ANNUAL REPORT - Onondaga County Parks

2006
ANNUAL
REPORT
OnondagaCountyParks.com
County Executive: Nicholas J. Pirro
Parks Commissioner: Robert Geraci

Message from the Commissioner
While it is our mission to provide excellence in the array of recreational opportunities for Onondaga
County residents, it is tremendously satisfying to know that this Parks system has regional and even
national significance in some of the things we do. The satisfaction stems in part from the realization
that this Parks system helps define what people from out of town perceive as good about our community.
The spectacular Lights on the Lake show has many visitors who drive in from other areas.
They write about what a great experience the program was and that they will be back. We know
that Highland Forest’s wilderness beauty, its great size and its terrific trail system is what brings cross
country skiers from beyond Onondaga County to that facility—that is one reason we are electing to
groom the trails at this park. We’ve enjoyed great success in hosting a number of regional and even
national softball championships at Hopkins Road Park. For the decade since we opened the Stadium,
we have had the honor of hosting the New York State Girl’s High School Field Hockey Championships
with players and their families travelling from throughout the State to stay here during
mid-November. Switch to warmer weather and revel in some of the comments from bass fishermen
from around the Country who said the fishing on Oneida Lake during the ESPN Bassmaster event
late July was among the best they’ve ever had. AND our hospitality, creativity, and organization as
local hosts at Oneida Shores Park was highlighted as one of the reasons ESPN announced that the
2007 Bassmaster Memorial Tournament will come to Syracuse this July with competition again on
Oneida Lake plus the added bonus of the nationally televised finals taking place on Onondaga Lake.
These are just some of the highlights of things we do that serve a broad audience and attest to the
quality of life in our community for visitors.
But it is not just recognition of quality of life that is significant. Part of the satisfaction is also the
realization that there are economic benefits to this aspect of County Parks. Oneida Shores’ 36 fishing
derbies, highlighted by the $1.5M impact of the Elite Series spectacle, had a collective economic
value exceeding $3.5M. Softball tournaments generate six figure annual impact, stemming from
purchases made by visitors while here including hotel room nights, restaurants, shopping, and entertainment.
There’s also a more subtle economic impact. A Fortune Magazine survey of businesses
nationwide “gave more weight to the life that cities offer executives outside the workplace than
to the more conventional measures of business climate such as office-rent per square foot, cost of
living and access to professional services... many mid- and high-level executives said that access to
nature and recreation was a leading reason they chose to live where they did”. While there are many
ingredients to what goes into defining quality of life in a community, there is no question that parks
and green space are major factors.
Robert Geraci
Awards
Onondaga County Parks received several regional and State
professional awards from our leisure service peers:
• Young Professional of the Year
Leiko Benson, Recreation Supervisor at Onondaga Lake Park
• Special Event of the Year
An Enchanted Beaver Lake, Beaver Lake Nature Center
Special
Recognition
Area Park Superintendent Steve Whalen
retired after a 30 plus year career which
featured stints at Pratt’s Falls, in Central
Services and Highland Forest.
Internationally renowned elephant
expert Charles E. “Chuck” Doyle was
appointed Director of the Rosamond
Gifford Zoo.
Senior Recreation Leader Kevin Merrill
was promoted to Recreation Supervisor
at Jamesville Beach Park and Highland
Forest.
Jamesville Beach lifeguard team of
Dan Liddell, Matt Lowery, and Shannon
Halleran placed third at the 38th annual
New York State Parks Central Region
Lifeguard Competition.
Caring about each other...
Oneida Shores employees Don Mackey
and Patrick Goettel were working in a
rowboat on Oneida Lake on a cold April
26. When Pat suddenly went into cardiac
arrest and collapsed in the boat, Don
was able to revive him, row the boat
back to shore and get Pat medical help.
Pat now has a pacemaker and is back to
work. He credits a well-trained Don with
saving his life and also thanks co-worker
Carlene Welch who cancelled her out
of town vacation to keep an eye on him
while he was recovering.
