This year, on May 7th, New York State will be celebrating I Love My Park Day! This annual event, organized by Parks & Trails New York (PTNY) in partnership with the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) and local Friends groups, aims to promote and enhance visibility of the parks system and encourage those in the community to keep them clean and give back by volunteering. From beach clean up, to weeding, to re-painting, many local parks on Long Island, and throughout the New York area, need some much needed, and deserved, TLC so that these parks can keep being enjoyed by residents and visitors for many years to come.
Here are assorted parks on Long Island holding an I Love My Park Day event, and the various volunteer projects available for participants to choose from.
440 Montauk Highway, Great River, NY 11739
Saturday, May 7th from 11AM - 2PM
631-581-1002
Project 1: The first project will involve the removal of weeds, vines, and raking in the friendship garden
Project 2: The second project area will be raking, weeding and mulching various areas of the farm garden and chicken areas
Southern State Parkway Exit 38, North Babylon, NY 11703
Saturday, May 7th from 9AM - 12PM
631-667-5055
Project 1: Lake shore cleanup
Project 2: Trail Cleanup
Project 3: Painting historic Cannons
99 Quaker Meeting House Road, Farmingdale, NY 11735
Saturday, May 7th from 9AM - 12PM
516-249-0700
Project 1: Picnic area/trail Clean up
Project 2: Table/BBQ repair and restore
Project 3: Painting Polo boards
581 West Jericho Turnpike, Smithtown, NY 11787
Saturday, May 7th from 9AM - 12PM
631-265-1054
Project 1: Gardening
Project 2: Invasive Plant Removal
Project 3: Painting
3500 East Ocean Parkway, Bay Shore, NY 11702
Saturday, May 7th at 9AM
631-669-0449
Project 1: Painting of lifeguard equipment and reserved parking stalls
Project 2: Litter cleanup of shoreline and of Captree State Park, including Captree Overlook beach
25 Lloyd Harbor Road, Huntington, NY 11743
Saturday, May 7th from 9:30AM - 12PM
Project 1: Bittersweet Clipping: Volunteers will be clipping Bittersweet vines in the nearby woodlands. Long pants and sturdy hiking boots are recommended. Goggles will be provided if you do not have eye protection. Participants are encouraged to bring clippers if possible
Project 2: Beach Clean-Up: Volunteers will walk along beach front and gather shoreline litter. Participants should wear sunblock and a hat. Garden gloves will be provided if needed. Footwear should protect entire foot from debris on shoreline
Box 505, Oakdale, NY 11769
Saturday, May 7th from 9AM - 1PM
631-581-1005
Project 1: Planting
Project 2: Repairs
Project 3: Pruning
Project 4: Garbage Clean-Up
Eastern End of Southern State Parkway, East Islip, NY 11730
Saturday, May 7th from 9AM - 12PM
631-581-2100
Project 1: Beach Cleanup
Project 2: Trail Cleanup
Project 3: Picnic table repairs/building and Painting
Lakeside Drive, West Hempstead, NY 11552
Saturday, May 7th from 9AM - 12PM
516-766-1029
Project 1: Cleaning the shoreline of North West Pond
Ocean Parkway, Wantagh, NY 11793
Saturday, May 7th from 9AM - 12PM
516-679-7205
Project 1: Shore line clean up
Project 2: Install snow fence/Moby mats
A group of volunteers at Jones Beach State Park on I Love My Park Day 2014. Photo by Jones Beach Park Staff.
2000 Montauk Highway, Montauk, NY 11954
Saturday, May 7th from 10AM - 1PM
631-668-2765
Various volunteer projects will be available to choose from!
799 St. Johnland Road, Kings Park, NY 11754
Saturday, May 7th from 9AM - 12PM
631-848-8587
Project 1: Clean up of litter and debris
40000 Main Road, Orient, NY 11957
Saturday, May 7th from 10AM - 12PM
631-323-2440
Various volunteer projects will be available to choose from!
1395 Planting Fields Road, Oyster Bay, NY 11771
Saturday, May 7th from 9AM - 12PM
516-922-9200
Project 1: Garden and trails clean up to include mulching and weeding
Robert Moses Parkway, Babylon, NY 11702
Saturday, May 7th from 9AM - 2:30PM
631-669-0449
Project 1: Install erosion control fencing along sections of the primary dune where fence is missing
Project 2: Dune grass pulling and replanting
Project 3: Assembling and installing "Keep Off of the Dunes"
Project 4: Painting reserved parking stalls
Project 5: Litter cleanup of beachfront and dunes
Sunken Meadow State Parkway, Kings Park, NY 11754
Saturday, May 7th from 9:30AM - 2PM
631-269-4333
Project 1: Build wooden picnic tables
Project 2: Weeding & mulching environmental butterfly garden
Project 3: Shoreline beach clean up
Exit 15A on Southern State, Valley Stream, NY 11580
Saturday, May 7th from 10AM - 12PM
516-825-4128
Project 1: Stream & Trail Cleanup
Project 2: Exercise Station Rehab-beautification of land around our 16 station exercise trail
Project 3: Remove stakes around two-year old trees. Miscellaneous plantings around the park
246 Old Walt Whitman Road, Huntington Station, NY 11746
Saturday, May 7th from 9:30AM - 4:30PM
631-427-5240
Project 1: Gardening-raking, cleaning out flower beds, pruning, planting flowers
Project 2: Power Washing-commemorative bricks, wooden benches, sidewalks
Project 3: Painting and staining wooden benches
790 Hulse Landing Road, Wading River, NY 11792
Saturday, May 7th from 9AM - 12PM
631-929-4314
Project 1: Beach cleanup - Volunteers will be brought onto the beach via 4wd rack trucks and will be given gloves and bags to pick up debris from the shoreline
[Source: Parks & Trails New York]