Green Scarf Brigade Hits Albany

Late winter days may be a quiet time for New York's park system but there is a great deal of activity at the Capitol, as legislators work to finalize the budget, and park advocates make the rounds for Park Advocacy Day. This process encourages advocates of all kinds to travel to Albany, as they make their case for where they believe funding should be allocated. All this commitment and collaboration creates a truly energizing and exciting atmosphere.

Parks & Trails New York is one of those advocate groups, working to ensure that our state parks and public green spaces are not only protected but enhanced during the budget negotiations in Albany.

On Monday March 2 PTNY, in partnership with the Open Space Institute (OSI), hosted our 14th annual Park Advocacy Day, with the morning program at the Egg Performing Arts Center at the Empire State Plaza. This year we had the honor of welcoming 77 participants, from 23 Friends groups and 12 partner organizations. These representatives volunteered their time and energy to articulate the importance of protecting New York’s shared natural and cultural treasures.

From L to R: PTNY staff members Will Coté, Linden Horvath, and Jonathan Duda

The morning kicked off with some engaging and thoughtful remarks from Erik Kulleseid, Commissioner of the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation; Senator Jose Serrano, Chair of the Senate Committee on Cultural Affairs, Tourism Parks, Arts and Sports Development; and Assemblyman Steven Englebright, Chair of the Assembly Committee on Environmental Conservation, as well as PTNY and OSI leadership. Our advocates then had time to connect and strategize while enjoying lunch and preparing for afternoon meetings with decision-makers.

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Our Long Island Team

In total, our teams, dubbed the "green scarf brigade," conducted 47 successful legislative visits where they encouraged elected officials to:

• Support a $110 million capital budget for State Parks, as well as the proposed addition of 22 new State Park positions
• Continue funding the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) at $300 million, including an expansion of the Connect Kids to Parks Grant Program to $2 million
• Maintain $1 million for Park and Trail Partnership Grant funding, included in the EPF
• Support the proposed Restore Mother Nature Bond Act, which will create two new parks and fund environmental resiliency efforts across the state

While Park Advocacy Day is our primary advocacy day during the budget season, our staff also took part in the Environmental Protection Fund Lobby Day in late February. We added our voices to those of a variety of colleagues who champion many aspects of the environment, and to ensure law-makers continue to fund the Parks and Trails Partnership Grant program. In just the past four years, the program has awarded 83 grants totaling $1.8 million in competitive funds to Friends groups, helping to garner over $700,000 in private investment.

Parks & Trails New York is not resting on our laurels; we are already thinking about next year's Park Advocacy Day, in addition to ways we can further enhance our impact and the experience of those who so graciously volunteer their time to participate. If you were able to participate this year, thank you. We would love for you to share your insights and feedback! If you have yet to participate, I encourage you to come to Albany next year and tell your story.