(bright music) - On this week's edition of "New York NOW," we'll be unpacking the 100 year legacy of New York State Parks.

First, with a dynamic conversation with Commissioner Randy Simons and Chief Diversity Officer, Yolanda Bostic Williams.

And then we'll be looking at WMHT's "From Land to Legacy" documentary, which unpacks the history of New York State Parks and the importance of preserving it.

I'm Shantel Destra, and this is "New York NOW."

(mellow music) - Today, the Senate majority.

- [Speaker] I'll fight like hell for you every single day like I've always done, and always will.

- Welcome to this week's edition of "New York NOW" I'm Shantel Destra.

The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation has been tasked with overseeing state parks, sites and trails for the last 100 years.

Now that work is deeply rooted in continued upkeep, conservation efforts and development initiatives for all parks and historic sites in New York, from Niagara Falls to Thatcher State Park in the capital district.

A lot of that work is also rooted in ensuring New Yorkers are aware of all of the dynamic and robust offerings of the park system across the state.

In celebrating 100 years of New York State Parks, the office launched the We'll See you out there campaign, encouraging visits to and experiences with the park system.

Throughout the year, the office has also reflected on the state's continued investment on the upkeep and expansion of parks.

For more on the work of the state office, we sat down with Commissioner Randy Simons and Chief Diversity Officer Yolanda Bostic Williams.

Here's that conversation.

Thank you both so much for joining us today.

- It's our pleasure to be here.

- Yes, thank you for having us.

- And as I was looking at the history of the park system, I was just shocked to see how robust and dynamic the offerings of the park system is, you know, from Shirley Chisholm State Park in Brooklyn to Thatcher Park here in the Capital District.

So from your purview, how essential is it for the state to continuous efforts in investing and expanding in the park system in the years to come?

- I mean, you said it right.

When you look at our system, we're one system, but we're such a diverse system.

Diverse in experience, diverse in the locations that we have, the geography, but it's also because our population, our visitation is diverse.

So when you're, you know, from Long Island, Bethpage is the People's Country Club and host of the 2025 Rider Cup.

Jones Beach, the largest public bathing beach in all the nation.

Shirley Chisholm, Riverbank, which I call it, in Harlem, the biggest community center in all of New York state.

And I marvel that you could be 30 minutes outside of the metropolis of New York City, and be in Harriman and Bear Mountain, and it's like 9 million people live just around the corner.

- Yeah.

- You know, and you go up north to Green Lakes and the meromictic lakes, you know, that we have there to Letchworth, named the number one state park in the nation, to Niagara Falls.

The list goes on and on.

84 million, you know, visitation.

And we've had 11 consecutive years.

So it's incredibly important, when you look at sort of the economic factor, but also our wellness factor, why we invest in state parks.

- Yeah.

And as you mentioned, there's so many offerings.

So what does outreach and awareness look like for the park system to make sure that New Yorkers are staying in the know of all the offerings?

- I can take that one.

Well, we've done a really great job.

We have our All Are Welcome campaign and we have infused that into basically everything that we do.

It's all over our social media.

We always leave it as a tagline in our emails.

We have it in our marketing materials, so we're actually reaching out like that.

We're also reaching out to community groups, also encouraging park staff to talk to people, walk around the park., - Right.

- ask them questions.

Where are they from?

Why are you here?

You know, we're also hosting events where we also collaborate with different agencies and different community groups.

And then we also, what we also just started to do is really going into different areas to recruit, which allows us also to not only tell people about our jobs, but to tell about the system that we have, and how diverse it is.

And regardless of where you live, there's probably a park within 20 miles from you.

- Mm-hmm.

- And most people don't even realize that our system is so vast.

- [Shantel] Right.

- And then a lot of people get confused 'cause they think New York City parks are county parks, you know, so we have to tell them, no, they're all parks, they're all great outdoor spaces, but state parks are very, are very special.

- And as the Chief Diversity officer, Yolanda, what do the diversity and inclusion efforts look like in the years to come?

- Well, like I said, we have All Are Welcome campaign.

On Friday, I'm actually going to speak to the Empire Pride Conference because we really wanna make sure that the community groups throughout New York State know that our parks are a safe space.

So we're trying to get out more to these type of events.

We're also going to, we're tabling in the communities.

We're also advertising our jobs on different platforms that are more direct to different cultures and demographics.

And I'm really proud of that.

And I want to say that we're even elevating a lot of staff that necessarily might not have had a promotion or opportunity to get a promotion.

So we're really doing our best to really change the dynamics of our agency and letting the world know, and the state, that there are jobs in New York State, all groups are welcome and just come on in.

I mean, it's a safe space and it just- - And I'll add, our whole history initiative.

