WHO:           State Parks Commissioner Rose Harvey
                      Denise Ryan, National Park Service
                      Bryan Erwin, Long Island State Parks Commission

WHAT:           Free State Park Access and Initiative to Transport Local School Children to State Parks, Nature Centers and Historic Sites for Environmental Education Programs

WHEN:           10:30am, Thursday, October 20

WHERE:       Theodore Roosevelt Nature Center at Jones Beach State Park
                       1000 Ocean Parkway 
                       Wantagh, New York 11793
                       *Follow signs to Nature Center, located in the Park’s West End

New York State Parks will highlight a new program aimed at enhancing educational and recreational opportunities for school children.  The program will center on a new funding opportunity for New York City public schools so that they may transport children to state parks, nature centers and historic sites for field trips. An announcement will also be made about a program providing free state park access for New York State 4^th graders and their families.

The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation oversees 180 state parks and 35 historic sites, which are visited by 65 million people annually. A recent study found that New York State Parks generates $1.9 billion in economic activity annually and supports 20,000 jobs. For more information on any of these recreation areas, call 518-474-0456 or visit www.nysparks.com, connect on Facebook, or follow on Twitter.