized with a 2021 New York State Preservation Award for their efforts to preserve the state’s history.
The honors include the restoration of a Mohawk Valley Carnegie Library, the adaptive reuse of a Buffalo grain silo, and the recognition of a historic neighborhood on Fire Island. [Read more…] about NYS Historic Preservation Awards Announced
Overnight reservations at State Parks campgrounds set a record in 2021 with 787,103 nights, surpassing the previous 2019 record of 684,820 nights by 15 percent. [Read more…] about State Parks Sets Record Campground Attendance
On a fall Saturday afternoon in the early 1990s some friends and I met up with wilderness coalition leader Paul Schaefer (1908-1996) at his cabin in Bakers Mills, northern Warren County, NY. Deciding to spend the night, we drove Paul into nearby North Creek for something to eat.
We tried the area’s hotel. One of the hotel staff took a look at Paul’s red plaid hunting jacket and asked him if could change into something more formal. At that, we turned heel and, walking across the street, entered Smith’s Restaurant.
Paul was immediately comfortable, having eaten here many times. Someone greeted him, a fellow deer hunter who remembered him. We took a booth and Paul ordered a steak. [Read more…] about Adirondack Mountains National Park? In 1967 There Was A Plan