Suffolk County Health Officials Announce Rollout of Active Suffolk Nature Walk Program
Promoting Health Equity by Exploring Health & Conservation
Suffolk County Health Commissioner Dr. Gregson Pigott announced today the rollout of Part Two of Suffolk County Department of Health Services’ Active People, Healthy New York Action Plan.
Entitled “Exploring Health & Conservation,” the new pilot program presents a series of nature walks to encourage physical activity while introducing residents to some of the natural wonders of Suffolk County.
“There is no better way to get exercise than to walk on the many hiking trails in our beautiful Suffolk County parks. I encourage all to take advantage of this program,” said County Executive Ed Romaine.
“Obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases have significantly affected Suffolk County residents and contribute to premature death, especially for those in minority communities,” said Dr. Pigott. “We encourage all residents to get out, move more, and explore our myriad environmental resources in Suffolk County.
According to the recently released Long Island Sound Environmental Justice Needs Assessment Report, knowledge of the Long Island Sound is lower in minority groups when compared to the population as a whole. The report says that disadvantaged groups have used the Sound at much lower rates than those who are not disadvantaged.
“Our work with the Long Island Sound Study has revealed that minority community leaders feel their communities could benefit from more access to our environment and nature,” said Adesuwa Watson, Director of Suffolk County’s Office of Minority Health, “We’ve learned that people need more information about where and how to access waterways and other natural areas safely. Our Nature Walks program will address these concerns.”
The Nature Walks will include a chat with a local health provider, guided birdwatching, and discussions with experts about the natural habitat of the Long Island Sound.
“We’re excited to share our experiences with the Long Island Sound estuary with local communities and hope to learn from participants as we explore the environments of the Sound together”, said Katherine Bunting-Howarth, the Associate Director of New York Sea Grant and Assistant Director of Cornell Cooperative Extension, Coastal Programs.
“The Sound is an amazing place with a lot of beautiful coastal areas” said Jimena Perez-Viscasillas, New York Sea Grant’s Outreach Coordinator for the Long Island Sound Study. “We’re really looking forward to these nature walks so we can help more communities access it, connect with it, and enjoy it.”
There will be no cost for the walks, entrance fees, or parking fees.
The first walk is scheduled for October 12 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Inlet Pond County Park in Greenport, NY. A Health professional will speak about the connection between physical activity and good health, a specialist from North Fork Audubon will discuss bird watching, and environmental educators will discuss the Long Island Sound estuary. English and Spanish speaking educators will be available to interpret.
Additional walks will be added next year. The Nature Walks will take place rain or shine, unless notified otherwise.
The Suffolk County Office of Minority Health has worked with many community-based organizations in underserved and under resourced communities to provide education, resources, connection/community access to affordable medical providers through many community initiatives.
The Nature Walks program is the second part of Suffolk County’s Active People, Healthy New York Action Plan, a three-part project to promote physical activity, increase access to public green spaces, and induce residents to improve overall health. Part One, the Library-Parks free pass program, was announced in August this year.
The Nature Walks takes inspiration from “Walk with a Doc” an international movement that started with a physician inviting his patients to go walking with him on a Sunday morning.
The program is the collaborative effort of the Suffolk County Department of Health Services‘ Office of Minority Health, the New York Sea Grant, the Long Island Sound Study (LISS) Estuary Program, Audubon New York/Connecticut, North Fork Audubon Society, the Long Island Health Collaborative, and the Suffolk County Parks Department.
To register, residents may contact the Suffolk County Department of Health Services Office of Minority Health at 631-854-0378 or email OMH@suffolkcountyny.gov.
Nature Walk participants will be asked to take the following precautions: Dress appropriately for the weather; wear light-colored clothing, long pants and long sleeves; consider using bug repellents, walk along the center of trails, conduct frequent tick checks, and carefully inspect your body for ticks. Bring drinking water, wear sunscreen, and consider wearing a brimmed hat, and comfortable, supportive shoes. Do not wear flip-flops.
In accordance with Suffolk County Department of Health Services’ Active People, Healthy New York Action Plan, health officials will analyze data gleaned at each of the Nature Walk events and form recommendations for future events.
Suffolk County residents who are unable to attend this guided event but wish to increase their physical activity, are invited to visit one of many Suffolk County Parks. The following parks have hiking trails with easy-to-use trail maps:
Suffolk County Parks also have GPS enabled maps available in Avenza, a free hiking app: https://store.avenza.com/collections/suffolk-county-parks-department
For a complete list of Suffolk County Parks that is color coded by region, visit https://suffolkcountyny.gov/Departments/Parks/Visit#list-all
For more information on activities available at Suffolk County Parks, visit https://www.suffolkcountyny.gov/Departments/Parks
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