The Friends of Hamlin Beach State Park (FOHBSP) was awarded a $15,740 matching grant from the Environmental Protection Fund’s (EPF) Park and Trail Partnership Program to help fulfill their mission of offering recreational and educational activities reflective of and consistent with the nature and history of Hamlin Beach State Park.
In 2015, the FOHBSP received a grant from the Park and Trail Partnership Program that enabled them to install interpretive signs at the Civilian Conservation Corps/World War II Prisoner of War Camp on Moscow Road in Hamlin, which is part of Hamlin Beach State Park. With this latest grant award, the FOHBSP along with park employees will create stone dust paths outlining some of the original camp roads at the CCC/POW camp. This will enhance the learning experience as well as improve accessibility for visitors. Additional interpretive signs and locater signs within the park directing patrons to the CCC/POW site are also planned.
The grant, announced on March 5, is one of 21 awards totaling $450,000 for organizations dedicated to the stewardship and promotion of New York’s State Parks and Historic Sites. The grants, funded through the EPF, will be matched by almost $200,000 in private and local funding and will support projects to strengthen Friends groups and enhance public access and recreational opportunities at state parks and historic sites across the state. The Park and Trail Partnership Program grants are administered by the State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation and Parks & Trails New York, a statewide non-profit group.
The Park and Trail Partnership Program grants are designed to:
•enhance the preservation, stewardship, interpretation, maintenance and promotion of New York State parks, trails, state historic sites and public lands;
•increase the sustainability, effectiveness, productivity, volunteerism and fundraising capabilities of not-for-profit organizations that promote, maintain and support New York State parks, trails, state historic sites and public lands; and
•promote the tourism and economic development benefits of outdoor recreation through the growth and expansion of a connected statewide network of parks, trails, greenways and public lands.
The Park and Trail Partnership Program is open to recognized Friends organizations whose primary mission is the preservation, stewardship, interpretation, maintenance and promotion of a specific New York State park, trail or historic site under the jurisdiction of State Parks. More information about the grant program is available at http://ptny.org/our-work/support/park-trail-partnership-program.
