About - Quality Parks Press Release 2021 Year End Summary
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Contact: Mindy Block
Quality Parks Phone 631-473-6760 info@qualityparks.org |
P.O. Box 143
Port Jefferson, NY 11777-0143 |
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Media Release
First Year a Success for “Long Island Parks”
Quality Parks’ New Crowd-Sourced Knowledge Base Aids Long Island Parkgoers
Port Jefferson, NY, January 21, 2022: Quality Parks successfully launched an online, crowd-sourced knowledge base in 2021: Long Island Parks, which ended the year with 40 reviews of parks in Nassau and Suffolk counties for natural resources and public access. [see image]
As in 2020, 2021 was a record year for park use as people again sought safe places to meet and exercise. The Long Island Parks knowledge base is a place where parkgoers can share this information about federal, state, and local parks easily. Quality Parks President Mindy Block says the goal was “to make it effortless to identify the local parks with the features and amenities desired.”
If you’re looking for water, there are reviews of parks with freshwater and marine resources. More of a “walk in the woods” type? There are reviews of forest and woodland parks – which can be further narrowed down to the pine barrens region specific to Long Island. Reviewers in 2021 found that 12 of Long Island’s parks included special places such as nature centers or with natural conditions that make for a great wilderness experience. They also found a significant percentage of parks with trail and public access issues – users can sort the database to find out which parks have been flagged for each, and then on the individual parks to find out what the exact problem is in each place. Surprisingly for such an urban area, only thirteen of the reviewed parks had problems with litter, vandalism, or other illegal activities. However, ticks were a notable problem in seven of the reviewed parks – checking the database before you go can help you take additional precautions to stay safe.
As a crowd-sourced citizen science project, anyone can participate by submitting reviews via the online form (https://www.qualityparks.org/review-a-park.html), answering questions about things like the park’s boundaries, interpretive signs, natural conditions, and trails. This can be done while at the park or afterwards. Reviewers can also earn community service hours for the direct observation and comprehensive review of a park.
As in 2020, 2021 was a record year for park use as people again sought safe places to meet and exercise. The Long Island Parks knowledge base is a place where parkgoers can share this information about federal, state, and local parks easily. Quality Parks President Mindy Block says the goal was “to make it effortless to identify the local parks with the features and amenities desired.”
If you’re looking for water, there are reviews of parks with freshwater and marine resources. More of a “walk in the woods” type? There are reviews of forest and woodland parks – which can be further narrowed down to the pine barrens region specific to Long Island. Reviewers in 2021 found that 12 of Long Island’s parks included special places such as nature centers or with natural conditions that make for a great wilderness experience. They also found a significant percentage of parks with trail and public access issues – users can sort the database to find out which parks have been flagged for each, and then on the individual parks to find out what the exact problem is in each place. Surprisingly for such an urban area, only thirteen of the reviewed parks had problems with litter, vandalism, or other illegal activities. However, ticks were a notable problem in seven of the reviewed parks – checking the database before you go can help you take additional precautions to stay safe.
As a crowd-sourced citizen science project, anyone can participate by submitting reviews via the online form (https://www.qualityparks.org/review-a-park.html), answering questions about things like the park’s boundaries, interpretive signs, natural conditions, and trails. This can be done while at the park or afterwards. Reviewers can also earn community service hours for the direct observation and comprehensive review of a park.
Source: https://www.qualityparks.org/long-island-parks.html
Caption: A map of Long Island with reviewed parks indicated.
Caption: A map of Long Island with reviewed parks indicated.
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| Quality Parks Press Release 2021 Year End Summary |
