Thanks to the more than 6,000 volunteers who pitched in on Saturday, PTNY's fourth annual I Love My Park Day was a huge success. With your help, we accomplished so much.

95 parks and historic sites enhanced
Volunteers took part in nearly 200 cleanup, improvement, and beautification projects at 95 state parks and historic sites in every corner of the state.

  • At Moreau Lake State Park in the Saratoga/Capital Region, volunteers worked with park staff to construct, paint and install a new songbird viewing blind, plant native plants that attract songbirds, and install new songbird identification panels.
  • After a winter of heavy snow and ice storms, volunteers at Wellesley Island State Park in the Thousand Islands removed debris from trails.
Volunteers and park staff install a new songbird blind at Moreau Lake State Park.
  • Volunteers at Robert Moses State Park on Long Island installed erosion control fencing to promote the ongoing regrowth of dunes that were completely leveled by Hurricane Sandy.
  • Parks and recreational facilities in all five NYC boroughs underwent a thorough spring cleaning, including Riverbank and Roberto Clemente State Parks.
  • At Walkway Over the Hudson in the Hudson Valley, volunteers painted entrance signs and built bat houses for the endangered Little Brown Bat.

Visit Parks & Trails New York on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter for great photos from around the state.

Headlines Tout Love for Parks
Governor Cuomo's invitation to all New Yorkers to volunteer on Saturday put our state parks system, its needs, and the strong public support for parks in the public's eye. Stories ran in print, online, and on the air. Social media was buzzing with posts, tweets and photos from events around the state.

I Love My Park Day volunteers
Young volunteers are ready to work at Taconic State Park.

A boost to volunteerism
New and veteran volunteers came out to give back to the parks they use and enjoy all year and create a community of park lovers. Many park and historic site Friends groups enjoyed the best turnout ever for a volunteer event. A huge youth turnout helped to cement lifelong relationships with the outdoors and ensure the future stewardship of our parks and historic sites.

What's Next
Together, we will build on the tremendous momentum generated by I Love My Park Day. PTNY will be working with the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) and Friends groups to build on the success of the event by engaging new volunteers, building a strong community of park stewards, and expanding Friends groups' capacity.

A big thank you to our partners at OPRHP, Governor Cuomo, the NY State Commission on National and Community Service, our corporate and media sponsors and all the wonderful volunteers who came out, rolled up their sleeves, and helped make I Love My Park Day a huge success!



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