New York State launches Centennial Challenge to celebrate parks system

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to complete the 2024 New York State Parks Centennial Challenge — which is aimed at providing outdoor adventures in the coming year.

Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the program this week: 100 "missions" that involve the exploration of parks and historic sites throughout the state.

Participants need to complete 24 of the 100 challenges on the checklist. Those who do will get a commemorative Centennial Challenge sticker.

Twenty-four winners will get a three-year Empire Pass.

"There is so much to do within our vast state park system, and the Centennial Challenge is a great way to introduce New Yorkers and visitors, alike, to our historic and awe-inspiring properties for 2024’s 100th anniversary celebration," Hochul said in a statement.

The challenge is part of a yearlong celebration planned for 2024, which marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the statewide park and historic site system.

In 1924, Gov. Alfred E. Smith and the State Legislature created the New York State Council of Parks, with voters approving a $15 million bond act to lay the groundwork for myriad sites now overseen by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.

These include parks, historic sites, recreational trails, golf courses, boat launches and a host of other recreational areas across the state that drew a record 79.5 million visits in 2022.

To participate in the challenge, download the Goosechase app from the iPhone or Android store, then search under "NY State Parks Centennial Challenge" or fill out a paper form. For more information, visit parks.ny.gov/100/challenge.

The website has a downloadable checklist of the 100 challenges — complete at least 24 and you can submit your list to earn the commemorative sticker.

For every additional 10 points, or, completed challenges, participants will receive an extra entry for the promotional giveaway.

The Empire Pass drawing will take place the week of Jan. 13, 2025.

Try these challenges:

• Take a hike in a state park (there are more than 30 state park and historic sites on Long Island).
• Play golf on a state-operated course (Bethpage, Alfred E. Smith 27-hole complex at Sunken Meadow, Sag Harbor and Montauk Downs have them).
• Swim at a state beach (Jones Beach, Robert Moses, Sunken Meadow, Heckscher, Hither Hills, Orient/Wildwood).
• Ski on a state-run slope; skate on a state-operated ice rink.
• Go bird-watching.
• Host a book-club meeting at a state park or historic site.
• Visit a Revolutionary War battlefield; a state-operated lighthouse; Indigenous history sites; Black history sites; and state-run heritage trails.
• Spend at least half an hour picking up litter at a state park or historic site.
• Walk the dog (on a leash) at a state park where allowed.
• Take a selfie with a park ranger.

"The Centennial Challenge is a wonderful opportunity to experience the unparalleled opportunities for outdoor recreation, culture and education that are available in the New York State Park system," New York State Parks Commissioner Erik Kulleseid said. "You may already have a favorite park or a favorite activity, but there is more for everyone to see and do — be it locally or around the state.”

By John Valenti

john.valenti@newsday.com

John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”