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| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Jurisdiction | New York |
| Headquarters | 625 Broadway Albany, New York 12207[1] 42°39′09″N73°44′55″W / 42.652366°N 73.748592°W /42.652366; -73.748592 |
| Employees | 1,981 permanent 4,500+ seasonal(2014)[2]: 5 |
| Annual budget | $385,693,500USD(2014–15)[3] |
| Agency executive |
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| Parent department | Executive Department |
| Key document | |
| Website | parks |
TheNew York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (NYS OPRHP) is astate agency within theNew York State Executive Department[5] charged with the operation ofstate parks andhistoric sites within theU.S. state ofNew York.[6] As of 2014,[update] the NYS OPRHP manages nearly 335,000 acres (523 sq mi; 1,360 km2) ofpublic lands and facilities, including 180 state parks and 35 historic sites, that are visited by over 78 million visitors each year.[2]: 2
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]
State-level procurement and management of parks in New York began in 1883, when then-governorGrover Cleveland signed legislation authorizing the appropriation of lands nearNiagara Falls for a "state reservation".[7]: 10 [8] Two years later, the Niagara Reservation, known today asNiagara 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 viaeminent domain.[9]
TheState Reservation on the St. Lawrence was authorized in 1896. By 1898, it included modest state holdings in theThousand Islands region of New York.[11] During the early 20th century, the state continued to expand its public parks system with several large additions, includingLetchworth State Park in 1906, Fire Island State Park (known today asRobert Moses State Park) in 1908,John Boyd Thacher State Park in 1914, Enfield Glen State Park (today'sRobert H. Treman State Park) in 1920, andAllegany State Park in 1921. A coordinated effort to protect portions of theHudson Palisades from the damaging effects ofquarrying resulted in the creation of a number of state parks in the 1910s and 1920s, includingBear Mountain State Park andHarriman State Park.[7]: 10–12
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 thePalisades Interstate Park Commission, or by organizations such as theAmerican Scenic and Historic Preservation Society.[12] To address the need for statewide coordination, theNew 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 theForest Preserve in theAdirondacks andCatskills).[13] Its formation was supported by governorAlfred E. Smith and based on plans byRobert Moses, who became the council's first commissioner;[7]: 16 Moses would remain in charge of the council until 1963.[7]: 40
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 (seebelow), 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 theNew York State Council of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. It includes representatives from the following departments and commissions as of 2014:[2]
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 aDivision 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]
Although theGreat 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 theTemporary Emergency Relief Administration,Civilian Conservation Corps,Civil Works Administration, andWorks 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 joiningWorld 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 theNew 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]
New York's park system continued expansion after World War II ended. The creation or completion of various parkways in the state, such as thePalisades Interstate Parkway andLake 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 withinNew York City.[7]: 40, 42
A major shift in New York's park management came in 1970 with legislation that created theNew 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 theNew 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]
The state park system underwent a period of rapid expansion during former governorGeorge Pataki's administration.[16] Between 1995 and 2007, Pataki, along with then-parks commissionerBernadette 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]
As of 2014, the NYS OPRHP administered:[2]
New York State Park Police provides police services consistent with the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation's mission to provide safe and enjoyable recreational opportunities for New York State residents and visitors. In addition, State Park Police assist park users, make arrests, conduct criminal and non-criminal investigations, and provide emergency services. New York State Park Police also provide special services including marine law enforcement and education duties on New York waterways, snowmobile enforcement and education, and rope rescue teams.[20] New York State Park Police personnel areNew York State police officers under paragraph e, subdivision 34, §1.20 of the state Criminal Procedure Law.
State Park Police maintain law and order at 180 state parks and 35 state historic sites, covering nearly 335,000 acres (523 sq mi; 1,360 km2) ofpublic lands and facilities, that are visited by over 78 million visitors each year.
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