The List of New York State Parks to Be Closed

I have not heard much of anything since Governor Paterson announced in February that New York State government would be closing 41 state parks and historic sites. Is this really going to happen?

In February, Governor David A. Paterson had issued the following statement:

“New York faces an historic fiscal crisis of unprecedented magnitude. It has demanded many difficult but necessary decisions to help ensure the fiscal integrity of our State. The unfortunate reality of closing an $8.2 billion deficit is that there is less money available for many worthy services and programs. In an environment when we have to cut funding to schools, hospitals, nursing homes, and social services, no area of State spending, including parks and historic sites, could be exempt from reductions. We cannot mortgage our State’s financial future through further gimmicks or avoidance behavior. Spending cuts, however difficult, are needed in order to put New York on the road to fiscal recovery. Going forward through the budget process, I look forward to a productive dialogue with the Legislature on parks and historic sites, as well as other issues.”

OPRHP Commissioner Carol Ash issued the following statement:

“The 2010-11 Executive Budget included reductions to every area of State spending. As such, the Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation has today put forward proposed closures and service reductions to meet its agency savings target. These actions were not recommended lightly, but they are necessary to address our State’s extraordinary fiscal difficulties.”

The National Park Service sent a warning letter to Governor Paterson, saying that closing any parks that have received federal funding in the past might disqualify them for federal funding in the future.

National Park Service officials have warned the state that closing the parks could put New York in violation of federal requirements. Under the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund, New York has received approximately $230 million in assistance since 1965. According to the NPS, most of the parks and sites slated for closure have received federal funding from the LWCF or from the Federal Lands to Parks programs. NPS said closure of any state park or site that has received that assistance would be seen as noncompliance with federal requirements, which could jeopardize the state’s eligibility for participating in the program and could prevent the state from receiving thousands in federal assistance.

In a March 31 letter to Gov. David Paterson, national park service officials said closure of any park acquired through FLP could result in “reversion of the property to federal ownership and subsequent sale of the property.”

“Our position is that these are temporary closures, not permanent. We have no plans to convert the lands to other purposes,” said state parks spokesman Dan Keefe. “They’re temporary closures in response to the state’s fiscal crisis and they should not jeopardize federal funding.”

On Friday, Paterson’s office also responded to the National Park Service’s concerns, promising the parks and historic sites will be maintained as public outdoor recreation use in perpetuity. He said he’s asked Ash to meet with NPS to ensure that spending reductions won’t jeopardize the state’s eligibility to receive funding through the Land and Water Conservation Fund. His letter also pointed out that the state now receives only $2 million annually from the LWCF.

Here’s the list, issued by the State, of the recommended closures and service reductions:

Saratoga-Capital Region
• Bennington Battlefield State Historic Site (Rensselaer)–Close Historic Site
• Hudson River Islands State Park (Rensselaer)–Close Park
• John Boyd Thacher State Park (Albany)–Close Park
• John Brown Farm Historic Site (Essex)–Close Historic Site
• Johnson Hall State Historic Site (Fulton)–Close Historic Site
• Max V. Shaul State Park (Schoharie)–Close Park
• Schodack Island State Park (Rensselaer)–Close Park
• Schoharie Crossing Historic Site (Montgomery)–Close Historic Site
• Schuyler Mansion Historic Site (Albany)–Close Historic Site

Central Region
• Chittenango Falls State Park (Madison)–Close Park
• Clark Reservation State Park (Onondaga)–Close Park
• Fort Ontario State Historic Site (Oswego)–Close Historic Site
• Helen McNitt State Park (Madison)–Close Park
• Herkimer Home Historic Site (Herkimer)–Close Historic Site
• Hunts Pond State Park (Chenango)–Close Park
• Oquaga Creek State Park (Broome)–Close Park
• Old Erie Canal State Park (Onondaga)–Close Park
• Oriskany Battlefield/Steuben SHS (Oneida)–Close Historic Site
• Pixley Falls State Park (Oneida)–Close Park
• Robert Riddell State Park (Delaware)–Close Park
• Selkirk Shores State Park (Oswego)–Close Public Swimming Beach

Finger Lakes Region
• Beechwood State Park (Wayne)–Close Park
• Bonavista State Park (Seneca)–Close Park
• Chimney Bluffs State Park (Wayne)–Close Park
• Newtown Battlefield State Park (Chemung)–Close Park
• Springbrook Greens State Park (Cayuga)–Close Park
• Two Rivers State Park (Tioga)–Close Park
• Buttermilk Falls State Park (Tompkins)–Close Public Swimming Area
• Seneca Lake State Park (Seneca)–Close Lake Swimming Beach
• Stony Brook State Park (Steuben)–Close Public Swimming Area

