Home -  About us -  Contact Us -  Advertise  
*Click here to receive 3 free issues of Oswego County Business Magazine*

Keep State Parks, Historic Sites Open

The fate of many New York’s state parks and historic sites is in limbo.

Closings are likely and cutbacks are guaranteed. With the threat of scale downs and closures looming, maybe this summer we can take the time to visit some of our state’s true treasures. With the revenue generated from our visits, the parks may stay open and operational for years to come.

New York state parks and historic sites are nothing to gawk at. There are 179 state parks and 38 historic sites. These attractions offer one-of-a-kind and affordable family fun. The land covered by the parks is vast. For example, the Adirondack Park has over 6.1 million acres, which is larger than the Yellowstone, Everglades, Glacier, and Grand Canyon national parks combined.

State parks and historic sites are so valuable, yet many of us underestimate the impact their loss would have on our lives. If we take the time to imagine our life without them, visiting these sites this summer becomes of crucial importance.

Without the parks, a day at the beach may mean a two-hour car ride to an insanely crowded private lake. It would also mean crowded hikes on smaller and less maintained trails. There are a lot of walking trails out there, but few operators have the necessary means to keep up maintenance. Downed branches, over-grown weeds and poisonous plants may not be cleared out of the way.

Camping is now one of the cheapest activities out there. You can camp at a state park for about $15 per night. Try finding a hotel for that price. Lots of people camp after family picnics or concerts and they enjoy the rustic aspect of spending the night in the woods. Without parks, there are a lot of standard and boring hotels in the future.

Historic sites hold on to some of our best ties to the past. You may study the Revolutionary War in grammar school, but going and experiencing it locally will no longer be an option. Seeing how history played out in your own back yard makes history come alive in a way a textbook isn’t capable of.

The historic sites also house a lot of artifacts from a time that is fading from most people’s memories. Without the proper funding, sites may not be able to properly preserve the artifacts.

For those who rely on public boat launches, parks offer an affordable option to launch a boat. Not everyone lives on a lake, and public launches are crucial to many boat owners. There are going to be a lot of boats staying in driveways for the summer if the parks go away.

Golfers will also be missing the parks. A number of parks offer golf courses. For those who don’t belong to a country club, park courses offer an affordable alternative. A lot of golf clubs may be staying in the closet without parks.

For those of you who fish, the parks offer an affordable place to do so. They also feature easy access to fishing holes with docks and other structures. Fishing with the family may not be as fun when you have to tread through half a mile of brush to get there.

State parks and historic sites offer a unique experience that almost nothing else in the state can offer. We don’t know how long the cutbacks or closures will last, but we can be certain we will be losing something invaluable.

To ensure we aren’t telling future generations about the fun they once were, let’s all do our part as New Yorkers and support our state parks and historic sites this year.