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OPRHP – Governor Cuomo Announces Unanimous Senate Confirmation of Parks and Rec Commissioner
Rose Harvey
Albany, NY – March 8, 2011 – Rose H. Harvey will serve as Commissioner of the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. For 27 years, Ms. Harvey has held multiple leadership positions with The Trust for Public Land. Ms. Harvey was a senior fellow at the Jonathan Rose Companies, where she acted as an advisor and researcher on parks and open space issues, and launched a non-profit organization to fund, design, and develop safe, well-managed parks in urban neighborhoods. She was also recently a McCluskey Fellow and Lecturer at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. Ms. Harvey began her career in parks and open space at the Maryland Environmental Trust. Ms. Harvey received her B.A. from Colorado College in 1977 and M.E.S. at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies in 1984.
Commissioner Harvey said, “New York’s world-class park system is a public treasure and part of our shared heritage. From the Adirondacks to the Finger Lakes to Long Island and beyond, every region of the state has wonderful open spaces and historical sites to enjoy. I will work diligently to promote and protect all of them. It is truly an honor and enormous responsibility to be chosen by Governor Cuomo to lead such a prestigious agency.”
Senator Betty Little, Chair of the Senate Committee on Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks and Recreation, said, “Our state’s bountiful resources are unparalleled throughout the country. Therefore, we need a dedicated professional with a vast understanding of open space like Commissioner Harvey to maximize the accessibility, usage and stewardship of our state’s treasures. New York’s many parks and historic sites are in good hands, and I look forward to working with the new Commissioner in this vital role.”
Senator Jose M. Serrano, Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks and Recreation, said, “New York’s incredible parks and historic sites are among the most diverse and invaluable resources in the state. Rose Harvey’s multifaceted credentials, passion, and experience in parks operation, development, protection and enhancement – particularly her work with urban areas and underserved communities – make her the ideal candidate to lead this agency. I commend Governor Cuomo for his selection, and I look forward to working with Ms. Harvey to preserve our state’s greatest gift to future generations.”
Kim Elliman, CEO of the Open Space Institute, said, “Rose’s lifetime of public service suits New York’s Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation well. She knows and believes in the importance that open spaces play in our daily lives and has fought tirelessly to protect them. Governor Cuomo has made a smart choice in selecting Rose as his nominee, and the Senate has done the right thing by promptly confirming her nomination.”
NYS OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR – Governor Cuomo Nominates Rose Harvey as Commissioner of Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
Rose Harvey
New York State Office of the Governor – 01/27/2011 – Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the nomination of Rose H. Harvey as commissioner of the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.
“Rose Harvey’s experience and knowledge as well as her expertise creating countless cost-effective parks, playgrounds and open spaces in underserved communities with efficiency makes her the person we need to lead this agency,” Governor Cuomo said. “I thank her for her public service and look forward to working with her.”
Currently, Ms. Harvey is a senior fellow at the Jonathan Rose Companies, where she acts as an advisor and researcher on parks and open space issues, and launched a non-profit organization to fund, design and develop safe, well-managed parks in urban neighborhoods. She was also recently a McCluskey Fellow and Lecturer at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.
For 27 years, Ms. Harvey held multiple leadership positions with The Trust for Public Land, most recently as Senior Vice President and National Director of Urban Programs. There, she oversaw all real estate acquisitions, urban park design and developments, managed the finances of a $20 million annual operating budget, and closed between $50 and $75 million worth of land and parks transactions each year across 8 states – a total of nearly $1 billion and more than a thousand new and enhanced parks, gardens and playgrounds in underserved neighborhoods in New York City, Newark, N.J. and Baltimore. She has also established large landscape woodlands and natural areas throughout New York State and the Mid-Atlantic region.
Ms. Harvey began her tenure in the parks and open space arena as the Assistant Director for Conservation Easement at the Maryland Environmental Trust, where she negotiated protections of private lands holding environmental significance.
Ms. Harvey received her B.A. from Colorado College in 1977 and M.E.S. at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies in 1984. She currently serves on the Board of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation and the Yale Leadership Advisory Council. In the past she has served on many conservation organizations, including the Appalachian Mountain Club, the Hudson River Institute and Walsh Park Low Income Housing. In addition to multiple state and national awards for her environmental stewardship and advocacy for open space and parks, Ms. Harvey has written multiple articles and op/eds in numerous national media outlets and industry trade journals.
Lucy Rockefeller Waletzky, M.D., Chair of the New York State Council of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, said, “Ms. Harvey has been key to many of the great additions to state parks of the past 20 years. I look forward to working with her to foster strong private-public partnerships that protect and enhance New York’s parks, open spaces and heritage. I am also deeply committed to working with Governor Cuomo’s administration in preserving our state’s recreational landscapes and natural resources.”
