Amid a year of pandemic hardship, New York State parks thrived

New Yorkers rediscovered both parks and their feet during the pandemic.

Walking, biking and hiking have been irresistible for people trapped at home when so many other venues, from schools to offices, and pastimes, from theaters to restaurants to museums to sports and festivals, all shut down.

Parks became the great escape, warding off the negative emotions that swept in with COVID-19’s arrival one year ago, as isolation helped breed fear, anxiety, depression — and sorrow kept ratcheting up, experts said.

The coronavirus also just about ended travel for so many New Yorkers who usually flee South for at least a few days, if not longer, during winter.

"We need to get back to a bit of normality; Planting Fields is almost like a field trip for us," said Anne Sobol, 71. The Plainview resident, visiting the state-run Oyster Bay arboretum and park last week with her partner, Barry Spielvogel, 74, said she hoped to resume traveling "as soon as we can."

Ketlyn Tomazomi, an au pair, brought her 1½-year-old charge, Lucas Calderon, of Locust Valley, to the arboretum.

"I love the beauty," Tomazomi said. "He loves running around and picking up sticks, so it's fun for him."

New Yorkers' love affair with parks was shared by their fellow Americans last year. National parks saw near-record attendance, while New York state parks drew a record 78 million visitors — almost a million more than in 2019 — though the state limited parking lots to half capacity.

The starring role New York parks played was amplified when fees were waived from mid-March to early June 2020. Disinfecting routines were greatly intensified and signs and social distancing ambassadors were deployed to help keep people masked and separated. Sanitizers were added for visitors.

Crowds kept coming despite the canceling of traditional blockbusters — from charity walks and concerts to the Bethpage Air Show at Jones Beach State Park and July Fourth fireworks.

And visitors weren't deterred by the temporary closing of playgrounds and buildings, including nature centers and some restrooms.

Just about anything a visitor can touch, from a faucet to a vending machine, undergoes what George Gorman, Long Island regional director for the Office of State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, described as nearly "constant cleaning."

"Our staff has been amazing," he said.

When many justifiably feared venturing outside and encountering strangers, Gorman said, these essential park employees "came to work every day and interacted with the public … and they did it with customer service in mind. They could have stayed home, but they didn’t. They provided outdoor activities so people could get out and recreate."

Reopened playgrounds proved their value, along with new offerings. Wantagh's Jones Beach, for example, opened a new mini-golf course in mid-July 2020, along with courts for cornhole and pickleball, and refurbished courts for shuffleboard and paddle tennis.

"Once word got out that we had these brand new recreational facilities," Gorman said, "that spread like wildfire, we saw so many park visitors."

While New York state park ocean beaches last year opened on May 22, swimming pools were off limits until July 4. Concession stands, arcades, rides and picnic areas also opened late.

Golfing became an ideal sport during the social distancing era: The number of rounds played at Long Island state parks last year rose by 77,525, to 395,587.

Foot power also took off.

"Trail usage has exploded," Gorman said. "We saw a lot more people, a lot more than we ever have before on walking trails throughout the parks."

Some trail walkers are birders, another rediscovered activity.

"It's amazing what you really see if you just sit and look," said Carol Brand, a board member at the Four Harbors Audubon Society in St. James, whose husband switched to birding after bowling alleys closed.

Even in the pandemic's early, dire days, the woods were a much needed refuge. Said Brand: "You didn't know what to think at that beginning of the pandemic, was this the end of the world? It was nice to know the birds were out there — and the little owl was growing up in the tree, and things were moving."

The coronavirus has, however, limited birding, hiking, and biking clubs to just small group outings, if at all.

"We also used to have many hikes that involved car shuttles," said Tom Casey, vice president of the Long Island Greenbelt Trail Conference, a Smithtown nonprofit that has built more than 200 miles of paths. "That’s out for the duration."

Both road and mountain biking have found new fans.

"I know a lot of people have gotten into biking for fitness," said Bill Selsky, president of the Long Island Bicycle Club of Westbury.

"I think once they do it, they will probably keep doing it," he said, partly because of the camaraderie of biking together.

Michael Vitti, the president of Concerned Long Island Mountain Bicyclists, a Woodbury nonprofit, hopes new riders will help maintain the 170 miles of mountain bike trails they built, clearing away undergrowth where ticks may lurk, for example.

"Our trails have never been so busy," he said.

But would-be bike buyers are having to hunt.

"There is still a shortage of bikes and parts," Vitti said. "It’s crazy."

Independent bike dealers sold 73% more bicycles last year, according to the March edition of Bicycle Retailer and Industry News, citing data from NPD Group, a market researcher.

By becoming a community's backyard, parks allowed the quarantine-weary to revisit the "Leave it to Beaver" era, said Tim Moloney, executive director of the Columbus and Franklin County Metropolitan Park District, which serves seven Ohio counties.

"Not only do they get us out of the house, but they let us re-engage with our family and friends because there is only so much you can do in your little room," Moloney said. "You greet your neighbor, you meet new friends, you play catch with your kid."

The Planting Fields Arboretum exemplifies some of the pandemic modifications that allowed it and its peers to stay open. Virtual programs on the park’s history, architecture and art, for example, have "become a staple of our public programming," said Winn Keaten, marketing and communications director.

February and March are the peak months for the Camellia Greenhouse, when scores of blossoms burst forth in one of the country’s largest displays, said Vinnie Simeone, the arboretum's executive director. The warmth the flowers, native to China, require is another attraction for visitors.

"It’s been a long, cold winter; they’re clamoring to get out and to see a beautiful greenhouse," Simeone said. "This sort of offers a place of solace." And, he added: "The greenhouse is very warm."

Kenneth Provenzano, Planting Fields operations manager, shrugged off the extra antivirus workload.

"We do our best," he said. "It has been much busier, especially on weekends … I’m here sometimes, helping out and cleaning stuff."

Only small groups can enter the Camellia Greenhouse and the Main Greenhouse, and some wings had to be closed. Once the Planting Fields 1915 mansion, Coe Hall, reopened to small group tours, cleaning there naturally intensified, too.

"We love the park," said Dean Holmen, who supervises the groundskeepers. "Nothing around here is lightweight, but we don’t think of it like that," he said. "We have patrons coming up to us all the time, saying ‘thank you, we’ve been looking for a place to go out and get out in the open air and see the plants and trees.' "