Every June, the Progress Pride flag flies over parks and sites in the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation’s system in a gesture of hope and of welcome. It’s a signal to all New Yorkers and visitors that their place in our shared history and natural environment is recognized and valued. And it’s a reminder that at our state parks and sites, all are welcome here.
Pride Month 2023 got off to a glorious start on Thursday, June 1. State Parks Commissioner Erik Kulleseid raised the Progress Pride flag over Thacher State Park in Voorheesville and took a moment to share this message:
Commissioner Kulleseid raising the Pride flag at Thacher State Park on Thursday, June 1, 2023to celebrate and honor LGBTQ+ Pride Month.
Staff from Thacher and from Albany’s Public Affairs team joined in the celebratory start of the month, many dressed in Pride gear. Over in Western New York, staff at Niagara Falls State Park also raised the Pride flag in recognition of Pride Month on Thursday.
When it comes to planning a vacation or getaway, New York State Parks has overnight options for all kinds of adventures – and budgets!
While some enjoy sleeping in tents away from it all in remote, natural settings under the stars, others crave a few more amenities. Whether you prefer booking rustic cabins and bringing your RV, staying in fully equipped cottages, or resting your head at a historic inn or resort with the comforts of home, State Parks has something for everyone.
Our Parks system includes 8,148 campsites, 967 cabins and cottages, 18 yurts, three inns, and – yes – a lighthouse. There are countless adventures for every type of stay. Get a map handy and explore highlights from some of our most interesting properties to inspire your next stay.
La Isla Bonita
If you have a boat or have access to renting one, answer the siren song of the water and consider the benefits of staying on one of three island parks in the Thousand Islands that are only accessible by boat.
Why worry about clearing your campsite for the tent when you can enjoy a level platform? Platform camping provides a wooden deck floor for pitching your tent on a smoother and more even surface.
A camping deck inLake Taghkanic State Parkin Ancram.
The perfect place for a family reunion on the Great Lakes? Check. Lakefront luxe in the Finger Lakes for a bachelorette wine-tasting weekend? Check. Thousand Islands waterfront cabin for anglers telling fish tales about the day’s catch? Check. Memories to last a lifetime? Check, check, check.
Robert Wehle State Park’s cliffside compound, Thousand Islands region.
Robert Wehle State Park features a private setting that accommodates eight, and includes a compound with a main house, guest quarters, studio, and formal gardens set cliffside along the Lake Ontario shorefront.
A cabin porch at Betty and Wilbur Davis State Park in Schenevus near Cooperstown.
Fans of America’s pastime can stay at a cottage at Betty and Wilbur Davis State Park near Cooperstown and head to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, then go old school and listen to a game on the radio from the cottage’s front porch.
For the first time in four years, New York State’s Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation’s Park Police have a new graduating class.
That’s right, a group of 32 recruits answered the call, made it through a trying six-month training term, and are now ready to patrol our parks. While we still have a long way to go to get our Park Police numbers in a healthier place, this influx of personnel is a great start to filling depleted ranks, primarily on Long Island and in the Hudson Valley.
Four 17th Academy recruits were honored at the recent Saratoga Spa State Park Hall of Springs graduation ceremony:
Erik Torkildsen – Firearms Proficiency
James Hopkins – Physical Fitness
Matthew Olsen – Academic Achievement
Robert Costanzo – Leadership
For the family and friends gathered on that May 3 morning, the highlight was the recruit recap video that showed the rigors of just what the new officers had to go through. There were written tests, physical fitness activities, pursuit driving drills, snowmobile safety and water rescue lessons, the mental challenges of returning to their barracks to find their living space (purposely) in shambles, plus being tased and pepper sprayed. Some video onlookers laughed, some gasped, some pointed wide-eyed. Most of the new officers didn’t react – they had lived it and earned their badges.
The new class was also offered wisdom and well wishes from leadership at State Parks and Park Police:
“The call to service comes at all hours of the day,” Commissioner Erik Kulleseid reminded them.
“Always make your bed,” suggested Colonel Michael Daddona, Assistant Director of Law Enforcement, referencing making a practice of the first accomplishment of their day, every day.
“Protect precious and beautiful places in New York State,” urged Lieutenant Zachary Voegler, head of the Park Police Academy.
2023’s NY State Park Police graduating officers prior to their May 3 ceremony.
After graduation, PBANYS President and University Police Lieutenants Director James McCarthy underscored the immense benefits of building the Park Police force. “We welcome the addition of these specialized officers who have made a commitment to keeping their neighbors and communities safe,” he said. “At a time when law enforcement agencies face tremendous challenges in recruiting and retaining the best and brightest, the residents of New York state are extremely fortunate that these 32 individuals answered the call to serve and protect.”
Our Park Police graduation, however, was just one of two major events recently hosted at Saratoga Spa State Park. The other event unfolded a few days earlier when Park Police staged an emergency exercise on how to respond to a disaster during a concert at Saratoga Performing Arts Center, commonly known as SPAC, a venue within the park.
