About Our Long Island Charity
Mindy Block, Quality Parks Founder & President
Quality Parks President and Founder, Mindy Block has a lifetime of experience and dedication to the environmental conservation movement on Long Island, including advocating for parks and public access, supervising volunteers, training master naturalists, and a grower and seller of native plants. Mindy Block has a MS in Computer Science from SUNY Stony Brook, and a MS in Environmental Studies from Antioch New England where she studied organization improvement and conservation biology. She has also designed and maintains the Conservation/Quality Parks - Long Island (conservation.qualityparks.org). She uses Airtable for underlying bases and Softr for the user interface. She is our website content writer, except where noted.
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Milestones & Accomplishments
Parks & Resources for Long Island Conservation - Knowledge Base - ongoing
We built out this knowledge base for those seeking information on existing local and environmental conditions. It lists many of our Long Island parks (protected open spaces nature preserves, and surrounding natural waters) and our local park resources (agencies, conservation organizations, individuals) doing environmental good. We also collect data on what park resources are doing for tick bite prevention, climate change, and park vandalism. Volunteer community scientists observe onsite park conditions and or web based park resource content. Volunteers engage benefit from critical thinking training to improve their knowledge. We vet submitted surveys and categorize information. We modify community scientist forms for clarity, and publish the results for public viewing in a customized designed user interface. We seek professional members to support our efforts and at the same time promote them as a park resource. Thus, we list over 200 vetted parks and over 100 vetted park resources, attracting your attention to the multitude of Long Island natural and participatory adventures. Learn more about Long Island wildlife, native plants, birds, hiking, nature therapy, and other outdoor activities. Additionally, we take improvement actions when time allows. Volunteer community scientists review parks and park resources. Members and donors financially support this charity work. Go explore.
Native Plants Project
2019 Native Plant Children's Garden, Riverhead Free Library - Joint effort between Riverhead Library and Quality Plants using plants grown out by Quality Parks in our native plant nursery. Volunteers are planting in June. This project was made possible by Former Librarian Trustee - Eileen McCay
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Master Naturalist Certification Training
The Quality Parks team designed and customized a Master Naturalist training program which included an adopt a park component as relevant service. We created the Quality Parks Master Naturalist certificate program to be a basic training standard for learners that primarily resided on Long Island. We offered a well rounded and flexible course of study because there are the many facets of a master naturalist's education, and so our approach offered students the broadest exposure to a diversity topics. Partly, Quality Parks mission statement is "to educate, and involve the general public in natural resource stewardship practices." To fulfill this mission and to improve the process of land stewardship, Quality Parks organized this Master Naturalist certificate training program. The program ran for several years, and can continue if funding is secured.
Master Naturalist Graduates
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Long Island Central Pine Barrens (2000-2010)
Over the years Quality Parks improved the wildfire danger rating system to match national standards. We've helped frame the protection of the Long Island Pine Barrens as a bioreserve (a popular global protection model). And we battled for 3 years to advocate for repairing/replacing a broken bridge, integral to a popular interpretive trail.
- advocated for re-opening of Pine Barrens Trail Center for improved public access
- successfully advocated for Cranberry Bog Preserve access bridge repair
- published Sunrise Fire
- protected life, property, and the environment from wildfires
- supervised the thousand tree plantings on wildfire damaged bulldozed fire roads
- lobbied for Pine Barrens Maritime Legislation akin to bioreserve model
- advocated for reopening of Brookhaven State Park after being closed for 30 years
- spearheaded NY Adopt-a-Naturalist Resource Stewardship, for Edgewood Oak Brush Plains Preserve and published: Lost Heritage
2003 Dedication - USFS Recognized
Long Island Pine Barrens September 11th Community Forestry Restoration Project
To honor those lost on September 11, 2001 - It is a sheltered and secluded area in the heart of the Central Pine Barrens Preserve, New York. The area was in need of restoration. We have planted thousands of trees in memory of those who have perished. We feel that it is sacred because volunteer support came from all sorts of people: federal, state and county land managers, local schools, scouts, clubs and residents.
Long Island Pine Barrens September 11th Community Forestry Restoration Project
To honor those lost on September 11, 2001 - It is a sheltered and secluded area in the heart of the Central Pine Barrens Preserve, New York. The area was in need of restoration. We have planted thousands of trees in memory of those who have perished. We feel that it is sacred because volunteer support came from all sorts of people: federal, state and county land managers, local schools, scouts, clubs and residents.