A statewide push to clean up and improve public lands will bring thousands of volunteers to parks, trails, and green spaces across New York this weekend, including dozens of projects in the Finger Lakes.
Organizers say roughly 5,000 people are expected to participate in I Love My Park Day on Saturday, May 2, making it the largest single-day volunteer event of its kind in the state, with work planned at more than 160 locations.
The annual event, now in its 15th year, is coordinated by Parks & Trails New York in partnership with state parks officials and the Department of Environmental Conservation. Volunteers will take on a range of projects, including trail maintenance, shoreline cleanup, invasive species removal, and habitat restoration.
As part of a broader state initiative to plant 25 million trees by 2033, more than 2,000 seedlings will also be planted during the event.
In the Finger Lakes region, volunteers will be active at a wide range of sites, from major state parks to local trails and community spaces.
Projects are scheduled at places like Fillmore Glen State Park in Moravia, where volunteers will clean trails, remove invasive species, and spruce up park grounds, and at Robert H. Treman State Park in Ithaca, where work will include tree planting, trail maintenance, and museum cleanup.
Along the lakeshores, efforts at Seneca Lake State Park and Fair Haven Beach State Park will focus on beach cleanup, grounds maintenance, and repairs to park amenities.
Other projects include trail work and brush clearing at Sugar Hill State Forest, habitat restoration and invasive species removal at the Montezuma Wetlands Complex, and general cleanup and landscaping at Stewart Park and the Ithaca Dog Park.
Volunteers will also gather at Long Point State Park near Aurora, Stony Brook State Park in Steuben County, and Taughannock Falls State Park near Trumansburg, tackling everything from litter pickup to playground improvements.
Organizers say more than 2,500 volunteers had already registered as of this week, with additional participants encouraged to sign up ahead of the event.
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