Park Friends News: Show your support for parks! hp://archive.constantcontact.com/fs127/1102575355435/archive/11... Inside this issue: Winter 2013 Support parks at Park Advocacy Day - March 5 Show your parks some love: I Love My Park Day 2013 banner We want to work with you! Despite Sandy, parks thrive in 2012 banner Make their day! Recognize and honor our park and trail champions New Study: State Parks home to many rare species Celebrating Weddings in the park more than 25 years News from Friends groups of advocacy for New That's What Friends Are For: Ann Rocker York's parks and You Gotta Have Tips: To blog or not to blog trails Also Inside: Stay connected! Become a non-profit member Park Friends get boost from PTNY grants There are lots of ways to stay Grants for Friends groups - deadlines approaching 1 of 8 9/2/2015 12:20 PM Park Friends News: Show your support for parks! hp://archive.constantcontact.com/fs127/1102575355435/archive/11... Washington's Headquarters Museum reopens up-to-date on the latest news Speaking out for parks affecting our magnificent "Plants for Parks" beautifies State Parks PIPC archival images going online state park system and stay Dates to remember connected to other park Resources for Friends groups supporters. If you're not already on our email list, visit our website to join. Friends Support parks at Park Advocacy groups can connect through the Discussion Forum . You Day can also follow us: Gov. Cuomo's proposed FacebookTwitter Blog budget is good news for Park Advocacy Day parks: it includes a $90 million investment to address the backlog of infrastructure needs and critical safety Become a non-profit repairs at NYS Parks and Historic Sites. In addition, the member state's five-year capital plan includes $90 million annually in new funding for the state park Is your Friends group a system in each of the next 5 years. The proposed budget also member of Parks & Trails includes an additional $19 million for the EPF, providing critical New York? PTNY works to funding for state and local parks and trails. build the capacity of Friends groups, expand outreach and Now the Legislature and Governor must come to an agreement communications, and on the budget. You can help make sure these critical funds are in enhance advocacy efforts. the final budget. Join us for Park Advocacy Day on March 5th With continued economic in Albany . Find out more . constraints, it is more back to top important than ever that the network of Friends groups grows and strengthens. Show your parks some love: I Some of the tools PTNY Love My Park Day 2013 offers include spearheading I Love My Park Day , The first-ever I Love My Park publishing the You Gotta Day (ILMPD) was an Have Friends eNewsletter, overwhelming success and providing Growing the thanks to the efforts of Grassroots capacity grants , Friends groups, park staff technical assistance , and an and volunteers across the online Friends Resource Kit . state. PTNY is once again PTNY also gives a voice to teaming up with State Parks Friends groups at the and we want to make ILMPD Capitol. 2013 even bigger and better, bringing in new volunteers and resources while providing Become a non-profit enhanced visibility to the entire state park system. organization member of PTNY today! More than 60 parks and historic sites are already working on this year's event. And with sponsors like L.L. Bean, REI, Corning Incorporated Foundation Foundation, Time Warner Sports Park Friends get Channel and YNN, this year's event is sure to make headlines across the state and bring attention to our treasured state parks boost from PTNY and historic sites. Grants Help us make this event a huge success: contact us today to 2 of 8 9/2/2015 12:20 PM Park Friends News: Show your support for parks! hp://archive.constantcontact.com/fs127/1102575355435/archive/11... get started. Learn more PTNY's Growing the Grassroots grants Volunteers gather for a photo at Letchworth State Park during the first annual I Love My Park Day. Volunteers gather for a photo at Letchworth State Park Among the winners of this during the first annual I Love My Park Day. year's Growing the back to top Grassroots grants are four state park and historic site Friends groups: Friends of We want to work with you! Letchworth State Park , New State Park Friends Technical Assistance Program Friends of the Old Croton Launched Aqueduct , Friends of Schodack Island State Are you involved with a Friends group that works to promote and Park , and Friends of enhance one of New York's 214 state parks and historic sites? Ulysses S. Grant Cottage . Are you interested in building the capacity of your organization? PTNY awarded almost $14,000 in capacity- PTNY is excited to announce the launch of our new program for building grants to 10 state park and historic site Friends groups. The NYS Park Friends non-profit park