Advocacy

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The pandemic has abated, but the record popularity of our state park system has shown no signs of letting up. Millions more have now discovered that the path to health– physical, mental, economic– wends through New York State’s enviable network of parks, greenway trails and wild, open spaces.

Since 1985, Parks & Trails New York has fought to protect, defend and expand New York State’s vast portfolio of public lands, including 180 state parks and the 750-mile the Empire State Trail, which Outside Magazine recently ranked as the #1 greenway trail in the United States.

For 2024, the Centennial of our State Park System, we are ramping up our advocacy to ensure that our most popular parks, greenway trails and open spaces are equipped to accommodate the record demand for outdoor experiences. Though each of our proposed policy changes, bills and budgetary aims are different, they all add up to one thing: high-quality public lands that are welcoming and accessible to all.


Coalitions

PTNY has joined with many of our partners around the state as a member of various coalitions to pursue areas of shared interest. Learn more below. If you would like to request that PTNY join your coalition, please email ptny@ptny.org.

New Yorkers for Clean Water and Jobs Coalition

We all need clean air to breathe and safe water to drink. We also need healthy communities, a strong economy, and local recreation. New York’s environmental programs provide all this and more. By fighting to maintain a $400 million Environmental Protection Fund, we can build a more vibrant future for New York. Learn more at cleanwaterandjobs.org.

New York Outdoor Recreation Coalition

Members of NYORC are committed to building a more equitable outdoors through investment and being an active participant in creating welcoming spaces for historically marginalized and underrepresented communities. The coalition is committed to coming together to create a welcoming outdoors that encourages and supports all, to responsibly enjoy and protect the beautiful natural resources within the state of New York. Learn more at nyoutdoorrecreationcoalition.org.

New York State Safe Streets Coalition

The SAFE Streets Act is a package of bills that will redesign our streets with safety as a priority to protect all road users, and address the speeding rampant on our streets. Learn more at transalt.org/safe.

The Land and Water Conservation Fund Coalition

The LWCF program was created to conserve irreplaceable lands and improve outdoor recreation opportunities throughout the nation. The program works in partnership with federal, state and local efforts to protect public lands, preserve working forests and ranchlands, support state and local parks, preserve battlefields and other historic and cultural sites, and to provide the tools that communities need to meet their diverse conservation and recreation needs. Learn more at lwcfcoalition.org.