Gilgo State Park
Gilgo State Park is a 1,223-acre (4.95 km2) undeveloped state park in Gilgo Beach, Suffolk County, New York. The park is located on Jones Beach Island, a barrier island off the southern shore of Long Island.
History
Previous use of the land was for a United States Life-Saving Service called "Station Gilgo" and referred to as USLSS Station #27. At the western edge of the park are the remains of this station and is known locally as the Old Coast Guard Station. No markings on the site identify its history of life saving. It is thought the first building was erected in 1853, serving as a base for volunteer life savers who would walk/patrol the beach and observe ships in distress. It was to aid in recovery of life and property aboard the ships which ran aground. The service was merged into the US Coast Guard in 1925 and later developments in technology made this service inefficient, which caused it to be abandoned.
For some years later, it stood unused until Robert Moses negotiated with the federal government to include it in his Long Island Parks Region. The terms of this transfer are still being explored, though it appears, the parties agreed that this land would be forever wild and available to all residents for their wholesome recreation. No one user group would have exclusive privilege to its use and it would not be closed for whatever reason, with the exception of occasional closing for general safety.
State park
State parks or provincial parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "state" or "province" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, or recreational potential. There are state parks under the administration of the government of each U.S. state, and of some states of Mexico. The term is also used in Australia, though the distinction between state and national parks there is different. The Canadian equivalent term is provincial park. Similar systems of local government maintained parks exist in other countries, but the terminology varies.
State parks are thus similar to national parks, but under state rather than federal administration. Similarly, local government entities below state level may maintain parks, e.g., regional parks or county parks. In general, state parks are smaller than national parks, with a few exceptions such as the Adirondack Park in New York and Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in California.
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