and trail Technical Assistance Program (TAP) will help build the capacity of organizations throughout Friends organizations by working one-on-one with a few groups the state. The groups will use the funds to increase on areas such as communications, board development and organizational visibility, engaging and recruiting volunteers. generate community support, grow membership, By working together, we can strengthen the community of park and attract additional supporters and enhance stewardship of the state park system. volunteers. Congratulations to these groups and all the Applications are due March 15. Learn more . winners . back to top Grants for Friends Despite Sandy, parks thrive in groups: deadlines 2012 approaching Public Lands Every Day plans Not even a storm of historic to award 25 Friends groups proportions could stop the $2,000 each to support a revitalization of our state park Sandy damaged road in minimum of three events per system in 2012. NY Works state park site. The deadline is March 8, projects brought improvements 2013. For more details and for to 55 parks and historic sites, an application form, see their from playgrounds and website . Public Lands Every swimming pools to roads, Day is also accepting bridges and buildings. The applications for their Every improvements were noticed by Day Capacity Building Grant, visitors who came in droves; due April 30, 2013. For more visitation was over 60 million State parks are on the long road to details, visit here . last year, up 5% from 2011. recovery, thanks to renewed state Camping at state parks was spending on infrastructure needs. especially popular; camping Washington's nights were up 36,000 from the Headquarters Museum year before, with 91% and 95% occupancy rates on Memorial 3 of 8 9/2/2015 12:20 PM Park Friends News: Show your support for parks! hp://archive.constantcontact.com/fs127/1102575355435/archive/11... Day and Labor Day respectively. State Parks' Cyber Monday Reopens promotion was a big success with 23,000 passes sold in one day. In addition, a new phone app was launched and several special Washington events put state parks on a national stage. Headquarters With the announcement that the Governor's proposed budget includes $90 million for another round of funding for infrastructure needs, parks are poised to lead the state's environmental and economic efforts. Here's to keeping the momentum going for parks in 2013 and beyond! After years of renovations, back to top Washington's Headquarters State Historic Site 's Museum reopened late last year with a Make Their Day! Recognize and new exhibit, " Unpacked and Rediscovered: Selections from honor our park and trail Washington's Headquarters' Collection ." The exhibit champions features rare, curious and Nominations sought for 2013 Park & Trail important collections not seen Recognition Awards by the public for many years. The historic site, where Behind every successful park or trail project there are dedicated General Washington spent the individuals and organizations that rarely receive the recognition final critical months of the War for Independence, is a they so richly deserve. It's time to honor their efforts with one of National Historic Landmark our 2013 Park & Trail Recognition Awards . and the first publicly owned historic site in the nation. Award categories include: Public Leadership Speaking out for parks Volunteer Service Corporate Partnership Watch PTNY's testimony at the Get Outside Award budget hearing on Outside the Box environmental conservation, including parks, given by our Nomination forms must be postmarked, emailed, or faxed to Parks Program & Government Parks & Trails New York by March 26, 2013. Winners will be Relations Director Laura announced May 15, 2013. DiBetta earlier this month. Laura's turn to testify comes 6 back to top hours and 4 minutes into the hearing. (Phew - these budget hearings are not for the New Study: State Parks home to faint-of- heart!) many rare species "Plants for Parks" A new study quantifies the number and significance of rare beautifies State Parks species that live in New York's state parks. Professor of Biology George Robinson of the University at Albany, SUNY published his New York State Flower findings in the October 2012 issue of Natural Areas Journal. Parks has Power partnered with local Dr. Robinson used a new theory to assess the importance of nurseries and protecting a specific species in a given locale. The concept, called flower growers to "stewardship responsibility," takes into account the percentage of create "Plants for Parks," a the species' global population that lives in the particular region. new program that will help For instance, if a species has 70% of its population in New York, it beautify the region's state would merit more conservation efforts here than a species with parks and historic sites.