• Publication of the Year
Penguin Brochure - Rosamond Gifford Zoo
• Promotional Brochure of the Year
Winter Program Guide produced by the Post Standard
• Special Publications and Marketing Award
Parks Benefits Promotional Video
Plus recognition from local media with the Syracuse New
Times Best of Syracuse award to Onondaga Lake Park as
Central New York’s Best Place to Walk, Run, and Bike
Pat Goettel (left) thanks Don Mackey at Oneida Shores

EDUCATION & YOUTH DEVELOPMENT
Onondaga County Parks’ “classrooms without walls” serve as tremendous forums
for historic, scientific, and environmental related learning by our youth as well as
settings where teenagers are provided opportunities to contribute positively to
their community. Enhanced by significant New York State Child & Family
Service grant support which is administered by the Syracuse/Onondaga County
Youth Bureau, these services extend beyond the core recreation
component and in 2006 provided educational programs for 39,232
attendees as well as community service experiences for over 200 youth.
The Zoo’s education staff, supported by a large cadre of trained educational docents, served record numbers
of students in on-site programs ranging from school tours to EdZoocation and Zoo Camp, as well as over 8,000
kids with the traveling Zoo to You syllabus. In addition, events such as Eco Expo, Fiesta de las Aves,
Elephant Extravaganza and the In the Wings Bird Show increased youth and family awareness of
important environmental issues. The Zoo’s 14 member 4-H club, a hallmark youth
development service, provided a minimum of 10 hours service
per month for care in the domestic animal section.
Beaver Lake’s Summer and Winter Camps taught natural history and
environmental awareness using activities and games. “Professor
Arthur Pod”, an entertaining character developed to teach the
elementary school market about insects and other arthropods,
expanded his domain to the high school level. SUNY
Environmental Science and Forestry students gave back to the
community by augmenting naturalist-led walks and creating
new educational displays. 95 teenagers enhanced their confidence,
character, and competence in special employment and mentoring
programs at Beaver Lake, and by volunteering for tasks including
trail maintenance and special event programming.
In June, over 2,000 elementary age students attended the
Festival of Cultures at Jamesville Beach where they learned the
heritage and traditions of diverse African, Native American,
European and Polynesian cultures through song, dance, music,
storytelling, and interactive games. Onondaga County Parks beaches
for the first time produced Junior Lifeguarding courses during which
39 teens gained confidence and skills regarding their general aquatic
safety and possible future employment on the waterfront.
60 school group tours at Carpenter’s Brook Fish Hatchery
explored the life cycle of trout and water ecology.
“Zoo To You” entertains and educates visitors
at Onondaga Lake Day in Liverpool.
“Lizzi thoroughly enjoyed Beaver Lake
Camp. She came home each day excited
and full of stories from the day’s events.
She had only good things to say about
her counselors...
Thanks again for running such an excellent
program. It is obvious that a lot of
time and energy goes into this program,
and that the adults there truly care
about children.”
Joyce Trinkly-Wolfson, Baldwinsville, NY
A new BOCES fourth grade program used
Onondaga Lake Park to introduce students from northern
County school districts to local history and environmental
education by using program components including fishing
demonstrations, water testing, and floral and wildlife
identification. The volunteer staff at Sainte Marie also
created a new fourth grade New York State History
curriculum program, called the Back in Time Series, which
featured Saturday morning sessions on the basics of 17th century skills.
Spring and fall school tours at Sainte Marie and the Salt Museum continued to be
educational stalwarts, as did the Heluva Good Historic Tram Tours.
Alliance Bank Stadium hosted Youth Leadership Day and four
tours for technology focused youth camps who were studying
computer systems used to operate the facility’s scoreboard,
sound, and temperature systems.
Onondaga Lake Park’s Skatepark is a community model for
youth empowerment as users participate in Advisory Group
development of promotional plans, seasonal schedules, and
special events and in some cases move on to employment as
site monitors or instructors.

