Get Outdoors & Get Together Day

Join us on Saturday, June 10, 2023!

DEC and State Parks, in partnership with the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) and the NYS Division of Veterans' Services, will host free events to connect people to nature and provide increased access to the outdoors. Get Outdoors & Get Together Day brings together people of all abilities, ages, identities and backgrounds together for fun, healthful activities as part of the Governor's initiative to broaden the diversity of users and ensure inclusivity of access to state public lands.

New York's Get Outdoors & Get Together Day coincides with National Get Outdoors Day, an annual event to encourage healthy, active outdoor fun.

Check out our 2022 Flickr album (leaves DEC website).

Guests are encouraged to bring snacks and water and wear sunscreen.

Find a DEC location near you:

Long Island: Hempstead Lake State Park

New York City: Mt. Loretto Unique Area

New York City: Lemon Creek Park

Hudson Valley: Stony Kill Farm Environmental Education Center

Hudson Valley: Norrie Point Environmental Education Center

Catskills: Kenneth L. Wilson Campground

Catskills: Catskills Visitor Center

Catskills: North - South Lake Campground

Capital Region: Five Rivers Environmental Education Center

Adirondacks: Ausable Point Campground & Day Use Area

Western Adirondacks/Mohawk Valley: Lowville Forestry Demonstration Area

Central New York: Rogers Environmental Education Center

Rochester: 24th Annual Outdoor Expo at Mendon Ponds Park

Western New York: Reinstein Woods Environmental Education Center

2023 State Parks Locations

Region 1 Long Island: Hempstead Lake State Park (Nassau County) in Conjunction with State Parks

Time: 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.

• Touch Table at Garden Patio at the Education Center
• Scavenger hunt
• Tabletop Pond Ecology
• Fishing
• Camping Demonstration
• Kayak Demonstration
• Fishing Game and casting lessons
• Pinecone bird feeder making
• Lawn Games
  

Region 2 NYC: Mount Loretto Unique Area (Richmond County)

Time: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

• Freshwater fishing
• Saltwater fishing
• Guided nature walks
• Birding
• Ocean kayaking
• Camping Demonstration
• Ocean seining
• ECO K9 demonstration
• OPWDD table
• Archery

Region 2 NYC: Lemon Creek Park (Richmond County)

Time: 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Join science educators as we explore the estuary biology of Seguine Point at Lemon Creek Park. We will be catching fish and other creatures with a 20-foot seine net as well as other nets. Make sure to wear clothing appropriate to the weather and bring water to stay hydrated. This is also part of the World Fish Migration Day, a celebration of fish and waterways all over the globe!

Region 3 Hudson Valley: Stony Kill Farm Environmental Education Center (Dutchess County)

Time: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

• Beginner Bird Walk at 9 a.m.
• Barn Tours from 11 am to 1 pm
• Seed Planting
• Crafts
• Lawn games

Region 3 Hudson Valley: Norrie Point Environmental Education Center at Mills-Norrie Point State Park (Ulster County)

Time: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

• Rod and Reel fishing
• Fish Art programs
• Seining for fish in the River and Cove
• Education Center open

Region 3 Catskills: Kenneth L. Wilson Campground (Ulster County)

Time: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

• K9 Demo at 12:00pm
• Fishing clinic
• Sustainability table with educational opportunities related to reduction, reuse, and recycling
• Nature Trail Walk: Staff will be available, on the hour, for a guided walk on the nature trail and will be talking about what was involved with the construction of the trail.
• Container Gardening Display with staff available for questions. Seed packets will be handed out
  
  

Region 3 Catskills: Catskills Visitor Center (Ulster County)

Time: 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.

• 10:30 a.m. Bird Walk around the CVC with the John Burroughs Natural History Society
• 10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. Birds of Prey Show presented by Ravensbeard Wildlife Center
• 11 a.m. Riparian Buffer Walk along the Esopus
• 11:30 a.m. Meet the Author and Artist: Children's Story - Mt. Tremper has a Temper
• Noon -1 p.m. Story Laurie - musical performance
• 1 - 2 p.m. Arm of the Sea Theater (performance confirmed; tentative time)
• 1:30 p.m. - 2 p.m. Jonathan Kruck - The Story of Rip VanWinkle
• 2:30 p.m. - 3 p.m. Jonathan Kruck The Story of Rip VanWinkle
• ALL DAY: Archery
• ALL DAY: The Great Outdoor Expo
• Food for sale and an ice cream truck on site for part of the day

Region 4 Catskills: North/South Lake Campground (Greene County)

Time: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

• Fishing
• Archery
• Guided hikes
• Lawn Games
  

Region 4 Capital Region: Five Rivers Environmental Education Center (Albany County)

Time: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Try a new outdoor hobby at Get Outdoors and Get Together Day. Entry-level activities for all abilities include birding, nature art, outdoor skills, S'mores around a campfire, gardening, and more. Try out a new activity, meet community groups that connect people with the outdoors, and have fun!

