How can we improve the quality of our experience outdoors? By spending more time outdoors in natural areas and during this time being a better participant/observer of the real Long Island. Through actions that make us and our parks shine brighter as well.
Since 2000, Quality Parks has been advocating for improved public access, heightened awareness of existing on the ground conditions, and contributed many hours to public lands stewardship of Long Island natural areas and open spaces.
By 2020, we're expanding our conservation and education outreach by building promotional directories (Parks and Things To Do), so as encourage a wider audience of participation. And also encouraging our members to begin Master Naturalist training.
Board Members
Mindy Block, Quality Parks Founder, President & Board Member
Mindy Block, is the principal owner of Sustaining Systems. She holds two M.S degrees: Environmental Science and Computer Science. As a conservation ecologist and philanthropist, she has more than 20 years of positive change management skills. She founded Quality Parks, and is currently its president. As an outcome of bee friendly plant sales at a local farmers market, she co-founded Pitchfork Report.
Mindy Block, is the principal owner of Sustaining Systems. She holds two M.S degrees: Environmental Science and Computer Science. As a conservation ecologist and philanthropist, she has more than 20 years of positive change management skills. She founded Quality Parks, and is currently its president. As an outcome of bee friendly plant sales at a local farmers market, she co-founded Pitchfork Report.
Fred Edel - Quality Parks Co-Chair
He has over thirty-five years experience as a firefighter, Ex-chief, Incident and Fire Safety Education Officer, on Long Island and In North Carolina, veteran of the 1995 Sunrise Fire. Fred has a MS Marine Science/Biology Education and Teacher certification for secondary Biology/ General Science. One example of community outreach was to establish a yearly series of Equine Rescue courses to refresh Firefighters with horse rescue under fire conditions. To accomplish this he developed an Equine Fire Rescue certification program with the assistance of a local Equine Academy.
He has over thirty-five years experience as a firefighter, Ex-chief, Incident and Fire Safety Education Officer, on Long Island and In North Carolina, veteran of the 1995 Sunrise Fire. Fred has a MS Marine Science/Biology Education and Teacher certification for secondary Biology/ General Science. One example of community outreach was to establish a yearly series of Equine Rescue courses to refresh Firefighters with horse rescue under fire conditions. To accomplish this he developed an Equine Fire Rescue certification program with the assistance of a local Equine Academy.
Pamela Block, Professor and Director, Disability Studies Concentration
Quality Parks Board Member (2017)
Pamela Block is a cultural anthropologist and professor of disability studies at Stony Brook University. She has loved environmental education since she was a child and is happy to join the Quality Parks board to assist with programming development with special focus on disability access to parks and open spaces.
Quality Parks Board Member (2017)
Pamela Block is a cultural anthropologist and professor of disability studies at Stony Brook University. She has loved environmental education since she was a child and is happy to join the Quality Parks board to assist with programming development with special focus on disability access to parks and open spaces.
Annelies Kamran, Founder and CEO at GeoLyceum, LLC
Quality Parks Board Member (2017)
A Long Island native, Annelies is a political scientist working in digital educational publishing in the social sciences. Her first political experience was helping campaign for the NYS Bottle Bill as a child, and she remains active in local efforts to protect the Carmans River Basin, to create a nature center in Brookhaven, and to raise funds for Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge. After completing her Master Naturalist certification, she joined the board of Quality Parks to advocate for environmental conservation, protection, and public access around the island.
Quality Parks Board Member (2017)
A Long Island native, Annelies is a political scientist working in digital educational publishing in the social sciences. Her first political experience was helping campaign for the NYS Bottle Bill as a child, and she remains active in local efforts to protect the Carmans River Basin, to create a nature center in Brookhaven, and to raise funds for Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge. After completing her Master Naturalist certification, she joined the board of Quality Parks to advocate for environmental conservation, protection, and public access around the island.
Philip Benvin, Co-Chair
A soft spoken hunter and conservationist, Phil has a ten year history of trail work (designing, maintaining, and blazing) with the Long Island Greenbelt Trail Conference Monday Crew. He has attended three Long Island Nature Organization's Natural History conferences, local and off island wildlife tracking courses, native plant and invasive species conferences, as well s southern pine beetle, and wildland fire presentations. He is a his Quality Parks Master Naturalist Graduate, participated in the 2017 Beaver Brook BioBlitz with North Shore Land Alliance, and assists Mike Bottini with river otter monitoring and research.
A soft spoken hunter and conservationist, Phil has a ten year history of trail work (designing, maintaining, and blazing) with the Long Island Greenbelt Trail Conference Monday Crew. He has attended three Long Island Nature Organization's Natural History conferences, local and off island wildlife tracking courses, native plant and invasive species conferences, as well s southern pine beetle, and wildland fire presentations. He is a his Quality Parks Master Naturalist Graduate, participated in the 2017 Beaver Brook BioBlitz with North Shore Land Alliance, and assists Mike Bottini with river otter monitoring and research.