Black Birders Week 2023 kicks off at the end of May, and in collaboration with the organization Black AF In STEM, State Parks’ environmental educators from New York City invite you to join in celebrating and uplifting Black birders. From budding novices to seasoned experts, all birders, including those who aspire to learn more about birding generally, are welcome.
What is Black Birders Week?
On May 25, 2020, Christian Cooper – a Black man – was riding his bike through Central Park when he encountered a white woman with her dog in the Ramble and politely asked her to put her dog on a leash. As an avid birder, Mr. Cooper knew that the period between March 1 and July 31 is the main breeding period for ground nesting birds, and the Ramble is a prime nesting area. In response to Mr. Cooper’s request, the woman called 911 and asserted that an African American man was threatening her and her dog.
When the recorded cell phone video of Christian Cooper’s encounter went viral, it made national news and demonstrated the unique challenges Black people may face when engaging in outdoor activities. The incident, and others like it, led to the creation of “Black Birders Week” by Black AF In STEM, fortifying efforts to highlight Black nature enthusiasts and increase the visibility of Black people in environmental issues.
“Black Birders Week has made me even more aware of the dangers Black people face when we spend time in outdoor spaces, but it also helped me discover a vast community of Black birders and nature lovers around the country,” said Roslyn Rivas, Public Programs Manager at NYC Audubon and a guest facilitator for New York State Parks.
How and when can you participate?
From May 28, 2023 to June 3, 2023, NY State Parks is hosting a week-long series of events at two state parks named after historically prominent Black women who lived in New York City: Marsha P. Johnson State Park and Shirley Chisholm State Park.
All programs are free and materials are provided, including binoculars and bird guides. At each event, participants may enter a raffle to win special prizes including binoculars, plush Audubon birds, or a New York State Park Empire Pass!
“I never imagined there would be so many of us, and I have absolutely loved getting to make so many connections and new friends in this network,” said Rivas. “Black Birders Week is a time when we can come together and enjoy being outdoors without fear, especially when access to green space has been purposely limited for Black people throughout history.”
The history of European swordsmanship is often presumed to be the story of white, cisgender men. But people of all genders and races have played leading roles in this story.
On April 23rd, 2023, Schuyler Mansion State Historic Site partnered with the Musicians of Ma’alwyck (including Ann-Marie Barker Schwartz , Norman Thibodeau, and André Laurent O’Neil), actor Devin Funnye, and historical fencer Reily Mumpton, to present The Match!, a celebration of the stories of two 18th century individuals who exemplify these contributions: Chevalier de Saint-Georges and Chevalière d’Éon.
Learn more about The Match event from Schuyler Mansion staff and the actors who played Saint-Georges and d’Éon.
Saint-Georges and d’Éon were both considered celebrities in late-18th century London, and were part of the entourage of the Prince of Wales (through which they made the acquaintance of Schuyler Mansion’s very own Angelica Schuyler Church, of Hamilton fame!). On April 9, 1787, when the Prince of Wales hosted a fencing tournament at his personal residence, contemporary accounts hailed the match between Saint-Georges and d’Éon as the capstone of the event.
In addition to being immensely respected fencers, Saint-Georges was a celebrated musician and composer, while d’Éon had a thrilling past as a soldier and spy in secret service to King Louis XV of France. If this were not enough to capture the interest of their contemporaries and modern audiences alike, neither figure fit neatly into societal assumptions about the identities of aristocratic 18th century courtiers and fencers: Chevalière d’Éon was a trans-woman, while Chevalier de Saint-Georges was a biracial Afro-Caribbean man.
Left: Portrait of Angelica Schuyler Church. She and her two sisters were depicted in the musical Hamilton. Right: Flier for The Match at Schuyler Mansion in Albany, NY.
Possibly born intersex, d’Éon had been assigned male at birth and raised as a son of the French nobility. Her espionage career eventually led to exile, forcing d’Éon to protect herself by threatening to publish incriminating documents about the king of France. In 1777, at the age of forty-nine, d’Éon agreed to return to France and turn over the documents on several conditions: that she be legally recognized as a woman, be given a full feminine wardrobe suitable to her status, and be allowed to wear her military honors earned while presenting as a man. Desperate to avoid scandal, the king agreed. From that point forward, d’Éon was able to live publicly as a woman.
Saint-Georges, on the other hand, was born not into nobility, but into slavery on the plantations of Guadeloupe. His life story is featured in Searchlight Pictures film, CHEVALIER, which hit theaters on April 21, 2023. The son of a white French planter and an enslaved African mother, he was sent to France at the age of seven, where he was legally free. There he studied many topics, including music and fencing. The specter of racism still followed him, however, as the Code Noir (“Black Code”) limited his freedoms. He likewise faced personal prejudices from fellow fencers and musicians. He did not back down to his detractors, however, besting many of them with sword or violin, and eventually secured the patronage of Queen Marie Antoinette herself. He later became an important voice in the French abolition movement, and an officer in the French revolutionary forces.
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