- History.

- I mean, it's, we have a window now, right?

The park centennial, the hundredth anniversary.

We're celebrating this year, next year's the bicentennial, the Erie Canal, in two years, it's our Nation's 250th.

It's more important than ever right now to get the fullest telling of the stories that shaped our history as a state and as a country.

There are stories that we thought we knew that we now uncover we really didn't know.

There are stories that were withheld or buried in decades or generations past that we now can unearth and tell the full story.

And there's stories we just didn't know.

And now that we have that, we have to appreciate that all that collectively has shaped all of us and why we all are here in this position today in the nation, in New York State.

And I'm particularly proud of what we've done at historic sites and across parks to just to tell the truest story, the whole history of our agency.

- And Randy, as someone who started their tenure with the park system over 12 years ago, what has surprised you most about the work?

- The mission and passion, commitment, the dedication of our team and the care of our communities for parks and what parks means to them.

Post pandemic, I think has really elevated parks in a large way.

And I think it really has elevated it, sort of into the core of community health, physical and mental wellness.

And I think that's what our parks are.

We now have more data these days, time spent outdoors, reduces levels of aggression, depression, stress, anxiety, anger.

And I think we can have a more integral role into the health of our communities.

- And how, what role does geography play when you're looking at the offering and needs of parks, you know, across the state, for example, upstate versus downstate?

What does that look like?

- And that's something we are particularly proud of.

You know, certainly as we talked about, diverse is the experience, at parks diverse are the locations of our parks.

So Long Island state parks do not look like those out in Western New York.

- New York City doesn't- - New York City, right.

Much different from Thousand Islands and Southern Tier.

I think what we've now done is look at sort of how we build this system back better.

How we provide a little TLC to this system.

- Right.

- It used to be, oh, we need a bathroom at this park, then we need a trail, oh, we also need that parking lot, and then 3, 4, 5 years of constant construction, we're now looking at collectively as a complex, you know, a suite of projects that can be done in one year.

Saves time, also saves sort of the intrusion that visitors have, not having a park under construction for five years straight, but have it one year, you know, and have a fuller sort of suite of responsibilities that we're trying to repair, we'll just build back better.

- And have there been any misconceptions about the park system that you've had to debunk in recent years?

- That's a great question.

Debunk.

You know what, I would say that a lot of people don't think they, since they're not familiar with the park, they might not feel safe.

Especially from, I'm gonna speak personally, I have friends that have never been to state parks.

And when I say, come on, let's go camping, they're like, no, thank you.

We weren't, you know, they're not familiar with being outside and let alone going camping.

So I'm really trying to get my family and friends more comfortable in being in these spaces 'cause I was raised in these spaces.

Bear Mountain State Park downstate, I was raised at that park, so it was one of my favorite places.

But other people who aren't exposed, so you don't know what you don't know, - Right.

- So that's one of the things that we really want to reiterate, that our spaces are safe and they're safe for everyone, even the ones that might be a little bit more difficult to get to.

- And we were out at one of our parks and had an eighth grade class come out, and this class got off the bus, and half of 'em had never stepped in the woods.

- Yeah.

- in their lives.

Eighth grade and never been in the woods.

And it was unfamiliar, and it was nerve wracking, you know, swatting away mosquitoes or like brushing up, like is that poison ivy?

- Yeah.

- And they were uncomfortable.

And we happened to be there, and we were speaking to the class, and many of them wanted to get back on the bus.

Like, can we just go back?

And half hour later we find that same group on the trail, and they're all gathered around a circle, laughing, giggling, conversating, and we walk up and there's a red eft, it's like a salamander and it's running over their shoes, and they got their hand down, it's running up.

Same kids.

- Oh, wow.

- Same kids that didn't wanna like, you know, touch that leaf or like, what's that sound?

They were interacting, not only with nature, they were interacting with each other.

No devices, right.

They were talking, having a great time.

I think that was part of sort of debunking the myth of what the outdoors are.

They're different to everybody.

- Right.

- For me, growing up, it was go to a lake, have a barbecue, you know, New York City, they're much different.

Their daily sort of need for the communities, you know, in the neighborhoods in New York City, you know, like I said, Long Island to Thousand Islands, to Southern Tier, Finger Lakes, you know, state parks offer different experiences, and so rich and diverse in experiences that many people I think don't realize just how much we have to offer.

- Right.

- Which is why it's so important to expose children at a very young age so they're comfortable.

And we're doing the Ladders to the Outdoors program, which is great, and our Connect Kids program, which is a great opportunity to get K through 12 kids out into the parks and our historic site to expose them to the wealth of outdoors that we have and history.

It's great.

