3 Before & After Park Projects
Next month, Parks & Trails New York will announce the awardees of its 5th round of Park and Trail Partnership Grants (PTPG). For the first time, nearly $1 million will be distributed over the course of the upcoming months to exceptional projects that will enhance our state parks, historic sites, and public lands. As we reflect on formerly awarded and completed projects, some of the more noteworthy ones are those with high visibility. Here are a few before and after images of funded projects in the public eye.
SENECA BARK LONGHOUSE ROOF RESTORATION
Friends of Ganondagon State Historic Site
In its mission to “honor and promote Haudenosaunee history and culture,” the Friends of Ganondagan State Historic Site (New York’s only state historic site dedicated to Native American culture) realized in 2017 that its 1998 Seneca Bark Longhouse replica was in dire need of a roof replacement. For nearly 20 years the roof protected valuable Seneca and Haudenosaunee artifacts and reproductions. Those objects were now in jeopardy due to the roof’s deterioration.
The Friends took advantage of our 3rd round of grant funding and detailed a well-written application to express their critical need. In turn, the friends group of the Central New York state historic site was awarded $50,000 to replace the failing roof’s supporting beams and its external material with durable, polyurethane “Elm Bark”.
AZURE MOUNTAIN SUMMIT EROSION CONTROL
Azure Mountain Friends
In 2017, the grant program’s eligibility was expanded to include Friends groups of DEC facilities and public lands. A small group dedicated to the stewardship of a 2,500-foot summit in the northern Adirondacks that boasted a publicly accessible fire tower was among the first DEC Friends groups to be awarded a grant.
The Friends group submitted another application the following year which convincingly expressed the need to “stabilize the eroding area on the summit between the fire tower and the open cliffs on the southeast side, making it safer for hikers, avoiding the creation of herd paths, and reestablishing a more natural summit environment.” The need was met with $13,500.
LITTLE STONY POINT VOLUNTEER CENTER AND SHED
The Little Stony Point Citizens Association
One of only a few Friends groups that dedicate themselves to just one section of a state park (the Little Stony Point area of Hudson Highlands State Park Preserve) and one of the first NY State Parks Friends Group formed (1984), the Little Stony Point Citizens Association recognized the need for a structure “to host more events and activities that will engage new audiences, draw in new volunteers and members – not just a facility from which clean-up days will operate, but one that will allow people the opportunity to have a place to be together at the park and relish the satisfaction of having contributed toward the stewardship of the park.” Thus, an $80,000 project was devised and $50,000 from PTPG was requested. The group’s strong proposal and convincing narrative resulted in the full amount awarded. This helped bring the first phase of the volunteer center and she to a successful completion.