Good news about parks, for once

Tomorrow, New York's Department of Environmental Protection will open boating season with an announcement that it has opened up 33 percent more of the Cannonsville Reservoir -- 1,473 acres between Cannonsville Bridge and the Cannonsville Dam -- to recreational boating. From the press release:

The new area expands recreational opportunities into a much larger portion of the Town of Deposit and makes it more accessible for visitors coming from the Binghamton area and points west.

Of course, 1500 extra acres isn't much in a year when 41 state parks might be closing. Luckily, today the governor and the state legislature announced that they might manage to keep the parks open after all. From the New York Daily News:

Legislative sources are claiming a "handshake agreement" with Gov. Paterson to reopen the 41 state parks and 14 historic sites that were closed because of the state's budget crunch.

Sound too good to be true? Well, this deal is still "murky:"

Paterson administration officials say talk of a deal is premature but acknowledged negotiations are progressing and an agreement is imminent. "There is no deal yet, but I expect to get there today," said a top Paterson administration official.