Any settlement story of the state parks along the Genesee River in the western part of New York State begins with the Onöndowa’ga:’, the People of the Great Hill.
The Genesee River’s sweeping valley, with naturally re-nourishing floodplains, hills, and well-draining glacial moraines ideal for farm towns, is the dominant land feature of the region. Flowing to Lake Ontario in Rochester, the Genesee River’s tributaries branch through Monroe, Livingston, Wyoming, Genesee, Ontario, Allegany, Steuben, and Orleans Counties. The Onöndowa’ga:’ are master agriculturalists who established the first permanent towns on this landscape, known regionally today as the “Genesee Country.”
A typical first experience visiting a New York state park might include swimming, camping, hiking, fishing, picnicking, volunteering, or maybe hands-on learning with an environmental educator. But for some high schoolers, their initial introduction to state parks comes from the thrill of running a cross-country race held at our parks throughout the year.
Every cross-country course is unique and can vary in length and terrain. The courses at our state parks are no different. Some pass through flat grassy fields or golf courses, while others traverse steep wooded trails. Our state parks provide their own scenic backdrop and have continued to welcome many high school competitors in annual races coordinated by the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) as well as other organizations.
From New York City through the Hudson River and Champlain Valley up to Canada, and from Albany to Buffalo along the Erie Canal, New York State’s 750-mile Empire State Trail is the longest single-state multi-use trail in the United States. Weaving in and out of village main streets, urban centers, and rural communities across the state, the Empire State Trail provides a safe and scenic pathway for residents and tourists to experience New York’s varied iconic landscapes, rich history and diverse recreational offerings one mile at a time.
The Empire State Trail (EST) is open year-round, including winter, welcoming bicyclists, walkers, cross-county skiers and snowshoers of all ages and abilities. This jewel of the New York State Parks system connects 20 regional trails to create a continuous statewide signed route –75 percent of which is off-road on a mix of gravel and paved paths.
In this second installment of our Empire State Trail itineraries series, we invite you to explore the Finger Lakes, Northern New York, and New York City. We’ll see you out there!
Where does New York State Parks get its flowers, perennials, shrubs and trees? For the parks on Long Island, the answer for the past two and a half years may be simply “Michelle.” Since becoming the manager of the Nissequogue River State Park greenhouse, Horticulture Technician Michelle Doran-Leute has launched an ambitious program of seed collection, propagation and planting that’s not only making Long Island parks beautiful, but supporting its ecosystem. Her mantra has always been: You can’t have a park without plants! Follow along as Michelle takes us inside the operations at the Nissequogue River greenhouse and nursery.
L to R: the historic Nissequogue River State Park greenhouse and nursery;Michelle and a colleague pose at the potting bench;Emma Halliday at work.
The Nissequogue River State Park (NRSP) greenhouse and nursery is home to the growing operations for the Long Island Region of New York State Parks. Operated and managed by myself and assistant Emma Halliday, its main purpose is to grow plant material to be distributed to the state parks of Long Island. We focus on growing native United States perennials, trees, shrubs, and ornamental mums, cabbage, kale, and asters for the fall season.
Long Island has a distinct ecology, salt spray, exposure to tides and hurricanes, and increasing urbanization. From the beach parks to forest parks, we have differences in the plants that naturally grow here.
In celebration of our Centennial anniversary this year, we have been telling the story of New York State parks and historic sites through our interactive history timeline, Blazing a Trail. Since our last update on the blog, we’ve covered a lot of ground with three densely packed additions illuminating two eras of State Parks history.
Picking up where we left off in 1929, the new additions to the online exploration of our history span from the start of the Great Depression in 1930 until the end of post-war recovery in 1959.
New York State Parks and Historic Sites Blog 