Thousand Islands Region
• Canoe Island State Park (Jefferson)–Close Park
• Cedar Island State Park (Jefferson)–Close Park
• Eel Weir State Park (St. Lawrence)–Close Park
• Keewaydin State Park (Jefferson)–Close Park
• Macomb Reservation State Park (Clinton)–Close Park
• Mary Island State Park (Jefferson)–Close Park
• Point Au Roche State Park (Clinton)–Close Park
• Sackets Harbor State Historic Site (Jefferson)–Close Historic Site

Genesee Region
• Hamlin Beach State Park (Monroe)–Close Swimming Beach 3 Days per Week
• Oak Orchard State Marine Park (Orleans)–Close Park
• Regionwide Multiple Eliminate Camper Recreation Program

Niagara Region
• Joseph Davis State Park (Niagara)–Close Park
• Knox Farm State Park (Erie)–Close Park
• Wilson-Tuscarora State Park (Niagara)–Close Park
• Woodlawn Beach State Park (Erie)– Close Park
• Regionwide–Reduce interpretive programs

Allegany Region
• Allegany State Park (Cattaraugus)–Close Quaker Area Swim Beach; Close Quaker Cabins Area on December 1st; Eliminate Winter Trails Maintenance; Reduce Recreation Programs
• Long Point State Park (Chautauqua)–Close Park

Long Island
• Brookhaven State Park (Suffolk)–Close Park
• Bethpage State Park (Suffolk)–Eliminate Winter Sports; Reduce picnic area and polo field
• Caleb Smith State Park Preserve (Suffolk)–Close Park
• Cold Spring Harbor State Park (Suffolk)–Close Park
• Connetquot River State Park (Suffolk)–Close Weekdays
• Heckscher State Park (Suffolk)–Close Swimming Pool
• Jones Beach State Park (Nassau)–Close West Swimming Pool; Eliminate July 4th fireworks
• Montauk Downs State Park (Suffolk)–Close Swimming Pool
• Nissequogue River State Park (Suffolk)–Close Park
• Orient Beach State Park (Suffolk)–Close Park
• Trail View State Park (Suffolk)–Close Park

New York City Region
• Bayswater Point State Park (Queens)–Close Park
• Riverbank State Park (New York)–Reduce Operating Hours; Close Outdoor Swimming Pool; Eliminate Seniors Classes, and Community/Cultural Events

Palisades Region
• Fort Montgomery Historic Site (Orange)–Close Historic Site
• Harriman SP– Anthony Wayne (Orange)–Close Park Area
• Harriman SP – Group Camps (Orange)–Reduce Maintenance
• High Tor State Park (Rockland)–Close Pool
• Knox Headquarters Historic Site (Orange)–Close Historic Site
• New Windsor Cantonment SHS (Orange)– Close Historic Site
• Schunnemunk State Park (Orange)– Close Park
• Stony Point State Historic Site (Orange)–Close Historic Site
• Tallman Mountain State Park (Rockland)–Close Pool

Taconic Region
• Donald J. Trump State Park (Westchester)–Close Park
• FDR (Roosevelt) State Park (Westchester)–Reduce Swimming Pool Season
• Hudson Highlands State Park (Putnam)–Close Arden Point Area
• James Baird State Park (Dutchess)–Reduce Golf Course Season
• Mills Norrie State Park (Dutchess)–Reduce Golf Course Season
• Olana State Historic Site (Columbia)–Close 2 Days per Week
• Philipse Manor Hall Historic Site (Westchester)–Close Historic Site
• Rockefeller State Park Preserve (Westchester)–Eliminate Interpretive Programs
• Taconic Outdoor Education Center (Putnam)–Eliminate Interpretive Programs
• Taconic State Park – Rudd Pond (Dutchess)–Close Rudd Pond Area
• Wonder Lake State Park (Putnam)–Close Park

As I’ve stated before, closing New York’s parks would save very little money, and would most likely cost the state much more. Moreover, this seems more like punishment toward us New Yorkers, especially when a.) this “financial crisis” has been evident for decades but NY government refused to address it at all, b.) New York government could slash a lot more government and bureaucratic jobs to save money, c.) there’s so much waste and corruption in Albany and New York City that squeezing out a few nickels and dimes from our tourism department would be humorous if it wasn’t so explosively outrageous.

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