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New
York State Parks Announces Expansion
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of
Free Public Wi-Fi
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Public-Private
Partnership with Toyota and American Park Network
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Provides
Connectivity for Visitors
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Albany,
NY – April 2018 / Newsmaker Alert / The
Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic
Preservation (State Parks) announces an expansion of the New York State
Parks free public Wi-Fi program at select properties. This season, the
much-requested service will be available at Gantry Plaza in Queens, Roberto
Clemente in the Bronx, Bear Mountain State Park in the Hudson Valley, and
additional locations at Niagara Falls State Park in Western New York this
season. The creative public/private partnership is the result of a long-term
collaboration between State Parks, Toyota and American Park Network. This
expansion builds on the free public Wi-Fi systems already installed at
Jones Beach, Robert Moses, Niagara Falls, Saratoga Spa and East River State
Parks which host more than 27 million visitors annually.
“New
York’s remarkable state park system welcomes tens of millions each year,
and more and more families are looking to explore the outdoors and make
the most of precious leisure time by having access to popular conveniences.”
said State Parks Commissioner Rose Harvey. “Working with our partners,
we are pleased to expand this valuable service at these treasured parks
and destinations for the coming season, building on our commitment to improving
the overall visitor experience.”
The
service, called Oh, Ranger!”
Wi-Fi™, is part of a program made possible through the support of Toyota,
with the equipment, installation, programming, monitoring and maintenance
all being provided at no cost to taxpayers. Visitors at the participating
parks access the free Wi-Fi in two easy steps by simply selecting the Oh,
Ranger! Wi-Fi network on their device and then accepting the standard terms
and conditions.
In
addition to providing free connectivity for millions of visitors, the Toyota-supported
public Wi-Fi is a digital information portal that can help educate visitors,
identify park visitation patterns, generate awareness of upcoming programs
and events, serve as an operations management tool, and promote volunteerism
and park Friends groups like the Natural Heritage Trust, which supports
New York State Parks.
Wi-Fi
is now available for free to the public in parks that receive nearly 40%
of total state park visitation. The expanded Wi-Fi presence complements
many other exciting developments and visitor improvements in the parks,
such as the picnic area at Roberto Clemente, the Cave of the Winds complex
at Niagara Falls, which features the new year-round interactive experience,
and the addition of a new ferry stop at Gantry Plaza State Park. These
sites will now offer visitors the convenience of free connectivity.
Steven
Curtis, Vice President, Engagement Marketing and Media, Toyota Motor North
America, Inc. said, “Toyota is excited to build upon our partnership with
the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
and American Park Network to provide free public Wi-Fi to these four important
parks in New York,” said Steven Curtis, vice president, media and engagement
marketing, Toyota Motor North America. “We believe our responsibility as
a mobility company is to reduce our environmental footprint by developing
vehicles like Prius and Mirai. At the same time, we aim to support our
partners in their mission to promote greater environmental appreciation
and awareness in local communities. We’re grateful for this opportunity
and hope that it will enhance the experience of visiting these New York
public parks.”
Mark
Saferstein, Publisher & Editor-in-Chief at American Park Network, said,
“We’re thrilled that Toyota’s ongoing commitment allows us to bring free
internet to millions of visitors to New York State Parks, as well as to
other iconic outdoor destinations all across America. They’ve set a great
example of how corporations can serve the public good. We look forward
to collaborating with Toyota to encourage everyone to get outdoors.”
Under
Governor Cuomo’s leadership, New York is making an historic commitment
to improving and expanding access to outdoor recreation. The Governor’s
NY Parks 2020 program is a multi-year commitment to leverage $900 million
in private and public funding for State Parks from 2011 to 2020.
Toyota
(NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. and North
America for 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation
mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands. During that time, Toyota
has created a tremendous value chain as our teams have contributed to world-class
design, engineering, and assembly of more than 36 million cars and trucks
in North America, where we operate 14 manufacturing plants (10 in the U.S.)
and directly employ more than 47,000 people (more than 37,000 in the U.S.).
Our 1,800 North American dealerships (nearly 1,500 in the U.S.) sold more
than 2.7 million cars and trucks (2.4 million in the U.S.) in 2017 – and
about 87 percent of all Toyota vehicles sold over the past 15 years are
still on the road today.
Toyota
partners with community, civic, academic, and governmental organizations
to address our society’s most pressing mobility challenges. We share company
resources and extensive know-how to support non-profits to help expand
their ability to assist more people move more places. For more information
about Toyota, visit www.toyotanewsroom.com.
For
30 years, American Park Network has been a leader in providing information
and visitor services in support of parks departments nationwide. Reaching
20+ million park visitors each year, its familiar Oh, Ranger! brand is
a trusted source of information for both visitors and park managers alike.
American Park Network collaborates with corporate and government partners
to help forge relationships that serve the public good, while enhancing
the park visitor experience. Whether at iconic national tourism destinations
like Niagara Falls and Venice Beach, or at parks that cater to the local
community, Oh, Ranger! Wi-Fi™ provides
solutions that benefit everyone. For more information, call 212-581-3380
or email to wifi@americanparknetwork.com.
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The
New York State Office of Parks, Recreation
and Historic Preservation oversees more than 250 parks, historic sites,
recreational trails, golf courses, boat launches and more, which are visited
by 71 million people annually. A recent study found that New York State
Parks generates $5 billion in park and visitor spending, which supports
nearly 54,000 jobs and over $2.8 billion in additional state GDP. For more
information on any of these recreation areas, call 518-474-0456 or visit
www.parks.ny.gov,
connect with us on Facebook,
or follow on Instagram
and
Twitter.
Source
Document
Media
Contact:
Press
Office
Randy
Simons, Public Information Officer
Dan
Keefe, Deputy Public Information Officer
518-486-1868
news@parks.ny.gov |