Registration is currently open for Canal Clean Sweep on April 18-20 and I Love My Park Day on May 3
Up to 2,500 Tree Seedlings available for I Love My Park Day Complement Governor’s 25 Million Trees Initiative
Opportunity Builds on Governor’s Unplug and Play Initiative to Encourage Outdoor Recreation
Governor Kathy Hochul announced that New York State agencies and partners will celebrate a series of stewardship events to help enhance parks, historic sites, environmental education centers, campgrounds, state forests, wildlife management areas, and a variety of public lands as part of the Love Our New York Lands Stewardship Days. Service projects hosted during these events will raise awareness and visibility of the State’s expansive outdoor recreation assets and provide opportunities for volunteers to plant trees, restore habitats, and engage with their local communities throughout the year.
“New York’s natural beauty is unmatched, and with a record number of visitors continuing to take advantage of the world-class outdoor recreation opportunities our state has to offer, we have a responsibility to preserve these outdoor spaces for future generations to enjoy,” Governor Hochul said. “I encourage all New Yorkers to get offline and get outside – to connect in person, give back, and help protect the lands we love while strengthening the environmental and cultural legacy of our state.”
The 2025 Love Our New York Lands days kicks off with Canal Clean Sweep from April 18 through 20, followed by I Love My Park Day on May 3, Adirondack and Catskill Park Day on September 6, and Wildlife Day on October 4. This volunteer initiative is operated in partnership with Parks & Trails New York (PTNY), the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (State Parks), Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), and Canal Corporation.
Love Our New York Lands encourages year-round stewardship and provides visitors with the knowledge to reduce their impact, engages users to practice sustainable and safe recreation, and helps all visitors feel welcome while visiting state lands. To help achieve Governor Hochul’s initiative to plant 25 million trees by 2033, up to 2,500 tree seedlings from the DEC’s Colonel William F. Fox Memorial Saratoga Tree Nursery will be made available to plant at I Love My Park Day this year. These efforts will invigorate tree planting efforts and help achieve the many benefits of trees in New York’s communities. The public can track and record tree plantings and find other community-based tree planting events through the DEC Tree Tracker Dashboard.
Registration is currently open for the 20th annual Canal Clean Sweep taking place April 18-20. Volunteers can choose from nearly 100 events across the New York State Canal System and Canalway Trail. Help celebrate the bicentennial of the Erie Canal by joining thousands of volunteers to clean up our state’s greenways and canalways in preparation for the summer season. Visit www.ptny.org/canalsweep for more information and to sign up for an event.
Registration is also open for the 14th annual I Love My Park Day on May 3. This is the largest single-day statewide volunteer event that enhances our State Park system, and DEC public lands, with volunteers participating by cleaning up debris, planting trees and gardens, restoring trails and wildlife habitats, removing invasive species, and working on various site improvement projects. Visit https://www.ptny.org/ilovemypark to sign up and participate.
Additional opportunities will be available at Adirondack and Catskill Park Day on September 6 and at Wildlife Day on October 4. These events will highlight the state’s uniquely protected Forest Preserve lands in the Catskills and Adirondacks and wildlife conservation efforts and wildlife-associated recreation. More information will be available at https://www.ptny.org/lovenylands.
The Love Our New York Lands campaign, launched in 2020 by DEC and State Parks, encourages all users of state-owned lands to recognize that these lands are shared by ALL of us, our families, and our neighbors, and we all need to take care of them. The campaign includes guidance on Leave No Trace™ principles so that visitors can do their part to help ensure these special places are protected for future generations. Love Our New York Lands encourages visitors to be respectful of other visitors in these shared spaces. Visitors are asked to share trails, treat people with kindness, and leave things as they found them for others to enjoy. Visitors are encouraged to think of themselves as responsible for helping protect these irreplaceable destinations for future generations. More information is available on DEC’s website.
Governor Hochul is committed to expanding access to outdoor recreation. The FY25 Enacted Budget included $300 million in capital funding to invest in park improvements, which includes $100 million for the celebration of the New York State Parks' Centennial. The Governor also launched a new $150 million NY SWIMS capital grant program to expand access to safe swimming opportunities for New Yorkers, address equity gaps, and provide resources for communities facing extreme heat.
Additionally, the FY26 Executive Budget proposes $200 million for State Parks to invest in and aid the ongoing transformation of New York's flagship parks and support critical infrastructure projects throughout the park system. The Governor's new Unplug and Play initiative also earmarks $100 million for construction and renovation of community centers through the Build Recreational Infrastructure for Communities, Kids and Seniors (NY BRICKS), $67.5 million for the Places for Learning, Activity and Youth Socialization (NY PLAYS) initiative helping New York communities construct new playgrounds and renovate existing playgrounds; and an additional $50 million for the Statewide Investment in More Swimming (NY SWIMS) initiative supporting municipalities in the renovation and construction of swimming facilities.