Marketing&Promotions
Augmenting cooperative tourism-building relationships with the
Syracuse Convention & Visitors Bureau and Finger Lakes Tourism, Onondaga
County Parks focused upon cross-marketing local attractions
in 2006. Initiatives included reciprocal Coral Reef promotions between
the Museum of Science & Technology and the Zoo, banners touting
Park activities at high visibility points throughout the system, adding
peer facilities to our signature Discovery Guide which in turn was
printed in higher volume, and improving displays in visitor centers so
that guests are aware of best choices for what to do next.
The pair of web sites - Onondaga County Parks.com and Rosamond
Gifford Zoo.com - maintained by Onondaga County Parks were accessed
over 340,000 times for event, travel, employment, research and
registration purposes. New touches to this ever-evolving medium
included downloadable trail maps, sports standings, and current crosscountry
ski conditions, with online customer satisfaction surveys and
an enhanced program calendar coming soon. In addition, Onondaga
County Parks’ e-mail newsletter, which has nearly 4,500 subscribers,
has been effective in promoting registration for upcoming programs
and enhancing awareness of services of related organizations such as
the Onondaga County Resource Recovery Agency (OCRRA).
This is the first full year of our online reservation system, which is used
for viewing information and booking a variety of shelters, lodges,
campgrounds and ballfields. The database of customers allows us to
quickly tabulate marketing and revenue data, create master schedules
and target mailing lists. It now takes less than two minutes to book a
returning customer and the convenience has lead to 356 reservations
being done online. Collectively, ActiveNet processed over 10,000 transactions
and nearly a half million dollars in income. Online sales, which
currently represent 3% of the business, will be targeted in upcoming
promotions and should become more prevalent when technology at
activity based, rural sites such as Beaver Lake is improved.
Computerized cash register systems installed at the Zoo will also provide
demographic information on visitors which will be used to target
optimal out-of-town markets for day and overnight trips to Syracuse
attractions and events.
Fishing is the Reel Deal!
When the daily newspaper features a fisherman on the Weekend entertainment
tabloid cover, Main Street is closed for a parade of anglers in their NASCAR- like
custom wrapped boats, national television
has a one hour special on Oneida
Lake fishing and Gander Mountain
fishing department sales increase by
76%, something very noteworthy has occurred.
Mix in perfect summer weather,
a superbly managed special event, and
gracious hospitality provided by the
Central New York community , then top
it off with the kind of fishing even the
professionals only dream about -
that was the immediate outcome of this
summer’s BASS Master Elite Series Empire
Chase held at Oneida Shores Park.
It will be double the pleasure on the national fishing scene in 2007 with the BASS
Master Memorial, featuring a $1.7 million purse, plus the American Carp Society
regional championships which were secured and will be hosted by Baldwinsville.
These events, and many others, are coming to our water-blessed Finger Lakes
region because they have been nurtured in a sports-marketing initiative led by the
Syracuse Convention & Visitors Bureau and Onondaga County Parks.
Fishing is one of the top three outdoor recreation activities, and New York State
is one of the top three fishing destinations in America. Onondaga County boasts
of over 24,000 registered boats and fish license sales twice per capita those in
Monroe County, with annual, pre-derby economic impact approaching $4 million.
The national play from derbies has doubled that figure, resulted in improved boat
launch facilities for resident use, and perhaps most importantly showcased our
town’s greatest tourism assets - the splendors of the great outdoors - during peak
travel season.
Billboard seen by thousands of
vehicles traveling thru Central
New York on I81
Tommy Biffle from Oklahoma shows off
some of the largemouth bass that made
him the top angler.
Promotions for year-round lodges and special event settings at the
Zoo and Sainte Marie have been effective, with new touches including
direct mailers to current customers, a full color brochure targeting
higher end wedding and corporate functions, and follow-up fulfillment
calls to verify user satisfaction during their park experiences.
