I Love My Park Day

What is I Love My Park Day?

I Love My Park Day, held the first Saturday in May, attracts thousands of volunteers from across the state to participate in cleanup, improvement, and beautification events at New York State parks and historic sites. Join us to celebrate New York's park system by cleaning up park lands and beaches, planting trees and gardens, restoring trail and wildlife habitat, removing invasive species, and working on various site improvement projects

I Love My Park Day 2021

Whether you hosted one of the 140+ events across New York State or were a volunteer who rolled up your sleeve to give back to our parks, historic sites and public lands – Thank You!

I Love My Park Day – which continues to be the largest single-day volunteer event in NYS – celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2021 and would not have been such a success without your help. Despite some unique challenges created by ongoing social distancing guidelines, Parks & Trail New York, along with our partners at New York State Parks and DEC, provided over 5,000 opportunities for people of all ages and abilities to enhance, beautify and steward our precious natural places.

This year’s event included improvement projects ranging from general park cleanup and invasive species removal, to beautification efforts such as flower and tree planting, painting, installation of benches and picnic tables, trail maintenance, and much more.

Thank you again for your hard work to making I Love My Park Day a success. We are excited to work together to make I Love My Park Day 2022 the biggest and best yet!

If you participated in or hosted an event for I Love My Park Day this year, we would love to hear from you! Please take this quick survey about your experience and share feedback for future events.

I Love My Park Day 2021 Survey for Hosts

I Love My Park Day 2021 Survey for Volunteers

2021 Event Locations

I Love My Park Day 2021 has passed, and while volunteer registration is closed, this interactive map shows the scope of the positive impact volunteers had on parks, historic sites and public lands in every corner of New York State.

Interested in learning more about the projects that were completed during our 10th anniversary celebration? Select a region below to see all participating sites.

Adirondack Park

Lake George Battlefield Park (Sat) - FULL
North Star Underground RR Museum (Sat)

Allegany/Genesee

Allegany State Park- FULL
Boutwell Hill State Forest (Sat and Sun)
Genesee Valley Greenway State Park - Canawaugus Park (Sat) - FULL
Genesee Valley Greenway State Park - Cuba (Sat)
Genesee Valley Greenway State Park - Hinsdale (Sat)
Genesee Valley Greenway State Park - Mount Morris (Sat)
Hamlin Beach State Park (Sat) - FULL
Letchworth State Park- Highbanks Camping Area (Sat)
Letchworth State Park- Upper Falls (Sat) - FULL
Long Point State Park at Lake Chautauqua (Sat)
Phillips Creek and Palmer's Pond State Forests (Sat)

Capital/Saratoga

Five Rivers Environmental Education Center (Sat) -FULL

Grafton Lakes State Park (Sat) - Separate registration required. Email graftonlakesadmin@parks.ny.gov to register by Monday, April 26th.-FULL
John Boyd Thacher State Park (Sat) - FULL
John Brown Farm (Sat)
John Burroughs State Memorial Field State Historic Site (Sat)
Max V. Shaul State Park (Sat)
Mine Kill State Park (Sat)
Moreau Lake State Park (Sat) - FULL
Peebles Island State Park (Sat) -FULL
Prospect Park Disc Golf Trail (Sat)
Saratoga Spa State Park (Sat and Sun) - FULL
Schodack Island State Park (Sat) -FULL
Schoharie Crossing (Sat)

Catskills

Catskills Visitor Center (Sat) - FULL
Colgate Lake Wild Forest (Sat)
North South Lake (Sat)

Central New York

Bowman Lake State Park (Sat)
Charles E. Baker State Forest (Sat)
Chittenango Falls State Park (Sat) - FULL
Chittenango Landing Canal Boat Museum (Sat)
Clark Reservation State Park (Sat)
Delta Lake State Park (Sat)
Fort Ontario State Historic Site (Sat)
Gilbert Lake State Park (Saturday) Please contact the park directly to register for this event (607) 432-2114 or GilbertLakeSP@parks.ny.gov
Glimmerglass State Park (Sun) - FULL
Green Lakes State Park (Sat) - FULL
Old Erie Canal State Historic Park (Sat)
Pixley Falls State Park (Sat)
Rogers Environmental Education Center (Sat)
Selkirk Shores State Park (Sat)
Verona Beach State Park (Sat)

Finger Lakes

Catharine Valley Trail (Sat)
Cayuga Lake State Park (Sat)
Chimney Bluffs State Park (Saturday and Sunday)
Fair Haven Beach State Park (Saturday and Sunday)
Fillmore Glen State Park - FULL
Ganondagan State Historic Site (Sat)- FULL
Robert H Treman State Park (Saturday and Sunday)
Sampson State Park (Sat)
Seneca Lake State Park (Sat)
Sonnenberg Gardens and Mansion State Historic Park - FULL
Stewart Park (Sat)
Stony Brook State Park (Sat) - FULL
Taughannock Falls State Park (Saturday and Sunday)
Tompkins County Dog Park (Sat)
Two Rivers State Park Recreation Area (Sat)

Long Island

Bayard Cutting Arboretum (Sat) -FULL
Belmont Lake State Park (Sat)- FULL
Bethpage State Park (Saturday and Sunday)- FULL
Caumsett State Historic Park Preserve (Sat)- FULL
Connetquot River State Park Preserve (Saturday and Sunday) -SATURDAY & SUNDAY FULL
Hallock State Park Preserve (Sat)- FULL
Heckscher State Park (Sat)- FULL
Hempstead Lake State Park (Sat)- FULL
JONES BEACH STATE PARK (Sat)- FULL
Montauk Point State Park (Sat)
Orient Beach State Park (Saturday and Sunday)
Planting Fields Arboretum (Sun)- FULL
Robert Moses State Park (Sat)- FULL
Sunken Meadow State Park (Saturday and Sunday) - BOTH FULL
Upper Twin Pond (Sat)- FULL
Walt Whitman Birthplace Association (Sat) -FULL
Wildwood State Park (Sat) -FULL

Niagara

Artpark (Sat)- FULL
Golden Hill / 30 Mile Point Lighthouse (Sat)- FULL
Knox Farm State Park (Saturday and Sunday)- SATURDAY FULL
Reinstein Woods (Sat) - Separate registration required here.