- Can you help us understand the safety measures that are put in place, should there be any issues or if someone is in need of help, should they encounter any wildlife or, you know, just simply get lost while on the trails?

- You know, this governor for the first time has invested specifically into safety and security into our state parks.

It's the first line of our mission, safe and enjoyable recreation This year outta the budget, $53 million into safety into state parks.

That's infrastructure, fencing, lighting, its cameras at high use areas, license plate readers at the gates.

So we can, you know, sort of, we've used them in investigations before.

If something, you know, were to go awry, we can go back to the beginning point and then we can understand, you know, who might be in the park.

I think when you look at, I'm particularly proud of our Junior Ranger Safety program.

It's really teaching youth, three core safety principles.

Let a trusted adult know your plans before going outdoors.

Use the buddy system, right, be with somebody.

And also know who to ask, you know, for help when you're in a park.

Our park police, we've got two academies that we're graduating in one sort of calendar year.

June and then January of this year will be our second, you know, graduation.

And our Public Safety Rangers, 125 strong.

We've increased that to 165, and now we're looking at over 200.

So full compliment of safety measures because it is the first line of our mission to keep everybody safe so they can have an enjoyable experience.

- And as you mentioned earlier, New York State Parks just celebrated its centennial anniversary.

Congratulations, that is a huge milestone.

- Thank you.

- So I wanted to understand what have been, sort of the biggest changes to the park system from inception to where we are present day?

- You know, a couple things.

I think category visitation, right?

Our visitors expect, you know, different things and more.

I'll use connectivity as one.

Yes, we're promoting, get outdoors, disconnect, you know, from that technology.

But having the opportunity to connect.

So I think we have to elevate our game to meet the needs of the modern day visitor.

I think, you know, the programming that we do, I think we have to engage.

It's not just, it used to be you come out, spend time in a park and go home.

You want to be engaged within that park.

I think those are the two, you know, the two biggest things I think is where our locations are.

Buffalo, our first, you know, used to be you need a vehicle to drive to a state park.

Now, you're looking at, in the last decade, first state park in the city of Buffalo, Buffalo Harbor, first state park in the city of Kingston, Sojourner Truth, first state park in Brooklyn, Shirley Chisholm.

And now we're working on the first state park in the city of Rochester with High Falls.

So I think locations, expectations of our visitors.

- Don't forget our app.

- And our app.

- Our parks app.

- Yes.

- Which if you're not familiar with trails or where you're going in the park, you can download the trail map because there are a lot of spots that don't have any connectivity.

So you don't have to worry about getting lost 'cause you already downloaded on your phone, and it actually tells you exactly where you are in the park.

- And I will say on the app, I used it the other day, you think as a parks commissioner, I should know every sort of, you know, parcel of our 350,000 acres.

We tried out this new trail, took the family out, and I knew the trail went about a mile, but then it split off and I wasn't sure how long or if it came back, jumped on the app, and I said, oh, it's another mile and a half, and it loops back here, kept me outdoors longer because otherwise if I didn't have that, I'm not taking the chance there.

I'm just coming back and we were out for a three mile walk or hike with the family instead of what would've been sort of like, you know, maybe 45 minutes.

So I think that's where it is, just being comfortable.

- Yes.

- Right.

- Comfortable outdoors.

The deeper I get into, you know, sort of the woods- (Randy and Yolanda laughing) - What's that noise?

- Is that I at least have something I can go to - Mm-hmm.

- that I can feel safe.

- Well, that sounds like very important and impactful work.

Unfortunately, that's all the time we have for today.

But we thank you so much for taking the time to speak with us.

- Thank you so much.

- Thank you for having us.

- And we'll see you out there.

- Yes, we will.

- Yes.

And we were speaking with Commissioner Randy Simons and Yolanda Bostic Williams, Chief Diversity Officer with the New York Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.

And for more on our conversation with Commissioner Randy Simons and Yolanda Bostic Williams, you can visit our website that's at nynow.org.

To celebrate the 100th anniversary of New York State Parks, WMHT producer, Nicole Van Slyke, partnered up with the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation for a 52-minute documentary unpacking the long legacy and impact of parks in the state.

The documentary also takes a deep look at the importance of preserving New York State parks for generations to come.

Here's a snippet of that documentary, "From Land to Legacy: 100 Years of New York State Parks."

- I think now, it's really about a sort of reappraisal of where we're at.

We're revisiting parks and sites, we're striving to make them more accessible, to make them inclusive, to make everyone comfortable there.

At our historic sites, we're working to revamp some of our interpretation.

So it's a very organic thing.

It's constantly evolving and addressing new needs, new perspectives, new viewpoints.

It'll be interesting to see what it looks like in a hundred years.

