Volunteerism in Bloom

PTNY celebrated spring with two statewide volunteer events that allow New Yorkers to show their love for their great outdoor spaces.

11th Annual Canal Clean Sweep - a Sweeping Success

Thanks to dedicated event organizers and thousands of passionate volunteers, the 11th annual Canal Clean Sweep was a great success! Scout clubs, Rotary and Kiwanis chapters, Adopt-a-Trail groups, nature clubs, fraternities and sororities, sports teams, and every other conceivable assemblage of persons came together to show their appreciation for the Canal and Canalway Trail System.

This year, over 100 registered clean-up events were held along the Canal and Canalway Trail! And of course, volunteer efforts went a long way in preparing the Canal for the 192nd consecutive navigation season on the New York State Canal System.

It wasn't all high-minded hard work, though. Canal Clean Sweep is fun, as organizers and volunteers forage for weird and wonderful things as they do their cleaning. This year we asked organizers to document these strange bits of trash-treasure. Take a peek at some of the finalists, along with a sampling of great shots from Clean Sweep events across the state.

I Love My Park Day - Bringing the Love Like Never Before

Thanks to the nearly 7,500 volunteers who pitched in on Saturday, PTNY's fifth annual I Love My Park Day was a huge success. With your help, we accomplished so much.

110 State Parks, Historic Sites and Public Lands Enhanced Volunteers took part in more than 200 cleanup, improvement, and beautification projects at 110 state parks, historic sites, and public lands in every corner of the state.

• At Moreau State Park, three trails were created on 800 acres of newly acquired property while restoring one trail for the visually impaired.
• For the first time, events were held in the Adirondack and Catskill Parks. Maintenance was done on Otter Creek State Forest horse trails in the Adirondack Park, and volunteers at the DEC Catskill Interpretive Center planted trees, installed riparian vegetation, and helped with the removal of invasive species.
• Members of the Governor’s new Excelsior Conservation Corps were deployed to 10 parks across the state.
• We welcomed five National Parks to the event to help celebrate the centennial of the National Park Service. More than 250 volunteers at Fire Island collected debris from the beach, boardwalks, and Sunken Forest. At Saratoga National Battlefield, volunteers painted interpretive panel frames and cleaned the granite monuments on the battlefield.
• Letchworth Park drew a large crowd whose many hands raked leaves, removed litter, and stained benches.
• At Minnewaska, volunteers marked a new section of trail to the base of Stony Kill Falls.
• Volunteers gathered to stain 350 feet of railing at the Cave of the Winds in Niagara Falls State Park.
• Volunteers worked with DEC and Parks staff to plant pitch pines at Connetquot River State Park Preserve on Long Island in the wake of southern pine beetle infestation. More than 600 trees were donated from the NYS Saratoga tree nursery.
• State parks in all five NYC boroughs underwent a spring cleaning, including painting and beautifying various areas of Riverbank State Park, weeding and cleaning the playground at Roberto Clemente State Park, and re-mulching the playground as well as planting shrubs at East River State Park.

Headlines Tout Love for Parks
Governor Cuomo's invitation to all New Yorkers to volunteer on Saturday put our state parks system, its needs, and the strong public support for parks in the public's eye. Stories ran in print, online, and on the air. Social media was buzzing with posts, tweets and photos from events around the state.

A Boost to Volunteerism
New and veteran volunteers came out to give back to the parks they use and enjoy all year and create a community of park lovers. Many park and historic site Friends groups enjoyed the best turnout ever for a volunteer event. A huge youth turnout helped to cement lifelong relationships with the outdoors and ensure the future stewardship of our parks and historic sites.

What's Next
Together, we will build on the tremendous momentum generated by I Love My Park Day. PTNY will be working with State Parks and Friends groups to build on the success of the event by engaging new volunteers, building a strong community of park stewards, and expanding Friends groups' capacity.

VIEW THE 2016 I LOVE MY PARK DAY GALLERY

A big thank you to our partners at State Parks, Governor Cuomo, DEC, NPS and the NY State Commission on National and Community Service, our corporate and media sponsors, and all the wonderful volunteers who came out, rolled up their sleeves, and helped make I Love My Park Day a huge success!