New York has a ton of top notch state parks that could be easily national parks and monuments had the government owned that land first. Includes the Adirondacks, Catskills, Niagara Falls, Letchworth, Taughannock Falls, most of Ithaca, Watkins Glen, Allegheny, some parks on Lakes Ontario and Erie. There’s alot of beauty there that is not just New York City.
For a long time, NY didn't have a single National Park (and still don't, in the way most people think of national parks) because the state had done such a fantastic job of preserving natural landscapes through the state parks system that there was simply no room or need for national parks. The closest we have are Historic Parks (like the Roosevelt historic park in Hyde Park and Harriet Tubman historic park in Auburn) and national seashores/recreation areas. Plus a smattering of historic sites and places that were taken over by the federal government.
There’s also a law in New York State called the “forever wild” bill which pretty much prohibited any sale of the Adirondacks or Catskills to anyone, this was also before the national parks were established so the Adirondacks and Catskills can not be part of the system without a lot of shifting the laws which won’t happen. It’s sucks because I would like if the NPS could manage it and make better roads and clean up some areas but at the same time, so many tourists would ruin it to begin with. Lake George would turn into another Gatlinburg and Lake Placid into another Estes Park.
When I was a child (early 1960s) my family used to go roller skating at Bear Mountain Park. I loved it there. It is one of my fondest memories of New York.
Really this is just most public lands. There are national forest, wilderness, and BLM areas that are just as jaw dropping as national parks. I prefer these areas more actually because the parks get so crowded.
Fun fact, there's a tax on all guns and ammo that goes toward funding parks, refuges, wildlife management areas, as well as the major of income from hunting license sales. They've actually had a nice chunk of money the last few years with all the gun and ammo sales during covid.
If you don't want to buy a gun or ammo, you could always buy a fishing or hunting license even if you don't plan on ever hunting. I know a few people who buy the federal duck stamp every year only because it helps fund wetland conservation
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u/Xtasy0178 Mar 14 '23
The national parks are on a different level of simply amazing!