Yesterday morning, my partner and I chatted during Sunday morning brunch. In passing, he mentioned Governor Patterson's decision to close many parks. Among them would be Brookhaven State Park.

Brookhaven State Park

"Here we go again," I thought, because, in 2004, Quality Parks had spearheaded efforts to open Brookhaven State Park, which, back then, had been closed for thirty years.

What Quality Parks did:

KEY POINTS

• Quality Parks researched the park's origins.  Brookhaven State Park was acquired as part of the Federal Lands to Parks Program.  According to the National Parks Service, "Land acquired through the Federal Lands to Parks Program must be used for public park and recreational use in perpetuity . . . If appropriate, the land may remain undeveloped for passive recreational use, such as bird watching, photography, or wildlife conservation, as long as it is open to the public."

• We also conducted a Quality Parks Awareness Report with local stakeholders. Keeping a park closed didn't stop such illegal uses as dumping, vandalism, and ATV's. It just kept the honest people out - - and made them angry. And we acknowledged a common fear that the NYSDEC would take over the park and close it during the hunting season.

• Then we galvanized stakeholders into a small but active Friends group.  We worked closely with leaders from such organizations as the Ridge Civic Association and the Nassau Suffolk Horsemen's Association. Once the park reopened, we later received a letter from former NY State Parks Commissioner, Bernadette Castro, in support of our efforts for making good parks better.

THE SITUATION TODAY

After breakfast, we drove down to Brookhaven State Park, now attended to by staff.  Inside the gate, there's parking, a bathroom, and trail signage. Though the park's gates aren't always open, you can still park outside the gate and enter.  This is what we did, as we didn't know how long we'd be skiing. The entrance is on William Floyd Parkway, across from Whiskey Road.  We followed the Green Trail. [Note: See related article by Ken Kindler, referenced below for more details.]

Trail Map - Kiosk

Along the way, we saw pine trees, ponds and a bench to rest on. We met a father, son and dog on also their way for an outing, and saw other skiers too.

A New Bench

I had to sit on.

WHAT'S NEXT

 "I don't believe in the no-win scenario." - Kirk, Kobayashi Maru, The Wrath of Khan, 1982 

• For more information, on how to get involved, contact me directly.