Saturday, May 2 is the “I Love My Park Day,” a day of outdoor cleanup and volunteerism sponsored by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and the Parks and Trails of New York organization.
One of the woes of the Catskill Park is that it is not technically overseen by New York State’s parks office. Instead, the Catskill Park is a patchwork of wild forests, small state parks and wildernesses overseen by the New York State Department of Conservation.
This means that the Catskills themselves aren’t featured prominently in I Love My Park Day. But that’s not stopping towns and other organizations in the Catskills from celebrating it.
The Delaware County town of Colchester is doing its bit by throwing a big town-wide series of activities all day long. Starting at 9 a.m., you can stain a cabin or build a horseshoe pit at Bear Spring Mountain State Park (512 East Trout Brook Road), clean trails and make birdhouses at Covered Bridge Park (40 Bridge Street), or do some spring gardening at Pepacton Park (15500 State Route 30), all in Downsville. At noon, there’s a celebration for volunteers in Covered Bridge Park.
In Schoharie County at Mine Kill State Park (161 Mine Kill State Park, North Blenheim), volunteers are invited to do trail maintenance on hiking trails, clean up the park’s new disc golf course or spruce up flower beds from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
In the village of Schoharie, the Schoharie Promotional Association is asking for volunteers bring their pruning shears and gardening gloves to help turn an abandoned area at the entrance of the village into a lily-lined series of paths. The ground-breaking for the Lilies of the Schoharie Valley Walking Path and Gardens (located between Route 30 and Fort Road) is at 1 p.m. on Saturday. Park at the Schoharie Park and Ride on Route 443 — the park is across the Fox Creek covered bridge.
The Greene County town of Cairo is throwing its third annual Town Picnic in Cairo’s Angelo Canna Town Park (at the intersection of County Road 24 & Main Street/County Road 23B). There will be a free bicycle raffle for kids, vendors and general merriment.
On Sunday, May 3, the park festivities continue in the Delaware County town of Roxbury. At noon, volunteers are invited to clean up Kirkside Park (Route 30), and then celebrate at 3 p.m. with a potluck supper, where the Godforsaken String Band will be playing.
I Love My Park Day. Saturday, May 2. ptny.org/ilovemypark
