I Love My Park Day

I Love My Park Day celebrated it's 10th anniversary this year! The event was originally created in 2010 as a way for patrons to donate their time and show their love for their local state parks. After a year of hiatus, I Love My Park Day was held around the state this weekend, encouraging patrons to get out of their homes and enjoy a safe morning of good ol' fashioned hard work.

At Grafton Lakes State Park, 57 patrons came out to the park and donated 171 hours of their time. Volunteers were broken up into small groups and dispersed throughout the park to tackle six different projects. 

Boy Scout Troop #222 flexed their muscles, putting up rental tents and dragging rental boats out to the water (above). The Junior National Honor Society of Tamarack School came out and helped alleviate problems of confusion on the trails by putting up markers on a portion of Red Eft trail (bottom). A group of Saratoga Associates, including some of those who originally helped to design the Welcome Center spent the morning pulling weeds and putting mulch down on the gardens around the building (below). 

International Crossroads, a ministry that welcomes and offers assistance to foreign exchange students expressed their satisfaction afterwards with "being given real work" in reference to removing the prunings from the blueberry patch to help encourage better growth (below). Mountain bikers helped to blow off and clear the trails to make them easier to follow. Other volunteers were dispersed among the different projects and also helped with replacing the woodchips in the playgrounds.

The hard work was especially welcomed due to the uncharacteristically chilly weather that greeted the morning. Despite the bite in the air, there was an energy in the crowd. Although all masking and social distancing regulations were still required, for many, this event served as a sign of hope towards the future and a light at the end of the tunnel of returning to normalcy. 

We thank all those who came out to the park to volunteer and we look forward to seeing people hiking, mountain biking, and enjoying the water. Eric Whiting won our 50th anniversary t-shirt give away. Our next volunteer event is National Trails Day on Saturday, June 5th. Sign up today!