“I wanted to take a moment to thank you for hosting Leadership Greater
Syracuse’s Embracing Diversity Day at Arrowhead Lodge. We appreciate
everything you and your staff did in making (the day) such a success. From
the time that it took to organize and plan the logistics in advance of our arrival,
to making sure that our needs were met once there, I’m truly grateful.”
Sherry A. Mossotti Syracuse, N.Y.

Working with a new tournament and holiday fishing publication published by Parks which has
drawn raves at national sport shows, the Chamber’s Director of Sports Development and
Oneida Shores Park Superintendent are working on a variety of tour requests for coming years.
They are selling our tourism-oriented strengths in a business model which this year delivered
a 20:1 return on investment from Room Occupancy Tax dollars used to secure and produce the
ESPN Empire Chase.
Syracuse Post-Standard Outdoor Writer J. Michael Kelly perhaps best summarized the
quality of life impact of the Bassmaster Memorial Tournament coming to Onondaga Lake:
The lake’s notorious image... will be obliterated by the time pros like Kevin VanDam of
Michigan and Mike Iaconelli of New Jersey have come and gone, for the pond lapping at
the city’s North Side is loaded with lunker largemouth and smallmouth bass. Watching
the big-time bassers hoist their trophy catches on ESPN TV with the Syracuse
skyline prominently visible in the background should do wonders for our civic
pride.
Alton Jones, a professional angler from Texas, said the Elite event at Oneida
Lake in July was his most enjoyable tournament. “I hated to see that tournament
end - I wanted to stay and keep fishing. If it didn’t freeze over, I’d go up
there in the off season.”
Courtesy bassfan.com.

RECREATION
While great events and family entertainment continued as staples of the
Onondaga County Parks leisure portfolio, exercise and wellness oriented
programs gained more emphasis during a rainy yet successful outdoor
recreation season...
... witness Lights on the Lake at Onondaga
Lake Park, where over 5,000 folks of all
ages participated in four types of on-foot
activity- the Arthritis Foundation Jingle
Bell Run, Lights on the Lake’s opening
night walk and New Year’s Weekend run,
and the YMCA Folksmarch.
Sports programs at Hopkins Road Park,
Alliance Bank Stadium, and Onondaga Lake Park provided
summer and fall action for over 5,000 adult registrants
in slowpitch softball and coed kickball leagues. Ten year old
Alliance Bank Stadium, the home of the International League
Syracuse Chiefs and their 71 game professional baseball slate,
also hosted 161 community use events ranging from high school
baseball and the New York State Field Hockey Championships to
band shows and an Easter Mass.
Highland Forest’s reserved business at Skyline Lodge continued to expand, particularly in the wedding
market, and youth camping demand remained steady, even during the cold winter months.
While it was not the ideal cross country ski season, trail modifications have been made to provide
easy options for beginners and direct access for all from Skyline Lodge to the Pines Junction hub.
Beaver Lake, long-time home of the Walk
100 Miles incentive program, added
a Mid-Winter Blues Run to the slate
and hosted the AIDS Walk/Run which
involved over 800 runners and generated
more than $140,000. Oneida Shores,
Onondaga Lake Park and Highland Forest
continued to be home bases for weekly
Syracuse Charger Fun Runs. Onondaga
Lake Park’s Fit for the Next Fifty
waterfront exercise program provided
documented personal health benefits to
scores of participants. Parkway Sundays
encouraged families to stretch out
amongst historic grounds and picturesque
ponds. Nearly 500 residents took
the Onondaga County Park Challenge
and committed to exercising at least
30 minutes a day, including Liverpool
youngster Eric Little, who according to
his proud mother “really increased his
fitness with the motivation of winning a
step counter.” The Section 3 high school
cross-country championships were held
for the first time at Long Branch Park.
And even though oppressive heat
cancelled the affair, over 6,000 folks were
ready to participate in the JP Morgan
Chase Corporate Challenge at Onondaga
Lake Park.
