New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation

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New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
New York State Office of Parks Recreation and Historic Preservation.svg
Agency overview
Jurisdiction New York
Headquarters 625 Broadway
Albany, NY 12207[1]
42°39′09″N 73°44′55″WCoordinates: 42°39′09″N 73°44′55″W
Employees 1,737 permanent
4,500+ seasonal (2014)[2]
Annual budget $385,693,500 USD (2014-15)[3]
Agency executive
Erik Kulleseid, Commissioner[4]
Parent department Executive Department
Key document
Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Law
Website parks.ny.gov
The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (NYS
OPRHP) is a state agency within the New York State Executive Department[5] charged
with the operation of state parks and historic sites within the U.S. state of New
York.[6] As of 2014, the NYS OPRHP manages nearly 335,000 acres (523 sq mi; 1,360
km2) of public lands and facilities, including 180 state parks and 35 historic
sites, that are visited by over 62 million visitors each year.[2]

Contents
1 History
1.1 Initial acquisitions
1.2 NYS Council of Parks
1.3 NYS Conservation Department Division of Parks
1.4 NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
2 Facilities
3 See also
4 Notes
5 References
6 External links
History
The agency that would become the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and
Historic Preservation (NYS OPRHP) was created in 1970; however, the history of
state parks and historic sites in New York stretches back to the latter part of the
19th century. Management of state-owned parks, and guidance for the entire state
park system, was accomplished by various regional commissions, private
organizations, statewide advisory councils, and divisions within other state
agencies prior to the establishment of NYS OPRHP, which grew from the framework
created by these earlier organizations.[7]

Initial acquisitions

Prospect Point at the Niagara Reservation, c. 1900. The reservation, known today as
Niagara Falls State Park, was the first park opened by New York State.
State-level procurement and management of parks in New York began in 1883, when
then-governor Grover Cleveland signed legislation authorizing the appropriation of
lands near Niagara Falls for a "state reservation".[7]:10[8] Two years later, the
Niagara Reservation, known today as Niagara Falls State Park, opened to the public.
[9] The park is claimed to be the oldest state park in the United States,[2][note
1] and was the first established via eminent domain.[9]
The State Reservation on the St. Lawrence was authorized in 1896, and by 1898 it
included modest state holdings in the Thousand Islands region of New York.[11]
During the early 20th century, the state continued to expand its public parks
system with several large additions, including Letchworth State Park in 1906, Fire
Island State Park (known today as Robert Moses State Park) in 1908, John Boyd
Thacher State Park in 1914, Enfield Glen State Park (today's Robert H. Treman State
Park) in 1920, and Allegany State Park in 1921. A coordinated effort to protect
portions of the Hudson Palisades from the damaging effects of quarrying resulted in
the creation of a number of state parks in the 1910s and 1920s, including Bear
Mountain State Park and Harriman State Park.[7]:10–12

NYS Council of Parks

Throughout these early acquisitions, the state lacked a formal statewide agency or
organization to coordinate management and development of state parks. Instead,
parks were managed by independent regional commissions, such as the Palisades
Interstate Park Commission, or by organizations such as the American Scenic and
Historic Preservation Society.[12] To address the need for statewide coordination,
the New York State Council of Parks was created by legislation adopted on April 18,
1924.[7]:15 The council served to plan development and set standard policies for
all New York state-owned parks, reservations, and historic sites that were not
under the authority of the New York State Conservation Commission (which notably
included those lands that comprised the Forest Preserve in the Adirondacks and
Catskills).[13] Its formation was supported by governor Alfred E. Smith and based
on plans by Robert Moses, who became the council's first commissioner;[7]:16 Moses
would remain in charge of the council until 1963.[7]:40

Robert Moses laid the groundwork for the State Council of Parks, and led the
council from 1924 to 1963.
The council initially included representatives from regional park commissions and
other organizations involved in park management, including the Conservation
Commission and the American Scenic and Historic Preservation Society. Prior to the
creation of the Division of Parks (see below), the State Council of Parks was the
highest-level organization overseeing park management in the state.[7]:16

Although it later became an advisory body, the council continues to this day, known
officially as the New York State Council of Parks, Recreation and Historic
Preservation. It includes representatives from the following departments and
commissions as of 2014:[2]

