Donald J. Trump State Park facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Donald J. Trump State Park |
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Entrance sign to Donald J. Trump State Park
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| Type | State park (undeveloped) |
| Location | Westchester and Putnam counties, New York |
| Area | 436 acres (1.76 km2) |
| Created | 2006 |
| Operated by | New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation |
| Open | No |
Donald J. Trump State Park is a large state park in New York State. It covers about 436 acres (1.76 square kilometers) across two counties: Westchester and Putnam. The park is located in the towns of Yorktown and Putnam Valley.
This park was given to New York State in 2006 by a businessman named Donald Trump. Even though it's called a park, it's mostly undeveloped. This means it doesn't have many of the usual park facilities like playgrounds or visitor centers. Most of the old buildings on the land have been taken down. Only a few building foundations and a tennis court are left.
Contents
Park History: From Golf to Green Space
Donald Trump bought this land in the 1990s. He paid $2 million for it. His original plan was to build a big golf course there. However, the land had many wetland areas. Wetlands are important natural spaces, and building on them has strict rules. Because of these rules, Trump could not get permission to build his golf course.
In 2006, he decided to give the land to New York State instead. At the time, he said the land was worth $100 million. Donating the land helped him save money on his taxes. The governor at the time, George Pataki, was happy about the donation. Trump hoped the land would become "one of the most beautiful parks anywhere in the world."
Park Challenges and Closures
In February 2010, New York State announced that the park would close. This was due to money problems and budget cuts. Some people wondered if closing the park was truly needed. Its yearly operating cost was only $2,500. Workers from a nearby park, Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park, helped maintain it.
Donald Trump said he might take the land back after the closure was announced. But the land is still managed by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.
Later in 2010, there was an idea to make part of the park into a dog park. During this plan, workers found a dangerous material called asbestos in one of the old buildings. Asbestos needs to be removed very carefully. By 2012, the dog park plan was still on hold. It was hard to raise enough money to remove the asbestos and build fences.
What the Park Looks Like Today
Even though there are signs on the nearby Taconic State Parkway pointing to Donald J. Trump State Park, it's not listed on the state's park finder website.
In 2015, a TV show visited the park. They found no signs of recent care. The land had old buildings covered in graffiti. Map kiosks were empty, and parking lots were full of weeds. Another website in 2017 described the park as an "abandoned wasteland." They saw muddy fields, overgrown tennis courts, and broken-down buildings. An old swimming pool was also in bad shape.
However, in 2020, some improvements were noticed. These included a new asphalt driveway, a gravel parking lot, and new entrance gates. There was also wood fencing and new native trees and shrubs planted.
Park Geography: Two Unique Sections
Donald J. Trump State Park is split into two main parts.
- Indian Hill Parcel: This section is about 282 acres (1.14 square kilometers). It is located in northern Jefferson Valley. This area is part of both Yorktown in Westchester County and Putnam Valley in Putnam County. This land used to be a farm. However, all the farmhouses and other buildings were taken down by 2004.
- French Hill Parcel: This part is about 154 acres (0.62 square kilometers). It is fully within the town of Yorktown, in southern Yorktown Heights.
The park has a mix of different natural areas. You can find continuous forests, open grassy meadows, and several large wetlands. Two streams, French Hill Brook and Dogwood Creek, start in the French Hill section of the park.
Ideas to Change the Park's Name
Over the years, many people have suggested changing the name of Donald J. Trump State Park.
Early Renaming Efforts
In late 2015, a state senator named Daniel Squadron proposed a law to change the park's name. Several other elected officials also offered new names.
- Assemblyman Charles D. Lavine suggested naming the park after Peter Salem. Peter Salem was an African American who fought in the American Revolutionary War.
- U.S. Representative Sean Patrick Maloney suggested naming it after the folk singer Pete Seeger.
In response, Donald Trump suggested that New York State should just give the land back to him. People continued to push for the name Pete Seeger State Park in early 2016. An activist group started a petition online for this name.
Later Renaming Proposals
In September 2017, Assemblywoman Nily Rozic suggested renaming the park for Heather Heyer. Heather Heyer died during a protest in Charlottesville, Virginia. This idea was mostly not acted upon. Rozic, along with State Senator Brad Hoylman, tried again in 2018 and 2019 to pass a law to rename the park. However, these efforts did not move forward.
After some events in January 2021, there were new calls to change the park's name. An online petition to rename it after Sojourner Truth received many signatures. New York Assemblywoman Sandy Galef believed the state should change the name. She said that the park's current name might represent differences of opinion in the country. Galef suggested renaming the park after former New York Governor George Pataki. He grew up in the area. She said that monuments and parks can have a special meaning. She felt that the park's name should not cause division.
