Newly Formed Friends of Schodack Island State Park Holds First Meeting

ALBANY, NY (08/03/2010)(readMedia)-- The Friends of Schodack Island State Park, Inc. held its first meeting yesterday, August 2, since filing with the NYS Department of State as a not-for-profit corporation last month. The group met at Schodack Island State Park, located along the Hudson River just south of the Village of Castleton in Rensselaer County, to elect officers and board members and plan future activities.

Dan Odell, newly elected president of the organization stated, "There has been an outpouring of community support for this park in the past several years and we are building on that momentum. We intend to work closely with park staff to support the park by providing volunteers, developing programs and events for the park visitors, and fundraising for specific park needs."

NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Commissioner Carol Ash congratulated the new group on their formation, saying "Friends Groups are an integral part of the State Parks community. From fundraising and event planning to trail maintenance and clean-up efforts, our friends support and enhance our parks and historic sites in countless ways. I am thrilled that the Schodack Island community has once again come together to support its state park and I look forward to working together on behalf of this beautiful facility."

Schodack Island State Park, which opened in 2002, is a 1,052 acre park lying between the Hudson River and the Schodack Creek. It boasts a state-of-the art boat launch facility with wash station on the Hudson River and a floating canoe and kayak launch on the Schodack Creek. It has beautiful river front views, picnic pavilions, playing fields, and ten miles of trails which are available for cross-country skiing in the winter. In the fall the park allows hunting by permit and in the spring the park offers some of the best Striped Bass fishing in the region.

Many state parks and historic sites have Friends groups made up of knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and committed community leaders. These volunteers have a general interest in parks and a specific interest and commitment to an individual park in the state park system. Volunteers may have particular expertise in fundraising, history, politics, design, construction, restoration, and other areas of direct relevance to parks.

For information on joining the Friends of Schodack Island State Park, Inc. contact Dan Odell, President, at 518-944-0141. For information regarding Schodack Island State Park call the park at 518-732-0187 or visit www.nysparks.com.

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