'I Love My Parks Day' gives volunteers chance to spruce up Long Island's 22 state parks
Two women walk the boardwalk at Sunken Meadow State Park in Kings Park on June 16, 2023. Credit: Rick Kopstein
Long Islanders can volunteer Saturday at the Island's 22 state parks to do beach cleanups, planting, repairs and preparations on the 13th annual “I Love My Parks Day.”
The annual cleanup and preparation event is part of a statewide effort to give back to New York parks and encourage volunteers to get outside.
Events on Long Island include beach cleanups at Robert Moses State Park, installing wheelchair mats and preparing flower beds at Jones Beach, gardening and maintenance to the fish hatchery at Connetquot River State Park Preserve and preparing garden beds at the Planting Fields Arboretum.
Long Island state parks usually attract more than 1,000 volunteers and park friend groups each year for the “I Love My Park Day,” said George Gorman, state parks regional director for Long Island.
“It’s a great way to kick off the nice weather when visitation increases,” Gorman said. “The cleanup is important because when people start to visit the parks and beaches, they won’t see litter. But I Love My Park Day is so much more than that. There’s a wide range of projects that is critical to get these volunteers because the parks transform into a warm, welcoming and clean place for the public.”
Other projects include painting barbecue grills, cannons and fences at the Belmont Lake State Park boat dock, painting and gardening at Sunken Meadow State Park and building picnic tables, planting and beach cleanup at Heckscher State Park in East Islip.
Event times vary on Saturday and some have age restrictions. A full list of locations and activities is available at www.ptnyfriends.org/i-love-my-park-day.
This year’s preparation efforts are planned ahead of the state park system’s 100th anniversary and the centennial of several Island parks, including Hither Hills and Montauk Point. A celebration is planned Memorial Day weekend to mark the 95th anniversary of Jones Beach and the 20th anniversary of the Jones Beach Airshow.
Richard Remmer, a parks commissioner and board member with Friends of Connetquot State Park, said cleanup efforts like Saturday's were important to maintain a trout hatchery and to remind people what parks had to offer. He said attendance at Connetquot and the Bayard Cutting Arboretum had increased between 10% and 20% since the pandemic.
“During COVID, so many of us realized how important local outdoor spaces and our parks are as somewhere to go to improve our physical and mental health,” Remmer said.
Long Islanders can volunteer Saturday at the Island's 22 state parks to do beach cleanups, planting, repairs and preparations on the 13th annual “I Love My Parks Day.”
The annual cleanup and preparation event is part of a statewide effort to give back to New York parks and encourage volunteers to get outside.
Events on Long Island include beach cleanups at Robert Moses State Park, installing wheelchair mats and preparing flower beds at Jones Beach, gardening and maintenance to the fish hatchery at Connetquot River State Park Preserve and preparing garden beds at the Planting Fields Arboretum.
Long Island state parks usually attract more than 1,000 volunteers and park friend groups each year for the “I Love My Park Day,” said George Gorman, state parks regional director for Long Island.
“It’s a great way to kick off the nice weather when visitation increases,” Gorman said. “The cleanup is important because when people start to visit the parks and beaches, they won’t see litter. But I Love My Park Day is so much more than that. There’s a wide range of projects that is critical to get these volunteers because the parks transform into a warm, welcoming and clean place for the public.”
Other projects include painting barbecue grills, cannons and fences at the Belmont Lake State Park boat dock, painting and gardening at Sunken Meadow State Park and building picnic tables, planting and beach cleanup at Heckscher State Park in East Islip.
Event times vary on Saturday and some have age restrictions. A full list of locations and activities is available at www.ptnyfriends.org/i-love-my-park-day.
This year’s preparation efforts are planned ahead of the state park system’s 100th anniversary and the centennial of several Island parks, including Hither Hills and Montauk Point. A celebration is planned Memorial Day weekend to mark the 95th anniversary of Jones Beach and the 20th anniversary of the Jones Beach Airshow.
Richard Remmer, a parks commissioner and board member with Friends of Connetquot State Park, said cleanup efforts like Saturday's were important to maintain a trout hatchery and to remind people what parks had to offer. He said attendance at Connetquot and the Bayard Cutting Arboretum had increased between 10% and 20% since the pandemic.
“During COVID, so many of us realized how important local outdoor spaces and our parks are as somewhere to go to improve our physical and mental health,” Remmer said.
John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.
