Kulleseid tabbed to run state parks
Mabee applauds governor’s choice
SARATOGASPRINGS, N.Y. >> The chair of the Saratoga-Capital Region Parks Commission on Friday applauded Governor Andrew Cuomo’s new choice to run the statewide parks system.
Erik Kulleseid, of Albany, has been the Open Space Institute’s senior vice president since 2010.
He is scheduled to succeed Commissioner Rose Harvey, who announced her resignation in November. Kulleseid’s nomination requires approval by the state Senate, which is expected soon.
“I know Erik very well,” said Heather Mabee, of Saratoga Springs, the Saratoga- Capital Region commission’s chair. “He and I worked closely on the fundraising campaign for Thacher State Park’s new visitor center. During the last I Love My Park Day, in May, we worked together clearing brush at Peebles Island State Park in Waterford.”
“He’s extremely knowledgeable about the needs of state parks,” she said. “He’s great for this job.”
At the Open Space Institute, Kulleseid established the organization’s Parks and Policy Program, whose goals are building support for parks, integrating private funding raising into park capital projects, and en- hancing visitor experiences.
During his tenure at OSI, officials said Kulleseid secured $30 million in private and public funds to support state park improvements and expand recreational access to protected land.
Over the past seven years, he raised funds and managed projects for the:
• Jones Beach State Park Revitalization Plan;
• Humphrey Nature Center at Letchworth State Park, raising $3.3 million to supplement NY Works capital;
• Canopus Beach/ Winter Park Complex at Fahnestock State Park, raising $1.25 million to overhaul the public facility;
• Thacher Park Visitor Center, raising $800,000 and building interpretive exhibits, orientation kiosks and interior finishes;
• upgrades to the cultural center at Denny Farrell Riverbank State Park in Harlem, raising $1.2 million, including a $1 million naming gift from Robert F. Smith;
• transformation of Minnewaska State Park Preserve with 10 miles of carriage road restoration completed and the creation of the Minnewaska Visitor Center in process, to be completed in partnership with State Parks in 2020; and
• creation of the River-to-Ridge Trail in New Paltz. The six-mile loop trail traverses land conserved by OSI, connecting the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail/Empire State Trail to 90 miles of trails and carriage roads that lace the Shawangunk Ridge.
Prior to his eight years at OSI, Kulleseid was deputy commissioner for Open Space Protection at New York State Parks (20072010) where he led the agency’s team in the creation of the Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park, in Poughkeepsie.
Prior to his time at the agency, Kulleseid was the New York state program director for the Trust for Public Land (1994-2007), where he negotiated the acquisition of East River State Park in Brooklyn.