New York State prepares for I Love My Park Day 2026

Volunteers are getting ready to “leaf” a  positive impact on parks across the state

Photo courtesy of Lara Jameson/Pexels

Mark your calendars: next month, May 2, New York State is set to celebrate its 15th annual I Love My Park Day, as detailed on the official Instagram account of Genesee Valley’s Greenway State Park, which is located just about 40 minutes away from Geneseo’s campus and follows the Genesee Valley Canal and the Pennsylvania Railroad Rochester Branch, as detailed by the New York State parks website. 

State parks, as well as landmarks and historic sites, will be participating in I Love My Park Day, which is a day of recognition centered around raising awareness about the importance of public and national parks, as the Livingston County News detailed in their own coverage on how they celebrate the day. The events come as “a partnership between Parks & Trails New York, the State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, and the state Department of Environmental Conservation,” Livingston County News describes. 

Last year, as highlighted in Livingston County’s recognition of the day, Fran Gotcsik, a longtime resident of Lima, New York and board member of the Genesee Valley Greenway State Park painted a bat box. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service describes bat boxes—or bat houses—as part of a “widespread motivation on the part of the public to conserve, recover, and build resilience into [bat] populations being affected by white-nose syndrome, habitat loss and other localized threats.” 

As “52% of North American bat species [are] in need of conservation help,” as further detailed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services, they offer some tips to create a safe bat box, including using wood untreated with chemicals, making sure the box has proper ventilation, and ensuring that it is water- and weather-resistant. Taking this effort to help bats, a species “vital to the health of our  food systems, our economies and our environment,” is just one way volunteers can continue to give back to the Earth during I Love My Park Day. 

The first I Love My Park Day was celebrated 15 years ago, and “The National Park Service was established over 100 years ago to preserve the scenic natural wonders of the United States and leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations,” as detailed by the National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF). Today, as NEEF further documents, our national parks face issues such as disruptions in river systems due to climate change, warmer winter seasons that  interfere with natural ecosystems, severe changes to the water system, and increasing levels of mosquitoes and ticks. 

However, to combat these challenges, volunteers on I Love My Park Day are encouraged to “participate in cleanup events at more than 120 state parks, historic sites, and public lands, including sites operated by the Department of Environmental Conservation and municipal parks. Participation can include “cleaning up debris, planting trees and gardens, restoring trails and wildlife habitats, removing invasive species and working on various site improvement projects,” the Livingston County News detailed. 

I Love My Park Day provides everyone with an opportunity to make an impact. Parks and Trails New York has reported that “for the second year, I Love My Park Day is joining forces with the Riverkeeper Sweep… [a project which] protects and restores the Hudson River, and safeguards drinking water supplies through community partnerships, science, and law. Their core programs improve water quality, restore habitat for an abundance of life, and address the impact of climate change on our waterways.” 

I Love My Park Day and the care of sustainability-focused individuals does not just benefit the environment, however; the National Park Services details on their website the many other positive benefits of connecting with national parks, including beneficial personal outcomes beyond just helping the environment. Visiting national parks can increase your physical activity by walking, hiking, or biking the trails at parks; promote mindfulness and relaxation by providing access to the calming sounds of a running river or the relaxing smell of flowers blooming; increase time spent with family and friends; and even provide chances to meet new people and ways to "challenge your perspective, and [help you] learn new skills.”

Those interested in volunteering can register for the day by visiting the Parks and Trails New York website to get ready for a day of "strengthen[ing] public lands… preserv[ing] and restor[ing] vital habitats… [and] get[ting] outside, meet[ing] like-minded volunteers, and learn[ing] new skills– all while making a real impact.”