Joseph Davis State Park

Joseph Davis State Park is a 388-acre (1.57 km²) state park^[2] located along the banks of the lower Niagara River in the Town of Lewiston in Niagara County, New York.^[4][5]

Joseph Davis State Park
Joseph Davis State Park, September 2012
Location of Joseph Davis State Park within New York State
Type	State park
Location	4143 Lower River Road Lewiston, New York[1]
Nearest city	Lewiston, New York
Coordinates	43°12′47″N 79°02′31″W
Area	388 acres (1.57 km2)[2]
Created	1964; 60 years ago (1964)
Operated by	Town of Lewiston New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
Visitors	27,644 (in 2010)[3]
Open	All year
Website	Joseph Davis State Park

History

Joseph Davis State Park was originally known as Lower Niagara State Park when it first opened in 1964. The park was formed from a 220-acre (0.89 km²) parcel of land purchased by New York State in 1961. An additional 98 acres (0.40 km²) of land was added to the park in 1969, just before the decision to rename the park in honor of Joseph Davis in 1970. Davis was a former president of the Niagara Frontier State Parks Commission, serving from 1948 to 1969.^[6]

In 2005, the park was featured in the eighth installment of the reality competition series The Amazing Race as the Finish Line for the Race.^[7]

Since 2011, the park has been operated by the Town of Lewiston in partnership with the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.^[6][8]

Park description

Joseph Davis State Park includes trails for hiking, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and snowmobiling, in addition to facilitating access for anglers to fish the Niagara River or several ponds within the park. The park also includes a free 27-hole disc golf course.^[9]

A bird conservation area has also been established within the park, including riverfront land, wetlands, and successional shrubland. The conservation area's primary purpose is to provide habitat and feeding areas for songbirds that utilize river corridors during their annual migrations.^[10]

See also

• List of New York state parks

References

1. "Joseph Davis State Park - Getting There". NYS Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation. Retrieved October 22, 2015.
2. "Section O: Environmental Conservation and Recreation, Table O-9". 2014 New York State Statistical Yearbook (PDF). The Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government. 2014. p. 672. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 16, 2015. Retrieved February 24, 2016.
3. "State Park Annual Attendance Figures by Facility: Beginning 2003". Data.ny.gov. Retrieved October 22, 2015.
4. "Joseph Davis State Park". NYS Department of Environmental Conservation. Retrieved October 22, 2015.
5. "Joseph Davis State Park". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
6. "Joseph Davis State Park". GrowWNY. The WNY Environmental Alliance. Retrieved October 22, 2015.
7. Purdy, Kevin (December 13, 2005). "Lewiston is an 'Amazing' finish line". Niagara Gazette. Retrieved October 22, 2015.
8. Fischer, Nancy (October 15, 2013). "Joseph Davis State Park development agency is being dissolved". The Buffalo News. Retrieved October 22, 2015.
9. "Joseph Davis State Park". NYS Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation. Retrieved October 22, 2015.
10. "Joseph Davis State Park Bird Conservation Areas". NYS Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation. Retrieved October 22, 2015.

External links

• New York State Parks: Joseph Davis State Park