Heckscher State Park

For the NRHP registered local park in Huntington, New York, see Heckscher Park (Huntington, New York).
View from beach to the Great South Bay

Heckscher State Park is a 1,657-acre (6.71 km2) state park[1] on the shore of the Great South Bay at East Islip in Suffolk County, New York, USA.

History

The park includes 1,469 acres (5.94 km2) that was once the 19th-century estates of George C. Taylor and J. Neal Plum. Islip's founder, William Nicoll, originally built his estate on this property. Despite opposition from wealthy local residents, the parkland was purchased by New York State with the aid of a donation from August Heckscher, under guidance from urban planner Robert Moses and with the backing of Governor Alfred E. Smith.[2]

Beginning in 1972 and continuing until 2008, the New York Philharmonic played at Heckscher State Park as part of its free "Concerts in the Parks" series. The annual event was held on summer evenings in an open field near the campground and was open to the public. In 2009, the New York Philharmonic chose to cancel the event for the summer of that year due to financial constraints. After consideration to keep the tradition, the Long Island Philharmonic volunteered to perform. Ultimately, the Long Island Philharmonic was forced to cancel their plans as well, as a deadlock in the state senate prevented funds from being allocated to the event. The following year, the New York Philharmonic again chose not to perform. This time, however, the Long Island Philharmonic was able to put on a successful performance. The new generation of concerts commenced with a theme of American composers, including George Gershwin, Leonard Bernstein, John Philip Sousa, John Williams, and Billy Joel.

Park description

Dunes in the park

Heckscher offers a beach, picnic tables with pavilions, a playground and playing fields, recreation programs, hiking and biking, fishing, cross-country skiing, a boat launch, and a food concession. It includes the Heckscher Forest, a dedicated disc golf course established in the summer of 2014. The park formerly offered a campground with tent and trailer sites, as well as an Olympic-sized swimming pool, which were closed due to budget cuts.

Heckscher State Park is known as the "Home of the White-tailed Deer", as deer are fairly populous throughout the park. Additionally, about 280 bird species can be observed in the park.[3]

The park is accessible by the Heckscher State Parkway, and falls within the district protected by the Great River Fire Department.

The Long Island Greenbelt Trail starts its 31-mile (50 km) route in Heckscher State Park. It ends in Sunken Meadow State Park.

References

  1. ↑ "Section O: Environmental Conservation and Recreation, Table O-9". 2014 New York State Statistical Yearbook (PDF). The Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government. 2014. p. 672. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
  2. ↑ "Heckscher State Park". NYS Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
  3. ↑ Checklist of the birds in the Heckscher State Park (pdf)

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Heckscher State Park.

Coordinates: 40°42′N 73°10′W / 40.70°N 73.16°W / 40.70; -73.16

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Saturday, February 20, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.