Several local volunteer opportunities are available for those looking to take part Saturday’s I Love My Park Day.
An estimated 5,000 volunteers are expected to participate in the state’s largest single-day volunteer event, with projects taking place at more than 160 sites across New York.
Local events
• Niagara Falls State Park — 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. with registration taking place in Lot 1 at 320 Prospect St. and check-in at the Welcome Center. Volunteers will assist with litter pick up through out the park. Call 716-278-1762 with any questions.
• Whirlpool Area at Niagara Falls State Park — 2:30 to 4 p.m. Meet at the main pavilion. Volunteers will clean up debris and trash.
• Wilson-Tuscarora State Park — 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Meet inside the community room in the building near the main entrance to the park. Volunteers will walk the beach, picking up and logging trash collected. Grabbers and gloves provided. There will also be opportunities to: make flower baskets: assemble bed for flowers to be installed in the future; trim bushes and Dogwood that’s encroaching into the park and making trail entrances hidden; clean playground and planting trees or bushes throughout the park.
• Golden Hill/30 Mile Point Lighthouse — 9 a.m. to noon. Volunteers will meet near the lighthouse and visitors center. Saturday activities include trail/ shore clean-up, new tree care, flower bed care, Drake House clean-up and Oak Grove maintenance.
• Amherst State Park — 9 to 11 a.m. with volunteers meeting at the information kiosk at the top of the stairs at the rear parking lot of the park at 390 Mill St., Williamsville. Activities include weeding flower beds, planting flowers and garbage clean-up.
• Reinstein Woods Nature Preserve — 10 a.m. to noon. Volunteers should meet at the Education Center, which is at the end of the brick path leaving from the parking lot. Volunteers will assist in invasive species removal, trash cleanup, trail raking, repairing deer exclosures amnd tidying garden planters.
Now in its 15th year, I Love My Park Day serves as a coordinated statewide initiative to promote volunteer stewardship and enhance the condition and accessibility of New York’s outdoor spaces. Organized by Parks & Trails New York in partnership with the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the event engages volunteers in a range of site improvement activities at state parks, historic sites, and other public lands.
As part of New York State’s 25 Million Trees by 2033 Initiative, sites will be planting more than 2,000 bareroot seedlings, generously provided by the Saratoga Tree Nursery. Projects will also include trail maintenance, shoreline and park clean-up, garden planting, invasive species removal, and habitat restoration. These efforts support the ongoing maintenance and preservation of public lands and provide critical assistance to park staff.
More than 2,500 volunteers have registered to date. Additional participants are encouraged to sign up in advance.
For more information and to view events: https://www.ptny.org/events/i-love-my-park-day.