New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Archived Websites

This series consists of archival copies of the publicly accessible websites of the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and the publicly accessible website of the New York State Northeastern Queens Nature and Historical Preserve Commission, whose powers and duties were transferred to the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation on April 1, 2009. Researchers should note that, owing to the size of the main Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation site and the limitations of Web archiving technology, efforts to copy this site prior to mid-2008 were not successful.

B2040-08: This accretion contains a copy of the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation website produced on May 12, 2008, shortly after the resignation of Governor Eliot L. Spitzer. It contains press releases (1998-2007), public meeting notices (2007-2008), applications and other materials (2008) relating to the office's grant programs, and publications relating to historic preservation, trails, Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park, Moreau Lake State Park, biodiversity, snowmobiling, and other topics. It also includes information about campsites and other accommodations within state parks, boater education programs and marine law, snowmobile education programs and registration requirements, the Empire State Games amateur athletic program, and other recreational activities. Information about sources of financial and technical assistance for individuals, organizations, and local governments seeking to preserve historic buildings, state and federal preservation tax credits, environmental review requirements, and archaeology in New York State is also present.

Researchers should note that the "State Parks," "Historic Sites," "Events," and "Golf" links at the top of each page provide access to search menus that do not work properly. However, information about individual parks and historic sites can be accessed by clicking on the "Regional Map" link on the left side of each page, clicking the desired region, and then clicking on the name of the park or site.

B2040-09: This accretion consists of an archival copy of the website of the State Northeastern Queens Nature and Historical Preserve Commission produced on April 2, 2009, the day after the commission ceased operations. It contains summary information about the history and mission of the commission and photographs of Fort Totten and other Queens County areas under the commission's jurisdiction. The live version of this site ceased to exist shortly after the commission was dissolved.

B2040-11: This accretion consists of a copy of the Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation website produced on December 29, 2010, shortly before Governor David A. Paterson (2008-2010) left office. It contains additional press releases (2006-2010), public meeting notices (2006-2010), state park rules and regulations, and policies concerning fire management, development of oil and gas resources, pesticide reduction, tree management, and public-private partnerships. Copies of the office's magazine (2005-2008), summary information about the office's grant programs, and publications relating to snowmobiling, trails, biodiversity, kayaking, canoeing, and camping are also present. This copy also contains updated information about sources of financial and technical assistance for individuals, organizations, and local governments seeking to preserve historic buildings and archaeology in New York State. Information about campsites and other accommodations within state parks, boater education programs and marine law, snowmobile education programs and registration requirements, and other recreational activities is also included.

Researchers should note that, owing to the structure of the live site and the limitations of Web archiving technology, the virtual tours of state parks and most of the interactive "Find Your Fun" feature, which provides information about individual state parks and historic sites, were not captured properly. However, information about individual parks and historic sites can be accessed by clicking on the "Find Your Fun" link, scrolling down until the state map is visible, clicking the desired region, and then clicking on the name of the desired park or site.

This accretion also includes a January 13, 2011 copy of the department's Twitter page, which contains summary information about events taking place at state parks and historic sites. Researchers should note that, owing to the structure of the live site and the limitations of Web archiving technology, most of the content contained within this page could not be captured successfully.

This accretion also includes a September 23, 2011 copy of the department's Empire State Games page. It contains summary information about results of sporting events held at the 2010 Empire State Summer Games and 2010 Empire State Senior Games. This site was captured just after the office ceased funding the Empire State Games. Researchers should note that, owing to the structure of the live site and the limitations of Web archiving technology, the results of past Empire State Games could not be captured successfully.

B2040-15: This accretion consists of a copy of the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation website produced on January 13, 2015, shortly after Governor Andrew Cuomo (2011- ) completed his first term of office. It contains additional policies (2007-2013), press releases (2011-2015), public meeting notices (2007-2014), grant and funding information (2015), and information concerning business opportunities. Information about various recreational activities, including boating, snowmobiling, swimming, and hiking trails, is also included. In addition, it contains information about state-operated historic sites and preservation of privately-owned historic structures and sites.

Also contained in this copy is information about two related entities: the State Council of Parks and the Natural Heritage Trust. The State Council of Parks section contains annual reports (2007-2013), public meeting notices (2007-2014), and a listing of regional commissions. The Natural Heritage Trust section contains information on the organization itself, as well as board meeting minutes (2012-2014), governance and committee documents, annual reports (2009-2012), financial statements (2012-2014), budget documents (2012-2016), investments (2011-2014), documents on procurement (2013-2014), and information on donations and gifts.

This accretion also includes a January 8, 2015 copy of the department's Empire State Games site. As a result of budget cuts in 2011, control and funding moved from the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation to other organizations. As a result, this copy consists chiefly of links to the sites maintained by those other organizations. Researchers should note that this site was removed from the live Web sometime after it was captured in 2015; information about the Empire State Games was subsequently incorporated into the main Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation site.

This accretion also includes a January 15, 2015 copy of the department's Twitter page which contains summary information about events taking place at state parks and historic sites. Researchers should note that, owing to the structure of the live site and the limitations of Web archiving technology, most of the content contained within this feed could not be captured successfully. Researchers should also note that, owing to the structure of the live site and the limitations of Web archiving technology, repeated attempts to capture the Office's Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube Channel pages were unsuccessful in 2015.

B2040-19: This accretion consists of a copy of the main Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation website produced on December 30, 2019. It contains newer press releases (2015-2019) and a wide array of publications, including the Park Connect electronic newsletter (2012-2019), the New York State Preservationist (2014-2016), and master plans relating to the state parks system, the state trails system, individual state parks, and historic preservation. Also present are policy documents (2010-2017), some in languages other than English, relating to the office's operations and services, and environmental assessments and plans relating to proposed park projects. Information about various recreational activities, including boating, snowmobiling, swimming, and hiking trails, is also included. In addition, it contains information about state-operated historic sites and preservation of privately-owned historic structures and sites and about the Natural Heritage Trust and the State Council of Parks.

W0112Series W0112, New York State Governor David A. Paterson Archived Websites, includes an August 18, 2008 copy of the "citizen guide" section of the main New York State website that contains a complete copy of the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation's Empire State Games website as it existed on that date.

The New York State Archives used Heritrix Web archiving software to copy these websites in order to preserve the information they contain.

There are no restrictions regarding access to or use of this material.