Why Come Out for I Love My Park Day on the Old Croton Aqueduct?
Interviews of I Love My Park Day Enthusiasts by Jean Zimmerman
Saturday, May 3, 2025, was all about the people! We wanted to know what brought around 100 volunteers out to the trail in Croton. Some of them shared their thoughts.
Robert Lee/North Salem
“Community involvement & partner support.”
Francesca & John/Ossining & Valhalla
“This is our fourth year volunteering as father and daughter. We garden and love working with plants.”
Satchel/Chappaqua
“This is awesome!”
Karen & Ali/Bergen/Rockland City
“We want to help keep our parks clean because we love walking in them.”
Andrew Tomasulo/Peekskill
“I fish the Croton River often so it’s amazing to be able to maintain it.”
Dana Levenberg/Ossining—NYS Assembly District 95
“Diane Alden brings me out every year to protect our amazing state park, the Old Croton Aqueduct!! She is an amazing leader who puts her positivity into action to protect our precious earth!! Many hands, light work!!”
John Picarelli/Paramus, NJ
“Seeing the impact that we have season after season for the better.”
Ryan L McClean/Mahwah, NJ
“To show my love and care for the natural areas that sustain our existence and enrich our lives!”
Yadnesh Borse/Yorktown Heights
“To not just help the ecosystem, but also the community. I have been going for a very long time, and every year, it’s been getting better and better. Diane is superhuman. She is able to coordinate this so well! Thank you Diane and all the other volunteers.”
David Powers and David Powers Junior/Croton
“We are here to spend time outdoors with our friends and help the community!”
Sienna Cirino/New York
“It is rely fun to look for the plants.”
Diane Alden – Organizer of I Love My Park Day events every year since 2012 and Board Member of the Friends of the Old Croton Aqueduct.
“I live along the trail. This trail sustains me — I walk on it every day!”
Joanna Riesman/Hastings-on-Hudson
“Diane Alden is a force of nature!”
Keshar/Ossining, Yorktown, India
“I have been coming to the I Love My Park since I was born and I think that it is very nice that Diane does this to help the trail by picking the garlic mustard.”
Paxton Lin/Irvington
“To clean up my local trail and eat Baked by Susan!”
Asher/Earth
“I am hear because my mom is a crew leader and I want to help the planit.”
James Creighton/Cortlandt
“As a Councilman and Deputy Supervisor in the Town of Cortlandt, I could not be more thankful for all the volunteers who come out every year to help show their love for our parks. All of us join together with our wonderful leader Diane Alden to make small changes that add up to huge impacts. Thank you all!”
Andrew/New York
“So I can help nachir.”
Nina Levine
“A beautiful day found us out on the trail cleaning up and doing our best to preserve this terrific park for the future.”
Chris Schmitthenner/Rockland County
“To be outdoors. To appreciate the trail. To see a new section of the trail.”
Alice Lee/Croton
“Diane Alden.”
