2024 JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER JR. PARK PRESERVATION AWARDEE

Friends of the Rockefeller State Park Preserve honored New York State Senate President Pro Tem and Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins at its 2024 Gala June 29 at the Rockefeller Estate in Pocantico Hills. She received the prestigious John D. Rockefeller Jr. Park Preservation Award for her unwavering support of New York State Parks and commitment to environmental stewardship.

“Andrea Stewart-Cousins has championed not only the Rockefeller State Park Preserve, but all parks in New York state since she was elected to the New York State Senate in 2007,” said George Gumina, founder and president of the Friends, a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting and maintaining the preserve’s land and historical features. “Her tenure as the longest-serving Democratic Majority Leader in New York state Senate history, and the first woman and African American woman in this role, make her an unstoppable force committed to addressing the needs of all New Yorkers.”

Resources raised by the gala will continue the next steps of a major project at the Preserve’s Rockwood Hall section. This unique 88-acre section of the park directly overlooking the Hudson River has become increasingly popular with visitors. The improvement project will provide a formal entrance with a courtyard, an informational kiosk, restroom facilities and much needed improved and expanded parking.

The Friends of Rockefeller State Park Preserve Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that works with the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation to protect and maintain the Rockefeller State Park Preserve. The Friends was established in 1996 to encourage public participation in protecting the preserve’s wildlife and habitat, sustaining its historical and archaeological features and most importantly, maintaining its unique system of carriage roads.