Having trouble viewing this email? Click here You Gotta Have Friends Inside this issue: WINTER 2012 Parks and the environment get boost from Governor We need you to support NY's parks! banner Show parks some love on May 5! First­ever I Love My Park Day Resources for Friends groups banner Capacity­Building Grant winners Protecting parks and other natural resources from hydrofracking Celebrating 25 years News from Friends groups of advocacy for New Agency seeks public­private partnerships That's What Friends Are For: Volunteer profile York's parks and You Gotta Have Tips: Recruiting and Keeping Good Volunteers trails Also Inside: Keep In Touch! Stay connected! Walkway Over Hudson among "10 Record­Breaking Bridges" If you're not already State Council of Parks Chair honored on our email list, visit PTNY in the Field our website to join. Hundreds of Ash trees removed from Greenway The one that didn't get away Iconic Letchworth State Park bridge to be demolished Down to the wire Hempstead Lake State Park cleanup a success Stay connected! There are lots of ways to stay up­to­date on the latest news affecting our magnificent state park Parks and the environment get boost system and stay connected to other park from Governor supporters. Follow us: Governor Cuomo's executive FacebooTkwitter Blog budget released last month Repairs needed at state parks includes positive news for New York's parks and the environment. The budget includes $89 million for Walkway Over Hudson infrastructure improvements at 48 state parks and historic among "10 Record­ sites as part of the New Breaking Bridges" York Works Fund. Details Thanks to Gov. Cuomo, state parks will about which park projects get much­needed funds for repairs. Walkway will see improvements are Over the still emerging. See the list of Hudson Valley projects. Hudson The Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) holds steady at $134 million, with $16 million slated for state land stewardship and $13 million for municipal parks. In addition, the proposed budget minimally cuts the operating budget for the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP). One of New York's own made it on a list of the "10 Thank the Governor for making a smart investment in New York Record­Breaking Bridges" State by providing funding for infrastructure needs at state parks around the world. The list, and historic sites and maintaining the EPF. featured in Yahoo Travel, highlighted 10 engineering Learn More marvels from around the world that feature a Read the Governor's Budget Briefing Book. (See pages 29 variety of shapes and to 32 for the parks and environment section.) sizes. The Walkway over Read PTNY's testimony on the Governor's proposed the Hudson, a State budget. Historic Park, was Learn more about the EPF. selected because it's the Read PTNY's letter to the editor in the Albany Times longest pedestrian Union. footbridge in the world. back to top State Council of Parks Chair honored We need you to support NY's parks! The Foundation for Long Island State Parks The Governor's budget proposal is good Join us for Park honored State Council of news for parks. Now it's up to the Advocacy Day on Parks Chair Lucy Legislature, and they need to hear from March 6! Rockefeller Waletzky, YOU. It's important that legislators M.D. in December with its know their constituents support the Governor's proposal to provide 14th Annual Robert $89 million for state park repairs and improvements at 48 state Moses Master Builder parks and historic sites. Award. A portion of the proceeds from the awards Join Parks & Trails New York and our partner, the Alliance for dinner are going towards New York State Parks, in Albany for the 6th Annual Park restoration of the historic Advocacy Day on Tuesday, March 6 and help send a message mosaics at Jones Beach, of support for New York's 213 state parks and historic sites. a project of Jones Beach Rescue. Park supporters from throughout the state will meet with policymakers and stress the importance of supporting Governor Cuomo's budget proposal, particularly the $89 million slated for state park repairs and improvements under the New York Works PTNY in the Field Fund. Your efforts will have a lasting impact on legislators as they Friends of Schodack make important decisions about parks. RSVP today by emailing Island State Park your name, address and phone number to Laura DiBetta or calling Board Meeting 518­434­1583. PTNY Park Program back to top Director Laura DiBetta (top row, third from right) attended a recent Friends of Schodack Island State Park board meeting to talk Show parks some love on May 5! about I Love My Park Day and other updates and First­ever I Love My Park Day news affecting state parks. Hundreds of Ash trees removed from Greenway OPRHP removed