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Join DEC for I Love My Park Day and Plant Some Trees

Nature & Weather, Press Releases, Seasonal & Current Events

By Published: April 13 2016

LongIsland.com

I Love My Park Day is the perfect opportunity for those who enjoy NYS parks to demonstrate just how much they care for these special places.

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Planting tress for I Love My Park Day

Photo by: NY DEC

April 13, 2016 - On Saturday, May 7, visit a park in your area for the fifth annual I Love My Park Day. Volunteers help clean up and improve select public parks and DEC properties during this event. Volunteer events are planned in the Adirondack and Catskill Park regions, at five national parks in New York State and at numerous state parks. Event details and registration information can be found on the Parks & Trails New York website.
 
This year, the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the National Park Service are joining Parks & Trails New York and the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation in co-sponsoring the event.
 
I Love My Park Day is the perfect opportunity for those who enjoy NYS parks to demonstrate just how much they care for these special places. It is also a great way to introduce children to the outdoors and show them how to help care for their environment.
 
 
Highlighted DEC events:
 
Catskill Interpretive Center - Get involved with a general spring cleanup, or plant native tree species around the bridge where large dying ash trees were removed.  
 
Colgate Lake - Clean up around the entire site, including trails. This is a high-use area and volunteers can really help get it ready for the new season.
 
Hudson River Recreation Area, Lake George Wild Forest - Plant native trees as part of the site restoration plan to speed up recovery of the area. Volunteers will also pick up litter, paint pit privies and gates.
 
Otter Creek Horse Trail - Help install water diversions to protect against erosion, install timber steps, and remove brush from trails for the benefit of thousands of recreationists who use them every year.
 
Reinstein Woods - Help clean off trails, remove invasive species, and plant native plants as part of the annual Trail Stewardship Day. Geocachers can explore for hidden treasures while also removing trash from Reinstein Woods at this Cache In Trash Out® event.
 
Learn more about these opportunities in the following Conservationist articles: “Giving Back” (April 2016) and “Start ‘em Young” (June 2014).