NYC

Battery Park City Authority (Sat) - No registration required. The BPC Wildlife Observation Survey is available here and can be done in ANY quiet spot in the park that is a safe distance from others (at least 6 feet away) ANYTIME you visit BPC.
Claypit Ponds State Park Preserve- Nature Interpretive Center (Sat)
Claypit Ponds State Park Preserve- Park Headquarters (Sat)
Denny Farrell Riverbank State Park (Sat)
Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms State park (Sun)- FULL
Gantry Plaza State Park (Sat)- FULL
Hudson River Park (Sat) - You must register directly with Hudson River Park. Email tkent@hudsonriverpark.org to register. All volunteers need to fill out a 2021 HRPK waiver before participating. Temperatures will be checked as well as a daily health survey.
Marsha P Johnson State Park (Sat)
Roberto Clemente State Park (Sat) -FULL
Shirley Chisholm State Park (Saturday and Sunday) You must register directly with Shirley Chisholm State Park if you wish to participate. Saturday May 1^st, 2021- https://www.eventbrite.com/e/149199542849 Sunday, May 2^nd, 2021- https://www.eventbrite.com/e/149211518669

Palisades

Beaver Pond Campground - Harriman State Park (Sat) -FULL
Knox's Headquarters State Historic Site (Sat)
Minnewaska State Park Preserve (Sun) -FULL
Sam's Point Area of Minnewaska State Park Preserve (Sat and Sun)- SATURDAY FULL
Sterling Forest State Park (Sat)

Taconic

College Hill Park, Poughkeepsie (Sat)
FDR State Park (Sat)
Hillsdale Hamlet Park (Sat)
Jay Heritage Center (Sat)- FULL
Historic Jay Gardens @ Jay Heritage Center (Sat)- FULL
Little Stony Point State Park (Sat)
Olana State Historic Site (Sun) - Separate registration is required. Email education@olana.org to register.
Old Croton Aqueduct State Historic Park - Gerlach Park in Ossining (Sat)-FULL
Old Croton Aqueduct State Historic Park - Wicker St. in Yonkers (Sat)-FULL
Old Croton Aqueduct State Historic Park - Quaker Bridge Rd. in Croton on Hudson (Sat)-FULL
Old Croton Aqueduct State Historic Park - Tibbetts Brook Park in Yonkers (Sat)
Old Croton Aqueduct State Historic Park - Croton Dam in Croton on Hudson (Sat)
Rockefeller State Park Preserve (Sun) -FULL
Stony Kill Farm Environmental Education Center (Sun)
Taconic State Park -Copake Falls (Sat)
The Point in Mills-Norrie State Park (Sat) -FULL
Walkway Over the Hudson (Sat and Sun)
William R Steinhaus Dutchess Rail Trail (Sat)- FULL

Thousand Islands

Black River Trail (Sat) -FULL- In addition to registering, you will need to call the park office ahead of time and schedule a time slot to pick up tools, receive instruction and be assigned a section of trail for social distancing. To reserve a time slot please call 315-938-5083.
Higley Flow State Park (Sat and Sun)- SATURDAY FULL
Minna Anthony Common Nature Center, Wellesley Island State Park (Sat and Sun) -In addition to registering, please call the Nature Center ahead of time to receive instruction on your selected volunteer project. Please call 315-482-2479.
Point Au Roche State Park (Sat)- FULL
Upper Lower Lakes Wildlife Management Area (WMA) (Sat)

Additional Local Parks

TOWN OF WARRENSBURG

FARMERS' MARKET PARK (STATE ROUTE 418 (RIVER STREET), ON THE SCHROON RIVER, SATURDAY 9 A.M. - NOON

Volunteers are needed to help with Spring clean up - cutting back and racking out perennial beds, picking up trash and debris and clearing trials to the river. We will have tools and buckets, but feel free to bring your own as well. Youth and adults welcome. Organized by Warrensburgh Beautification Inc. All NYS COVID-19 guidelines will be followed. For more details please email Project Coordinator Teresa Whalen at taawhalen@yahoo.com.

Information for Event Hosts

Guidelines

*I Love My Park Day will look different this year. Please make sure you read all information before registering your event.*

Monitor the state guidelines for your region. No more than 50 people will be able to participate in I Love My Park Day at your site per day. Please consider your projects with this number in mind. Also, please check the guidelines for your region, in case that number changes. Hosts will be responsible for informing volunteers in the case of cancellation.
Hold back on the picnic. No communal food or drink should be provided this year due to social distancing requirements.
Count your tools. Volunteers should not be sharing tools. If you do not have enough tools to accommodate each volunteer, make sure that you are requiring volunteers to bring their own.
Spread out your projects. Consider hosting projects at different times throughout the weekend to minimize contact between volunteers. If you choose to hold both Saturday and Sunday events, please make sure to fill out both the Saturday registration form AND the Sunday registration form.
Mask up. All volunteers will be required to wear masks to participate. If possible, consider providing hand sanitizer, wipes, and masks for volunteers who arrive unprepared.

Register an Event

Register for a Saturday Event

Register for a Sunday Event

PLEASE NOTE: Any registrations received after March 19th WILL NOT be receiving promotional materials for volunteers (bandanas and pins). We will not be distributing t-shirts this year.