Toolkit Featured: Featured

By Peter Aronson

As the New York state parks system prepares to celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2024, it’s worthwhile to continuously remind ourselves that the state has one of the best public park systems in the world, open to all.

The state has 182 parks, including the Adirondacks and the Catskills. The parks range from the beauty of Niagara Falls to the beaches of Robert Moses State Park on Long Island to the Saratoga Spa State Park, which offers swimming, golf, theater and more. They range from small to huge, many have lakes, all have greenery, and they can be found in virtually every county in the state, from New York to St. Lawrence, from Dutchess to Herkimer, from Ulster to Yates.

You might be wondering, Why is this article appearing now, as we head towards winter and more indoor activities? The reason is because our state parks offer a bevy of outdoor winter activities and also because open spaces – park land – are essential to fighting climate change, and we need to appreciate and applaud them year round. 

The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (NYS OPRHP), which administers 180 state parks, has a wonderful interactive website where you can search state parks by name, location or amenity. For example, 12 state parks have ice skating, 13 sledding, 34 ice fishing, 37 snowmobiling and 106 snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. In the warmer months, 137 parks have fishing, 88 biking, 72 camping and 70 swimming at a beach or a pool. 

These parks are not merely places of recreation and they aren’t luxuries; they are indispensable environmental assets that contribute to the well-being of our planet and our people and are instrumental in preserving and protecting the state’s natural ecosystems. Parks also provide sanctuary for diverse plant and animal species, and they are essential for the conservation of native habitats. 

Perhaps most important, New York State Parks serve as vital components of the state’s strategy to mitigate the impacts of climate change and protect local communities. From coastal resilience to deforestation to their own energy footprint, parks are vital in face growing threats from extreme weather caused by rising temperatures. 

The Appalachian Mountain Club lists several reasons why open land is so essential in our fight against global warming, including that forests and greenery act as a carbon sink by absorbing greenhouse gasses from the atmosphere through photosynthesis; that green spaces are naturally cooler than developed, urban areas; that natural land protects areas against flooding by acting as a buffer; and that naturally balanced ecosystems allow plants and animals to flourish, a push against the declining bird and insect populations in America and the world.

“Conserved lands encourage natural growth and biodiversity, allowing ecosystems around the globe to thrive as nature intended,” the Appalachian Mountain Club states.

NYS OPRHP says “2024 will be an opportunity to reflect on the last one hundred years, celebrate the vital legislation that spurred the expansion of our parks and sites’ network, and ignite conversation and action around preserving New York State lands for the next generation.”

Learn more about the New York State Parks System’s centennial and sign up to receive updates on how and where to celebrate on their anniversary website. 

The state Department of Environmental Conservation operates the Adirondack and Catskills state parks. To learn about activities in the Adirondacks, go here. For activities in the Catskills, here.  

We look forward to publishing more articles in the coming year on the New York State Parks System where we’ll provide a more in-depth look at their history, their role in environmental stewardship, education, and fighting climate change, as well as their anniversary events and programs.  

In the meantime, no matter the season, we urge all New Yorkers to use and appreciate our parks and open land.

By Peter Aronson

New York State has announced that it is commencing its periodic Open Space Conservation Plan review. This comes at a crucial time with the climate crisis becoming increasingly urgent and the state vowing to protect 30 percent of its land and water by 2030.

“Land conservation is an essential tool in New York State’s comprehensive actions to address climate change and protect our natural resources,” said New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos. “As work begins to revise the New York State Open Space Plan, DEC and our State and local partners will look to both preserve our lands and waters for future generations while ensuring priorities and projects help to advance New York’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act and align with the State’s efforts to conserve 30 percent of our lands and waters by 2030.”

On September 13, the DEC and the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation announced the start of its open space plan review. Under the law, the state must review its plan every three years, relying on recommendations from nine Regional Advisory Committees (RACs). The RACs will recommend land acquisition priorities within their respective regions. The entire process is expected to take two years, with a public comment period expected in summer 2024 and a final plan in 2025.

Since 1992, the Open Space Conservation Plan has served as the blueprint to guide land purchases and conservation efforts by the state. The DEC website lists the state’s land purchases project by project, year by year. In 2022, the state spent more than $20 million in purchasing 5,057 acres in 44 separate transactions. The purchases ranged from 17.49 acres in the Adirondacks Forest Preserve for $500,00 to 925.68 acres in Hudson Highlands, in Putnam County, for almost $7.8 million. In 2021, the state spent more than $33 million in purchasing 16,997 acres. 

 “Open space is simply land or water that is undeveloped” – free from residential, commercial, industrial or institutional use, the DEC website explains. 

During the review process, staff from the DEC and the state Parks Department will collaborate with other state agencies, including the Department of Agriculture and Markets, Department of State and Department of Transportation to make sure the conservation plan protects water and air quality, ensures environmental justice, and, of course, addresses climate change.

The plan will address crucial issues such as farmland protection, coastal land conservation and the connection of transportation to land use, the DEC press release states. 

Much of the funding for future land purchases will come from the $4.2 billion Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act passed by voters in November 2022. Specifically, the bond act authorizes $650 million for open space land conservation and recreation.

The review of the state’s Open Space Conservation Plan comes at a crucial time. The world just experienced its hottest summer in recorded history, dating to 1880, and recent droughts, floods and forest fires caused by global warming have caused death and destruction around the world. 

On December 23, 2022, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed an NYLCV Scorecard bill that established the state’s goal of conserving 30 percent of its land and water by 2030, in keeping with the U.S. goal. At that time, according to a detailed article in The Adirondack Almanack, the state had preserved 19 percent of its land as open space and that the review plan had provided a “well tested strategy and framework” for conserving land, putting New York ahead of many other states. 

“The last few years have dramatically underscored the need for open spaces and parkland to help moderate the negative impacts of climate change and provide people with places to get outside and escape the daily stress of life,” State Parks Commissioner Erik Kulleseid said. “We look forward to hearing from the public as we renew this statewide open space plan – and build on New York State’s outstanding legacy of land conservation and broad access to outdoor recreation.”