Crisco helps kick off centennial celebration of state parks

HARTFORD – State Sen. Joseph J. Crisco, Jr. , D-Woodbridge, took part in an event Thursday evening to kick-off the 100^th anniversary of Connecticut’s state parks – a year-long celebration of the park system’s remarkable history. 

A year-long series of commemorative events is planned including a 169-mile, 10-day-day tour later this month and state park birthday parties in 2014.

Thursday’s event was held at Dinosaur State Park in Rocky Hill;  Crisco joined other officials including Lieutenant Governor Nancy Wyman, Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) Commissioner Daniel C. Esty, and members of the Friends of Connecticut State Parks and the Connecticut Forest and Park Association.

“We are so fortunate in our part of the state to have such a wide variety of parks and forests nearby and available to residents, including West Rock Ridge State Park, with extraordinary views of New Haven and Long Island Sound, Osborndale and Indian Well State Parks straddling the Housatonic River, and the expansive Naugatuck State Forest in the highlands above the Naugatuck River,” Crisco said. 

“These parcels were set aside and preserved over the past 100 years because of their aesthetic and historic significance and we are the beneficiaries of that foresight to this day.”

“One hundred years ago, a newly formed State Park Commission began acquiring properties that became the successful state park system we have today,” DEEP Commissioner Esty said. 

“With 107 state parks, visited by eight million visitors a year, Connecticut looks forward to a year-long Centennial Celebration showcasing our beautiful landscapes, waterways, and historic and cultural locations that inspire and amaze everyone who sets foot in our parks.”

Crisco said some major upgrades planned for Connecticut’s state parks in the near future include a new nature center at Hammonasset State Park, a renovated pavilion at Sherwood Island State Park, and utility and technology upgrades at many other state parks.

“The positive economic impact of our state parks is said to be more than $1 billion per year, so it behooves us to invest in these extraordinary properties to improve and preserve them so they’ll be enjoyed – and in time cherished – by Connecticut residents for generations to come,” Crisco said.

This is a press release from Crisco's office.