Our health is our most
treasured personal asset,
and our parks, with
fresh air, friendly faces,
affordable access, and
safe environs, are a
top choice of most for
obtaining the benefits
of exercise.
Carpenter’s Brook Fish Hatchery provided “Time Out to Fish” experiences for 193 people unable to
navigate the physical challenges of fishing in the natural environment, then extolled the virtues of
hunting and fishing to over 2,500 folks at Gander Mountain Sportsmen’s Days.
Beaver Lake’s interpretive staff skillfully integrates recreational activity in day camps which were at
record numbers at both the Nature Center and satellite Pratt’s Falls location, in themed winter break
programs, on the water via canoe and kayak rentals and tours and in showcase Golden Harvest
Festival and Enchanted Beaver Lake special events.
“I‘ve attended Onondaga County Parks Fit for the
Next Fifty summer program almost every day for
the last five years. I have fibromyalgia and chronic
fatigue. This program has been the best thing
ever for me.... If I did not have to get to the lake by
8:30-9am, I would be sleeping in. This gets me up
and moving. . . I have met many wonderful people
at the classes and made many new friends. I wish I
had started it a few years earlier!”
Marie Scarcella
Pratt’s Falls enhanced its niche in the shooting
world by hosting the Inaugural TriState Biathlon
Championships and working with Central New
York Bowmen to maintain the oldest public
archery course in the region.
Oneida Shores’ success in the fishing world is
rubbing off at the campground, where investments
in site improvements assured steady
business despite the soggy weather. The Arrowhead
Lodge was sold out during June, with
overall bookings up 29%. And the Madcatter
Hobie Cat Race was the largest catamaran event
in the United States, drawing 92 boats.
Bo Bice of American Idol fame and The Fray headlined 93Q/Coors Light Balloon Fest entertainment
which drew decent crowds despite balloon flight hampering poor weather conditions at Jamesville
Beach.
Over 160,000 visitors from throughout New York State and beyond enjoyed Lights on the Lake from
the comfort of their 35,133 vehicles, making it the 2nd largest turnout in its 17 year history. Crosspromotions
for Christmas at Sainte Marie stimulated year-end interest which resulted in annual
attendance growth of over 40% for the volunteer
operated Living History Center.
The Griffin Visitor Center also became a Wi-Fi spot
as Verizon FiOS stepped forward to provide
free wireless internet access during the summer,
a program which we hope to continue and expand
to other areas of the park.
Get a group workout on the new conference bike
at Onondaga Lake Park!
County Executive Nick Pirro and Parks Commissioner
Bob Geraci try out the Wi-Fi at Wegmans Playground

Conservation
& Stewardship
Practicing what it preaches, Beaver Lake
Nature Center stressed conservation of natural
resources, recycling and environmental awareness
in Earth Week programs for families, and
worked year-round to eradicate invasive land
and water plant species. Ongoing maintenance
of the trail system through boardwalk care and
mulching protects sensitive habitats from erosion,
and selective mowing of old field systems
is employed to encourage wildlife diversity.
And beyond the current boundaries of this
special property, consideration is being given
to acquiring buffer lands to assure this outdoor
experience is not imperiled by residential
housing development.
The Zoo’s animal family grew with the addition
of four Humboldt penguin chicks, three
Golden Lion Tamarin babies and a Bald Eagle.
The penguin pool closed for three months in
the fall as contractors repaired a leak in the
50,000 gallon exhibit, and reopened to treat
the penguins and zoo visitors to their first
winter of water action.
Onsite Hatchery enhancements
featuring
control nets to stop
predation by Great
Blue Herons and
the installation of a
backup generator for aerators - courtesy of the
Friends of Carpenter’s Brook Fish Hatchery
and a grant from Senator De Francisco -
assured meeting 100% of NYSDEC standards
for stocking over 100 miles of
cool water streams with
78,500 brown, brook, and
rainbow trout.
