About Our Long Island Charity
Providing more than twenty years of local knowledge about native plants, parks, and Long Island conservation, Quality Parks applies many tools including conservation biology, natural resource management, and organizational performance to park conservation.
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Mindy Block, Quality Parks Founder & President
I went back to graduate school to study organizational management and environmental science. With a MS degree from Antioch New England, and MS degree in Computer Science from SUNY Stony Brook, I spend the growing season with native plants, and the off season working on our conservation knowledge base of Long Island Parks and Park Resources. A rare moment (pictured on the right) was taken on my time off island, visiting family. I'm also into wildfire ecology and fire response management.
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Quality Parks, President & Founder
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Native Plants Milestones & Accomplishments
We maintain a modest native plant garden center with natural landscaping consulting services. We also do ongoing rewilding, breeding, and propagation studies to improve ecosystem health. We grow out over a dozen native plant varieties and attend sell at farmers markets and other environmentally friendly venues.
Photo Credit: Mindy O. Block
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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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Conservation Milestones & Accomplishments
Conservation Data
We list over 200 vetted parks and over 100 vetted park resources, attracting your attention to the multitude of Long Island natural adventures. Learn more about Long Island wildlife, native plants, birds, hiking, nature therapy, and other outdoor activities. Additionally, this resource provides information on improvement needs and can be used as a resource to build improvement teams. Community Scientist volunteers contribute data to these listings. Professional members support this ongoing charity work.
Noteworthy: With generous support from volunteers, members, professional members, and donors we have been able to create additional professional tool for our professional members. This tool has been created by triangulating: naturalists, managers, and nonprofit experiences, right here on Long Island. It will be refined as more data becomes available and is updated in our knowledge bases.
Noteworthy: With generous support from volunteers, members, professional members, and donors we have been able to create additional professional tool for our professional members. This tool has been created by triangulating: naturalists, managers, and nonprofit experiences, right here on Long Island. It will be refined as more data becomes available and is updated in our knowledge bases.
- Conservation - newly created subdomain with improved capabilities using Softr/Airtable, allowing for more informed action
- Quality Parks Press Release 2021 Year End Summary based on the LI Parks & Parks Resources knowledge based directory
- Pilot project design and development using Metalocator to list Long Island Parks & Park Resources.
Volunteer Community Scientist Achievement Hours
Volunteers are awarded a certificate for successfully completing 4 hours of community service, including field observation, documentation, and correspondence, as a community scientist for Long Island Parks & Park Resources. You can find their vetted reviews within Long Island Conservation.
Master Naturalist Certification Program
The Quality Parks team designed and customized a Master Naturalist training program which included an adopt a park component as relevant service. Creating a standard for basic training for naturalists that reside on Long Island was the reason why we created the Quality Parks Master Naturalist certificate program. 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 Quality Parks Master Naturalist program offered training in Long Island natural history, stewardship. To be certified as a Quality Parks Master Naturalist, students completed 6 core modules (see below), selected a home park (a frequented natural area), completed meaningful homework, and relevant service requirements. Sadly, we weren't able to attract enough students to continue master naturalist training.
Though the program is no longer offered due to financial limitations, we have morphed some of this program into ongoing volunteer opportunities. At some point, if there is enough interest and financial support, we can offer this program again.
The Handbook provided an introduction to varied topics, with additional references (jumping off points) for further study. Review some of the material that we still keep online today.
The Quality Parks Master Naturalist program offered training in Long Island natural history, stewardship. To be certified as a Quality Parks Master Naturalist, students completed 6 core modules (see below), selected a home park (a frequented natural area), completed meaningful homework, and relevant service requirements. Sadly, we weren't able to attract enough students to continue master naturalist training.
Though the program is no longer offered due to financial limitations, we have morphed some of this program into ongoing volunteer opportunities. At some point, if there is enough interest and financial support, we can offer this program again.
The Handbook provided an introduction to varied topics, with additional references (jumping off points) for further study. Review some of the material that we still keep online today.
- Orientation - Tick Bite Prevention
- Long Island Explorer
- LI Geology & Plant Communities
- Water Quality Of Freshwater
- Trails, Greenways,& Sustainability
- Wildlife Of Long Island
- Coastal & Marine Ecology
Quality Parks 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
Photo Credit - Raymond P. Corwin
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.
