State, Federal Partnership Established To Manage Urban Parks In Metropolitan New York Area

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar will be in New York City on Tuesday to join Mayor Michael Bloomberg in announcing a partership between the National Park Service and New York City to cooperatively manage urban parks in the greater New York metropolitan area.

The partnership is aimed at managing urban parks in and around Jamaica Bay and connecting urban communities to the natural beauty and history of the region.

Earlier in the day, Secretary Salazar will deliver remarks as part of Greater & Greener: Re-Imagining Parks for 21st Century Cities, an international urban parks conference. He will discuss the Obama Administration’s vision to build and expand America’s great urban parks so that they remain healthy, connected, and accessible to every American.

In cities and metropolitan areas across the country, the Department of the Interior is working with communities to connect people – especially young people – to green spaces, waterways, recreation opportunities and cultural landmarks.

As part of President Obama’s America’s Great Outdoors initiative, Interior is expanding outdoor recreation opportunities, restoring urban natural resources, strengthening outreach programs for school children, improving connections among existing parks, and restoring public access to natural, cultural, and historic resources.