New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
New York State Board for Historic Preservation
Allegany State Park Commission
Central State Park Commission
Finger Lakes State Park Commission
Genesee State Park Commission
Long Island State Park Commission
New York City State Park Commission
Niagara Frontier State Park Commission
Palisades Interstate Park Commission
Saratoga-Capital District State Park Commission
Taconic State Park Commission
Thousand Islands State Park Commission
NYS Conservation Department Division of Parks
A reorganization of New York's state government took place in 1926, which resulted
in the creation of the New York State Conservation Department. The newly formed
Conservation Department included a Division of Parks which assumed responsibility
for management of New York's parks and historic sites.[13] The Council of Parks
continued as a constituent unit of the Division of Parks.[7]:16 The council was
also at this time given the additional responsibility of planning highway
improvements to enable access to park facilities.[13]

Workers completing a Civilian Conservation Corps barracks in 1934 at Green Lakes

State Park in Fayetteville, New York
Although the Great Depression of the 1930s reduced available funding for New York's
state parks, the period was a time of development of existing parks' facilities.
Construction teams comprising workers employed through federal programs such as the
Temporary Emergency Relief Administration, Civilian Conservation Corps, Civil Works
Administration, and Works Progress Administration cleared woodlands, performed
maintenance tasks, and built roads, trails, golf courses, buildings, and furniture
for New York's parks through the 1930s and early 1940s.[7]:28[14]

As the Depression came to a close with the United States joining World War II in
1941, New York State was managing 74 parks welcoming a combined 20 million visitors
annually.[7]:28 However, the Division of Parks' responsibilities were reduced in
1944 when 27 State Historic Sites were placed under the jurisdiction of the New
York State Education Department. These sites were eventually returned to the
Conservation Department in 1966; in the same year, the New York State Historic
Trust (which later became the New York State Board for Historic Preservation) was
created to help guide their management.[13]

The Palisades Interstate Parkway was a priority project during the 1950s.
New York's park system continued expansion after World War II ended. The creation
or completion of various parkways in the state, such as the Palisades Interstate
Parkway and Lake Ontario Parkway, received priority during the 1950s.[7]:32 As
visitation to New York's state parks increased following the war, new lands were
sought for state parks, including unsuccessful attempts to expand into the Forest
Preserve. Increased funding for parks made available in the 1960s did allow for the
purchase of several large tracts throughout the state for parkland development.
[7]:34, 36 The state also began at this time to expand into new areas, such as an
increase in boating facilities and establishment of parks within New York City.
[7]:40, 42

NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation

A major shift in New York's park management came in 1970 with legislation that
created the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, which was
tasked with all responsibilities of the former Conservation Department, with the
exception of managing the state's parks and historic sites outside of the Forest
Preserve. The former Division of Parks was upgraded to become an independent
agency, known as the New York State Office of Parks and Recreation.[7]:40
Legislation enacted in 1972 gave the agency direct control of New York's park
lands, with the State Council of Parks and regional commissions retaining an
advisory role in management. The agency's name was updated in 1981 to its current
form, the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (NYS
OPRHP).[13]

Sandy Island Beach State Park, opened in 2006, was one of many parks added to the
state under Governor George Pataki.[15]
The state park system underwent a period of rapid expansion during former governor
George Pataki's administration.[16] Between 1995 and 2007, Pataki, along with then-
parks commissioner Bernadette Castro, opened 28 new state parks.[17] Although the
governor was lauded as a conservationist for his actions,[16] the new parks
increased financial burdens on the NYS OPRHP, whose funding for operations remained
steady.[17] In 2010, a statewide fiscal crisis led to an announcement that 55 state
parks and historic sites would be closed. The threatened closures were eventually
averted, with budget shortfalls made up through reduced staffing and hours at many
parks, closure of some internal facilities such as campgrounds and golf courses,
and increases in user fees.[18]

The 2010 fiscal crisis resulted in decreased availability of funds for maintenance
and upkeep at New York's parks. To help address an estimated $1 billion in needed
repairs, $143 million in funds were made available in 2012; the money came from a
combination of state, federal, and private grant sources.[19] Sustained funding for
repairs was announced in 2015, with the state planning to spend $900 million by
2020 at parks and historic sites throughout the state.[16]