hundreds of Ash trees from the Genesee Valley Greenway in December. These trees had suffered, or were susceptible to, infestation by the Emerald Ash Borer, an invasive beetle species. While the removal will impact the natural appearance of the Greenway, it was needed Show state parks and in order to slow the spread I Love My Park Day ­ May 5 historic sites some of the destructive Emerald love! I Love My Park Ash Borer. Learn more. Day is an exciting new statewide event to bring visibility to the entire The one that didn't get state park system and away its needs. On Saturday, May 5, you can join with volunteers across the PS 148 participates in state to help celebrate I FISH NY at Gantry and improve park lands Plaza State Park in and beaches, plant trees and gardens, restore trails and wildlife Queens habitat, and carry out site­improvement projects at state parks Since 2005, students from and historic sites. Public School 148 in Jackson Heights, Queens PTNY, in collaboration with OPRHP, will coordinate the event at have been fishing in the the statewide level, with cleanup, improvement and beautification springtime at Gantry projects organized by local state park and historic site friends Plaza State Park with the groups and park staff. DEC Region 2 I FISH NY program with little to show Visit the I Love My Park Day website to find an event near you for their efforts. After and stay tuned: we'll be adding more sites, project and event switching the fishing trips details, and online registration soon! from spring to fall, when plenty of feisty bluefish back to top ("snappers") and other hungry fish are more abundant in the salt waters of New York City, Resources for Friends groups their luck changed. Each of the three classes caught fish, and the final We've been busy working on ways to build the capacity of friends class ended up running groups, expand outreach and communications, and enhance into a feeding blitz of advocacy efforts. With continued economic constraints, it is more striped bass with one fish important than ever that the network of friends groups grow and after another and strengthen. In addition to Park Advocacy Day, I Love My Park sometimes two at a time Day, and the You Gotta Have Friends eNewsletter, PTNY offers being hauled over the two new tools for friends groups. railing. In three hours, more than 60 fish were New Friends Discussion Forum Launched caught and released ­ a record for saltwater days. To help facilitate greater networking and communications among friends groups, PTNY has started an online discussion forum. The discussion forum is an opportunity for friends organizations across the state to communicate with each other ­ sharing ideas, asking Iconic Letchworth advice, learning from one another and building the strength of our State Park bridge to be parks movement. Join the discussion today (once there, click on "Join this group" in the right­hand column) and share your ideas on demolished the current topic: volunteer recruitment and retention. For more An iron railroad viaduct information, visit our website. towering 245 feet above the Genesee River has been a destination spot New Online Friends Resource Kit since it was built in 1875 and a Letchworth State We've just made available a new online Friends Resource Kit ­ Park landmark from the your go­to resource for building and strengthening your time the park was organization and networking with other groups. We will be building created in 1907, but the this site over time, so check back often for new information and historic structure may let us know if you have ideas for ways to improve and expand it. soon be gone. The NYS Department of back to top Transportation (DOT) was awarded $15 million in federal TIGER III funding and NYS has pledged $3.5 million to Capacity­Building Grant winners assist Norfolk Southern with the $39 million cost PTNY's Capacity­Building Grants program recently awarded over of removing the rail $18,000 to strengthen not­for­profit organizations that are working bridge and constructing to build and protect parks and trails in communities across the a new one at state. Among the 11 winners in this round were three state park approximately the same Friends groups. Congratulations to Friends of Gantry Plaza State location. Park in Queens, Friends of Mine Kill and Max V. Shaul State Parks in Schoharie County, and Friends of Fahnestock and Iconic bridge at Hudson Highlands State Parks in Dutchess and Putnam counties. Letchworth State Read more about these and all the winners. Park back to top As it serves an active rail line, the public is not allowed on the bridge, but it nevertheless has always attracted visitors because it offers the Protecting parks and other natural best view of the falls and river gorge.