By Senator Alexis Weik
The Connetquot River State Park started as a popular hunting ground for the likes of the Vanderbilts and Carnegies. Today, the park is still home to adventure and family-friendly fun thanks to the stewardship of the Friends of Connetquot.
The Friends of Connetquot was formed in 1998 in opposition to the State wanting to turn the park into a bed and breakfast.
As a non-profit organization, the Friends of Connetquot have made it possible for big achievements like the reopening of the trout hatchery and securing grants for as much as $100,000 for the park. The Friends have raised tens of thousands of dollars and host events like an annual gala, fishing trip, and ladies’ tea.
Most importantly, the Friends have allowed local community members to have a bigger voice in keeping the growth of the park in tune with community values.
A few years ago, NYS Parks came to me and asked if I would form a “Friends of Heckscher State Park” to engage community members in the future of Heckscher.
When I put the word out about starting Friends of Heckscher State Park, Janet Kennedy-Fischer, a former Connetquot teacher, immediately stepped up to found the organization. Recently, Janet stepped down and our new president is Greg Hancock who is excited about the park’s upcoming 100-year anniversary in 2029. Originally part of a Nineteenth-Century estate, Heckscher was purchased by the state and opened to the public in 1929.
In his short time as president, Greg has secured thousands in grant money and has been working with groups that utilize the park to learn how the park could better serve their activities.
In its near-100-year history, the 1,600 acre park, with stunning views of the Great South Bay, has become a popular picnic spot for families with its shady groves. Cyclists enjoy biking on both multi-use trails and the four miles of paved road. Large open fields are used for soccer, cricket, and lacrosse among other field sports. The park has boat launches, campsites, cabins and lodging, canoeing/kayaking, disc golf, fishing, grills, hiking, playgrounds, showers, snowshoeing and X-country skiing, stand-up paddle boarding, surfing and windsurfing, and (where accessible) a swimming beach.
We are looking for community members to join in and help create Heckscher’s future. Joining the Friends of Heckscher State Park will give you the opportunity to be a keeper of the community.
The Friends of Heckscher State Park are always ready to welcome members and interested parties can come to a meeting, which is held every third Thursday of the month at 6:30p.m. at the East Islip Library, located at 381 East Main Street in East Islip.
Senator Alexis Weik (R-Sayville) has represented the Eighth District in the New York State Senate since 2023, after being redistricted from the Third District, which she represented from 2021 to 2022. Within the Town of Islip, the Eighth District includes Bayport, Bohemia, Fair Harbor, Great River, Islip Terrace, Lonelyville, North Great River, Oak Beach, Oakdale, Saltaire, Sayville, and West Sayville, as well as parts of Bay Shore, Brightwaters, Captree-Oak Beach-Gilgo, East Islip, Holbrook, Holtsville, Islip hamlet, Ronkonkoma, West Bay Shore, and West Islip. The district also contains portions of the Town of Babylon and the Town of Oyster Bay.
Senator Weik is the Ranking Member of the Committees on Civil Service and Pensions; and Women’s Issues; and serves on the Committees on Education; Local Government; Social Service; and Veterans, Homeland Security, and Military Affairs.
The Eighth District office is located at 1 Corporate Drive, Suite GL-005, in Bohemia and can be reached at 631-665-2311.