Facilities
Main articles: List of New York state parks and List of New York State Historic
Sites

Link Trail, near Cazenovia, New York

As of 2014, the NYS OPRHP administered:[2]

335,000 acres (523 sq mi; 1,360 km2) of public land

180 state parks
35 state historic sites
67 developed beaches
36 swimming pools
27 marinas
40 boat launch sites
29 golf courses
817 cabins and rental houses
8,355 campsites
2,000 miles (3,200 km) of trails
18 nature centers
See also
Adirondack Park Agency
List of New York state park golf courses
New York City Department of Parks and Recreation
New York State Park Police
Notes
Although claimed as the oldest state park in the United States, Niagara Falls was
not the first state-managed park.[10] For a discussion of earlier state parks, see
History of state parks in the United States.
References
"Contact Us". NYS Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation. Retrieved
March 1, 2015.
"2014 Annual Report, New York State Council of Parks, Recreation & Historic
Preservation" (PDF). NYS Council of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation.
January 2015. pp. 7–8. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
"2014-15 Executive Budget - Agency Appropriations". NYS Division of the Budget.
Retrieved March 1, 2015.
"Commissioner's Biography". NYS Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic
Preservation. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Law § 3.03. "The office of parks,
recreation and historic preservation is hereby continued in the executive
department. [...]"
The New York State Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan and Generic
Environmental Impact Statement 2014-2019 (PDF) (Report). NYS Office of Parks,
Recreation & Historic Preservation. March 26, 2014. p. 5. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
Natural Heritage Trust; New York State Office of Parks & Recreation; New York
State Council of Parks & Recreation (1975). Fifty Years: New York State Parks,
1924-1974. Natural Heritage Trust.[permanent dead link]
 "Chapter 336: An act to authorize the selection, location and appropriation of
certain lands in the village of Niagara Falls for a state reservation and to
preserve the scenery of the falls of Niagara". The General Statutes of the State of
New York for the Year 1883. Albany, NY: Weed, Parsons and Company. 1883. pp. 155–
157. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
"Niagara National Heritage Area Study Report". National Park Service. 2005. p. 26.
Retrieved October 8, 2016.
Edmondson, Brad (2001). "Publication #72 - Environmental Affairs in New York
State: A Historical Overview" (PDF). New York State Archives. pp. 7–9. Retrieved
October 8, 2016.
"The St. Lawrence River Park". Fourth Annual Report of the Commissioners of
Fisheries, Game and Forests of the State of New York. Wynkoop Hallenbeck Crawford
Co., Printers. January 20, 1899. p. 124.[permanent dead link]
Committee on State Park Plan, New York State Association (January 1924). "Appendix
A: Chart Showing Organization and Custody of State Parks". The State Park Plan for
New York, Revised to Show Progress to Date, with Proposal for the New Park Bond
Issue (Second ed.). p. 94. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
"Environmental Documentary Sources in New York State" (PDF). New York State
Education Department, New York State Archives. August 2000. pp. 15–16. Retrieved
October 16, 2016.
"New York's Heartland: The development of the state parks program in central New
York 1925-1950" (PDF). The Preservationist. NYS Office of Parks, Recreation, and
Historic Preservation. 8 (1): 18. Spring–Summer 2004. Archived from the original
(PDF) on July 23, 2011. Retrieved October 16, 2016.
"State Parks Commissioner Opens Sandy Island Beach". NYS Office of Parks,
Recreation, & Historic Preservation. June 24, 2006. Archived from the original on
December 25, 2010.
Foderaro, Lisa W. (November 2, 2015). "New York State Parks, After Years of
Decline, Receive Infusion of Cash and Care". The New York Times. Retrieved October
17, 2016.
Bleyer, Bill (February 27, 2010). "Pataki's state parks expansion added budget
burden". Newsday. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
"Acting Commissioner Beers' Testimony Before Assembly Standing Committee on
Tourism, Parks, Arts and Sports Development; Assembly Standing Committee on
Oversight, Analysis and Investigation". NYS Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic
Preservation. December 13, 2010. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
Foderaro, Lisa W. (October 10, 2012). "New York State Parks Use Infusion of Money
Toward Backlog of Repairs". The New York Times. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
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