Investments in and expansion of
highly desired and valued leisure
trails continued with the completion
of nearly seven miles of the
Jordan Level trail from the Van Buren
town line to the Cayuga County
line. This will be incorporated into
the Erie Canalway Trail which when
completed in 2009 will be the longest
continuous trail in America.
Next on the agenda is the proposed extension
of the Loop the Lake Trail at Onondaga
Lake Park from the current western terminus
near Nine Mile Creek by two scenic miles to
the Route 690/Exit 7 area near the State Fairgrounds.
Select timber harvest is being practiced at park
forest properties with more comprehensive,
long term plans from forestry experts needed
to assure conservation and recreational standards
are maintained at the highest level of
integrity.
Alliance Bank Stadium implemented a new winterization
plan to reduce utility costs. Savings
are projected to be in the $40,000 range.
Veterans Memorial Cemetery conducted
217 burials of servicemen, women, and their
families. 3,651 have been laid to rest in these
solemn grounds created in 1986, and a new
eleventh section was completed to accommodate
near future demand. 63 individuals were
buried at the adjacent Loomis Hill indigent
cemetery.
A Great Blue Heron looks out over the peaceful waters at Beaver Lake
Preventative Maintenance
Preventative Maintenance is a key function to assure stewardship of a 6,500 acre
park system with building, grounds, entertainment, and real estate assets well in
excess of $100 million. Projects initiated or completed in 2006 included:
• Boat launch paving and bathhouse partition installation at Oneida Shores Park
• Roof repairs for the Sainte Marie cookhouse and Syracuse University
Boathouse at Onondaga Lake Park
• Variety of exhibit, courtyard, condenser, and window repairs at the Zoo
• New backstop, dugout, and wing fencing for softball field #2 at Hopkins Road
• Repairs to safety padding and light towers plus new scoreboard computer and
protective netting at Alliance Bank Stadium
• New Saw Mill Creek reserved shelter at Onondaga Lake Park
• Air-conditioning installed at Highland Forest’s Skyline Lodge
“This is the cleanest beach (Oneida Shores)– my kids love it!”
Brenda Stone, Syracuse, NY
The Veterans
Memorial Cemetery
performed its first
burial of a soldier
killed in Iraq. Kenneth
W. Haines was killed
in action in Iraq on
December 3, 2006 and
buried December 12,
2006 with full military honors.
He joins Kenneth Plumadore,
a Vietnam vet killed in action
and reburied in the cemetery in
2005 as the only two active duty
combat veterans killed during
war and buried in the Veterans
Cemetery.

FINANCIAL SUMMARY
Operating Budget as of 1/31/07 (Unaudited)
Expenditures
Personnel_ ___________________ $ 7,464,141
Operations_ __________________ $ 3,066,147
Interdepartmental Services_____ $ 1,166,701
Debt Service____________________ $ 785,070
Preventative Maintenance________ $ 375,000
Total________________________ $ 12,857,059
Revenues
County Appropriations________ $ 10,217,284
Park Use_____________________ $ 1,764,958
State and Federal Aid_ ___________ $ 221,604
Cemetery________________________ $ 61,530
Commissions and Rentals__________ $ 71,274
Transfer for Infrastructure_ _______ $ 375,000
Room Occupancy Tax____________ $ 100,000
Other_ __________________________ $ 45,409
Total________________________ $ 12,857,059
supplemental budgets
Capital Expenses_ _______________ $ 562,228
Grant Expenses_________________ $ 238,333
Special Account Expenses________ $ 547,525
How Do We Rate?
Representative surveys from over 1,600 park visitors indicate that friendly,
helpful staff and feeling of being safe and secure in our parks are two major
reasons they give a big thumbs up with an “A+” rating.