Frances Beinecke, President of Natural Resource Defense Council, said, “Ms. Harvey’s decades of experience in creating hundreds of parks and thousands of acres of open space makes her the perfect choice to lead New York’s agency tasked with protecting and preserving public land. I applaud Governor Cuomo for selecting such a dedicated professional.
Ned Sullivan, President of Scenic Hudson, said, “Rose Harvey brings to this critical job sterling credentials and experience in land conservation and in creating and managing urban gardens and parks. Governor Cuomo has selected an outstanding candidate to help him implement his broad reform agenda and to meet the state’s responsibilities as steward of our unparalleled parkland.”
Kim Elliman, CEO of the Open Space Institute, said, “Rose brings an unparalleled passion for providing all New Yorkers with access to parks and open space. Throughout her 30 year career, she has built an incredible track record of creating and protecting parks, from vest-pocket parks in cities to landscape parks like Sterling Forest. She is singularly qualified for the job and I commend Governor Cuomo for his selection.”
Leslie Wright, New York State Director for The Trust for Public Land, said, “Governor Cuomo’s selection of Ms. Harvey as Commissioner for the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation shows that he is serious about maintaining open space and making it accessible to as many New Yorkers as possible. Ms. Harvey’s storied career in establishing parks, playgrounds and gardens in urban areas, combined with her ongoing advocacy for open space makes her the ideal candidate to lead this agency.”
Wall Street Journal – Advocates call for more NY parks funding
Associated Press
Dec 5, 2010
Erik Kulleseid of the Alliance for New York State Parks. (Skip Dickstein/Times Union)
ALBANY, N.Y. — Advocacy groups are calling for a new source of revenue to revitalize New York’s parks and historic sites, suggesting state leaders consider a surcharge on vehicle registrations, a deposit on plastic grocery bags or other measures used by other states.
A report by the Alliance for New York State Parks and Parks & Trails New York says budget cuts have left the parks system understaffed and in need of repairs.
The report, released Thursday, calls for restoring the park agency’s budget, investing $1 billion over the next decade for repairs, and establishing a new, dedicated funding stream to ensure the future of the state’s parks.
As examples of potential new funding streams, alliance Director Erik Kulleseid points to Montana’s $4 fee on vehicle registrations and Washington, D.C.’s nickel deposit on grocery bags.
Montana’s vehicle fee, enacted in 2004, has kept that state’s park system in better financial shape than many other states during the recession. Faced with closing 40 of 121 state parks to save money, Washington state followed Montana’s lead in 2009 and enacted its own $5 vehicle registration surcharge. In both states, drivers can opt out of the fees.
In Michigan, a new system for funding parks began in October. It gives residents the option of paying $10 for a “recreation passport” when they register a vehicle. The one-year passport grants access to all 98 state parks and recreation areas, plus boat launches.
California’s Proposition 21 on last month’s ballot would have increased vehicle registration fees by $18 a year to raise about $500 million a year in a dedicated fund for the state’s 278 parks. The proposition was defeated.
Last spring, Gov. David Paterson announced that dozens of New York’s 178 parks and 35 historic sites would have to close and others would have to reduce services because of the state’s budget deficit. After a public outcry, Paterson and the Legislature restored $11 million to keep all the parks open.
Carol Ash, who resigned recently as New York’s parks commissioner and now serves as an adviser to the alliance, said attendance at state parks has been rising as the economy forces people to seek recreation closer to home. Attendance is expected to reach 60 million visitors next year, she said.
The state parks budget has been cut from $195 million in fiscal year 2008-09 to less than $160 million for the current fiscal year, Ash said, and staffing has been reduced by more than 1,400 permanent and seasonal workers. Facilities are critically in need of repair — roofs, heating and plumbing systems, electrical systems, recreational fields, pools, roads, drinking water supplies and buildings — she said.
In his “Cleaner, Greener NY” plan, Gov.-elect Andrew Cuomo notes that open spaces support industries that generate billions of dollars in annual revenue for the state, including the $54 billion outdoor recreation and tourism industries. He says the state’s park system creates nearly $2 billion in revenue annually and supports more than 20,000 park-related jobs.
To ensure that state parks stay open, Cuomo said, the state parks office must rely on public-private partnerships with not-for-profit organizations that raise money for parks and help maintain them.
Cuomo has ruled out raising taxes and fees once he takes office in 2011, but parks boosters stress that investing in parks is good for the state’s economy. New York’s parks create $5 in economic activity for every dollar the state invests, said Robin Dropkin, executive director of Parks & Trails New York.
Erik Kriss, budget spokesman for Paterson, said it’s too soon to say whether park closings will be proposed for the next budget. But he said more cutbacks can be expected because the state faces a $315 million deficit in the current fiscal year and a projected $9 billion deficit in 2011-12.
Kriss noted that the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation has agreements with dozens of organizations, including large nonprofits that fully operate parks and historic sites as well as all-volunteer groups that operate a discrete building or program. It also has agreements with local governments to operate sites.
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