(birds singing) - We are at Ganondagan State Historic Site in upstate New York, and we are the site of a 17th century Seneca town, which existed here up until 1687.

You know, it's amazing that the park system and the historic site system was able to create Ganondagan.

You know, that was a radical move, really, back in the eighties.

I feel like every American, you know, indigenous or not, should understand, like, whose land you're standing on, right.

And perhaps why aren't they in possession of it anymore, right?

And if they exist or the descendants, right, or the descendant communities exist, like, isn't that incredible?

You know, looking at the history of this land and knowing the kinds of very destructive, very contentious, bloody, you know, events that took place to our ancestors, right?

The fact that we still exist and we're still around, we have, in many cases, culturally intact with language and ceremonies and worldviews, you know, is something that should be really celebrated by every American, you know.

And that's kind of my approach to the public when they come to Ganondagan, is to try to instill that sense of pridefulness in the people of this region.

- Now, we go to much greater lengths to try to work with involved communities.

I mean, it used to be the mode that, you know, one person or a small team of people would go, they'd go to the library, they'd go to the archives, they would do a bunch of research and they would present a story.

And they would often, in fact, almost always do that without involving the communities, the descendants, the people that were actually being talked about.

So now, when we're talking about Native Americans and indigenous society in culture and history, we work with the appropriate communities to involve them so that we're not telling their story.

We're working with them so they can tell their story.

- It informs our current life, right, to know where we came from, who we are, and also to explore diverse stories that aren't necessarily the ones that we learned in our own youth.

- With the representation of staff, programming, and the availability, I think we're doing a really good job to address the wrongs that have been done in the past.

I'm really proud of what our historic preservation staff is doing with our whole history initiative, which is going into our historic sites and telling more inclusive stories about everyone that resided, may have worked there, and were just a part of the everyday functioning of these sites.

(bright music) - For every Johnson Hall, there's a thousand buildings that didn't survive, right?

These are sort of placemakers.

It has a story to tell, right?

It brings that story to life.

We are sitting in really, the great hall of Sir William Johnson's house.

He was the commissioner of Indian Affairs in Colonial New York.

He died just before really, the events of the revolution.

He obviously had grandiose ambitions, for a house of this scale in Georgian sophistication, to be built on the frontier of New York state was sort of an ambitious, and bold, and forward looking statement.

This is not the house that everyone built in Colonial New York.

Keep in mind there's probably thousands of people in New York state at the state, who are living in log houses.

So this is really, a stature house.

And what I find most interesting is, you know, Georgian buildings often have their main historic core, and they have some outlying dependencies to form sort of a five-part composition.

In this case, the outlying dependencies were basically stone block houses, which gives a sense that there was still danger on the frontier that one might need to retreat to a fortified position in spite of all the Georgian finery around you.

- We're reexamining, we're doing a deeper dive in research and finding out who actually was on, you know, lived on these properties and worked these properties, and it's not easy.

The records, some records are there, and some are not.

- We have stashes of archives all over the state.

They are in large holdings like the New York State Archives, New York Public Library, New York Historical Society, small historical societies all over the state, they're in churches, they're in people's basements and in attics, they're in family bibles and collections.

Throughout the state, we have boxes of documents from this period just waiting to be read and transcribed.

And they are in English, they're in Dutch, they're in German, they're in French.

We've always been a multilingual, multicultural environment from the very beginning.

So this is a time when we really, we've done a lot and we've made so much progress, but we have a long way to go.

- Going back a hundred years ago, I think a lot of the history telling was hero worship.

It was centered around telling the stories of, you know, the great general or the, you know, the very rich family that built a mansion and a financial empire.

And these were the, these were the things that most of our historic sites focused on.

- So we talk about the person that the mansion is owned by, maybe the family that lives inside of the mansion, but we don't talk about the people who built the mansion.

We don't talk about the people who allowed that entire manor of state to be profitable, and who worked the land, and who operated everything within that structure, you know, so we leave a lot of the story behind.

So now we're trying to make sure that that story is complete and inclusive.

So it's a matter of really looking at what was omitted and marginalized, and left behind, and saying we're going to be accurate, we're going to be truthful.

We're going to talk about enslaved people.

We're gonna talk about tenant farmers.

We're gonna talk about displaced indigenous nations that were pushed off of their land.

We're going to talk about all of those things because all of those things are part of this story that we've left out before.

- And for more information on the 100th year legacy of the park system and the "From Land to Legacy" documentary, you can visit our website, again, that's at nynow.org.

You can also subscribe to our newsletter by going to newsletter.nynow.org or by scanning the QR code on your screen.

Well, that does it for this edition of "New York NOW."

Thank you for tuning in and see you next week.

(mellow music) - [Narrator] Funding for "New York NOW" is provided by WNET.