Volunteer Park Customer Service Rating
Hours Attendance (1-5 scale, 5=Excellent)
Alliance Bank Stadium 600 362,620 -
Beaver Lake Nature Center 11,000 193,855 4.67
Carpenter’s Brook Fish Hatchery 1,589 40,101 4.73
Highland Forest 5,367 49,873 4.85
Hopkins Road Park 300 130,000 -
Jamesville Beach 1,257 89,790 4.42
Oneida Shores Park 1,332 120,340 4.70
Onondaga Lake Park 7,335 1,335,561 4.60
Otisco Lake Park - 4,000 -
Pratt’s Falls Park 170 27,331 4.67
Rosamond Gifford Zoo 29,770 298,757 4.59
Ste. Marie among the Iroquois 12,500 13,482 -
Salt Museum 350 16,023 -
Veterans Memorial Cemetery - 25,000 -
Totals 71,570 2,706,733 4.63
COMMUNITY SUPPORT....
It’s Huge!
Onondaga County Parks’ stature as a
nationally acclaimed leisure service agency
and a treasured community asset is due
in large part to significant investments
of time and money by the organizations,
businesses and volunteers who proudly call
Onondaga County their home.
Leading the way in assuring quality park
services are Friends organizations from
the Rosamond Gifford Zoo, Beaver Lake
Nature Center, Historic Onondaga Lake and
Carpenter’s Brook Fish Hatchery. Working
cooperatively with Parks administration, this
quartet invested nearly $2 million directly
into program, facility and promotional support
in 2006. They also serve as powerful advocates for government
Volunteer Tyler Anderson takes a break from
interpreting history at Sainte Marie
investment in and protection of the lands and waters which comprise
and border their favorite venues.
The Jamesville Balloonfest, Inc. focuses on the signature element of the
community’s first big summer event while the Highland Forest Nordic
Ski Patrol strives for optimal and safe cross-country ski experiences at the
“Adirondacks of Central New York.” Onondaga County Parks Emergency
Medical Services team provides coverage at all major events.
Two new groups came on the scene in 2006 - a “watchdog”
group of Wegmans Good Dog Park enthusiasts who are being
empowered to help monitor the facility, and the Fabius Historical
Society, which has taken over operations of what had
been the Highland Forest Pioneer Museum.
Volunteers gave over 70,000 hours of their time to our parks this year,
and are the sole reason Sainte Marie among the Iroquois Living History
Center was able to reopen and continues to thrive. Educational tours at
the Zoo and Beaver Lake would be a microcosm of their current status
if retired teachers and principals were not giving back liberally of their
time and expertise. Fishing in our trout streams and archery at Pratt’s
Falls would be of lower caliber if volunteers were not stocking fish and
maintaining targets.
The Salt Museum, which continues to be a destination for out of town
guests, is viable primarily because of the dedication of a retired elementary
school teacher. In the spring, many parks are spruced up as businesses
donate their work force for a day of community beautification.
And Beaver Lake’s cornerstone special events would cease to happen
without volunteers.
Led by Wegmans, who touts the splendors of Onondaga County Parks
in a 250’ wall length mural at the new Liverpool Route 57 store and has
invested significantly in special event and quality of life programs at
Onondaga Lake Park, corporate Syracuse is indeed part of the success of
the park system. Galaxy Communications and Citadel Communications
are prime underwriters of Lights on the Lake and the Coors Light Balloon
Fest, respectively, allocating both program sponsorship and major air
time to assure success of events which are produced without direct tax
dollar support. Verizon proclaimed success with marketing initiatives
at Onondaga Lake Park which included experimenting with complimentary
FiOS WiFi service in the family activity section. Alliance Bank
has committed long term support via naming rights to the ballpark and
the Rosamond Gifford Foundation has taken a similar path with a major
educational endowment for the Zoo.
Onondaga County Parks
106 Lake Dr, Liverpool, NY 13088
(315)451-7275 • www.OnondagaCountyParks.com
Front Cover: Fishing at Oneida, Sainte Marie volunteers, skiing at Highland, biking at Otisco Lake Park.
Photo Credits: Skateboarder photo by Mike Roy, Post-Standard, Heron by Craig Morgan.
Cover and all other photos by Brantley Carroll Photography • 2/07 • 1M