It was purchased by New York State from KeySpan Energy in 2002 for $16 million; the purchase also included an additional 300 acres (1.2 km2) adjacent to the future park land.[6][7] Although the park officially opened as Jamesport State Park in 2005,[2] legal access to the undeveloped park was restricted until official trails and a welcome center could be constructed.[5][7]
A master plan was adopted for the park in 2010, at which time the park's name was changed from Jamesport State Park to Hallock State Park Preserve.[3] The name change was intended to address the fact that the park was not located in nearby Jamesport; instead the park was named after a pond on the property.[8]
Impending development of the park's facilities was announced in 2014 after $3 million in funding was secured in the state's budget. The state funds joined an additional $3.9 million of development money that was received from selling the adjacent 300 acres (1.2 km2) parcel as protected farmland.[7]
Park description
The 225-acre (0.91 km2)[1] park contains woodlands, open areas and a rare coastal perched pond, in addition to a one-mile-long (1.6 km) beach along Long Island Sound.[7] It is intended to serve as a nature preserve in addition to allowing passive recreation such as hiking, fishing, non-motorized boating, and seasonal horse-riding and scuba diving. There is a park office and nature center, trails, and a road that passes farmland leading to an upper parking lot and trails to Hallock Pond and the Sound.[3] The park boasts commanding views of the Long Island Sound.
The bluffs and dunes of Hallock State Park Preserve boast commanding views of the Long Island Sound.
^ abc"Section O: Environmental Conservation and Recreation, Table O-9". 2014 New York State Statistical Yearbook(PDF). The Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government. 2014. pp. 671–674. Archived from the original(PDF) on September 16, 2015. Retrieved September 19, 2016.
