Rep. McCarty Adopts Harkness Memorial State Park

Photo caption: Rep. McCarty speaks with Friend of Harkness Park, Sherry Carter, at State Parks Day held on March 11, 2015 at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford, CT.

HARTFORD – State Representative Kathleen McCarty (R-38) joined 53 other Legislators on the Honor Roll of State Park and Forest Adopters (28 of who belong to the House Republican Caucus) by adopting Harkness Memorial State Park in Waterford.

The Connecticut Forest & Park Association (CFPA) and Friends of CT State Parks (FCSP) held a Friends of CT State Parks Day on March 11th, where they laid out the pre-requisites for park adoption. They include:

• Acknowledgement of a State Park or Parks their District
• Visit/Contact the State Park(s) to understand its needs
• Work with an existing “Friends of” group (if applicable) or with the CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) to launch an annual event (walk, clean-up, etc.)
• Help advocate for the needs of your Park and the State Park system

“I am honored to have this opportunity to uphold the history of such a long-loved park, and hope to aid the Friends of Harkness in achieving their goal of completing restorations to the greenhouse, windmill/water tower and carriage house in the park,” said Rep. McCarty.

In 1950, Mary Harkness left her estate, which includes the Eolia mansion, to the people of Connecticut so that it could become a state park. Today, Harkness Memorial State Park is managed and maintained by the CT DEEP, and houses the Department of Developmental Services’ Camp Harkness on its seaside grounds.

“These are important aspects in keeping the spirit of the park alive, and something we must also consider when addressing budget proposals this session,” added Rep. McCarty, “as state park funding could be cut by as much as $2 million.”

According to a study conducted by UConn’s Connecticut Center for Economic Analysis (CCEA), State Parks generate $6 million a year through admissions and other fees, and provide over $1 billion and 9,000 jobs to Connecticut’s economy each year. The study also documented that for every dollar the state spends on the state park system, it receives a return of $38 in economic activity. In addition, the increased property values of individual dwellings that border or overlook green open space generate an estimated $3.1 to $5.4 million to municipalities.