Presented in partnership with the New York State Office for People with Developmental Disabilities. Coming from the City of Albany? Ride the free CDTA Nature Bus (link leaves DEC website) to Five Rivers this day!

Region 5 Adirondacks: Ausable Point Campground & Day Use Area (Clinton County)

Time: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

• Free paddle boarding, kayaking and canoeing
• Self-guided birding with free intro to birding materials
• Fishing clinic
• Camping demonstration with a campfire and free smores
• Leave No Trace education and games
• OPWDD activities - rock painting, scavenger hunt and cornhole
• Veterans' Services table

Region 6 Western Adirondacks: Lowville Forestry Demonstration Area (Lewis County)

Time: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

• 9:00 a.m. guided tour of the Arboretum
• Accessible trail walk and fishing at a pier;
• Archery with accessible equipment available for use;
• Camping and a campfire cooking demonstration;
• Fishing with adaptive equipment available for use; and
• Orienteering/treasure hunt.

Region 7 Central NY: Rogers Environmental Education Center (Chenango County)

Time: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

• Activities:
  • Free Fishing
  • Invertebrate Investigation
  • Robust Hike with the Bullthistle Hiking Club
  • Birding with the Chenango Bird Club
  • Tree ID program
• Booths:
  • Foster Care
  • NYS Department of Veterans' Services
  • PAWS Service Animals
  • Cornell Cooperative Extension
  • Trout Unlimited of Sherburne
• Food Vendors
• Scooter Available

Region 8 Central NY: In conjunction with the ADK Outdoor Expo (Monroe County)

Time: 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

This event is held in conjunction with Adirondack Mountain Club Genesee Valley Chapter at the 23rd Annual Outdoor Expo at Mendon Ponds Park.

• What's in the Ranger's Day Hiking Pack? Gear a DEC Forest Ranger carries for day hiking, from the simple compass and map to the technical GPS, micro spikes for winter, and an emergency space blanket for the just-in-case.
• Reducing Human-Wildlife Conflicts with a DEC Biologist. Simple things you can do while camping, hiking or just at home to help limit human-wildlife conflicts, keeping wildlife wild and everyone safe outdoors.

Learn other outdoor skills like birding, boating safety, car camping, knot tying and more. DEC ECOs, Rangers and Educators will be tabling all day.

Region 9 Western NY: Reinstein Woods Environmental Education Center (Erie County)

Time: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Schedule of programming:

• 10:00 am Black Girls Hike Buffalo
• 10:30 am Erie Co. Forest Rangers
• 11:00 am Feminist Bird Club- Birding For All Walk
• 11:30 Drone demo
• 12:30 Roswell Park Community Outreach - Wellness Walk
• 1:00 WNY Young Birders Club- Birding For All Walk
• 1:30 Photography Walk

Tables and booths:

• Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper
• Cradle Beach
• Excalibur Leisure Skills Center (adaptive boating & fishing)
• OPWDD- nature scavenger hunt, bird feeder craft
• People Inc.
• B-WELL
• Erie Co. Forest Rangers
• Facepainting with Cheektowaga YES
• DEC Sportsmen information
• Feminist Bird Club
• Penn Dixie
• Roswell Park Community Outreach
• Massachusetts Avenue Project Youth
• USFWS: archery
• WNY Young Birders Club
• Food trucks
  

2023 State Parks Sites:

• Long Island Region: Sunken Meadow State Park (Suffolk County)
• New York City Region: Riverbank State Park (New York County)
• Taconic Region: Lake Taghkanic State Park (Columbia County)
• Saratoga/Capital Region: Saratoga Spa State Park (Saratoga County)
• Saratoga/Capital Region: Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site (Montgomery County)
• Finger Lakes Region: Taughannock Falls State Park (Tompkins County)
• Central Region: Chenango Valley State Park (Broome County)
• Genesee Region: Darien Lakes State Park (Genesee County)
• Niagara Region: Buffalo Harbor State Park (Erie County)
• Allegany Region: Allegany State Park - Quaker Run Area at the Quaker Lake Bathhouse (Cattaraugus County)