Harriet Hollister Spencer State Recreation Area, also known as the Harriet Hollister Spencer Memorial Recreation Area, is a recreation area and part of the
New York state park system. It is located south of
Honeoye, off Canadice Hill Road in the south part of the
Town of Canadice in
Ontario County, New York
Ontario County is a county in the U.S. State of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 112,458. The county seat is Canandaigua.
Ontario County is part of the Rochester, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area.
In 2006, ''Progressive ...
.
History
Harriet Hollister Spencer State Recreation Area was created after of land was given to the state from the estate of Harriet Hollister Spencer, a
Rochester
Rochester may refer to:
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Canada
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United Kingdom
*Rochester, Kent
** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area
** History of Rochester, Kent
** HM Prison ...
horticulturalist, rose expert and civic leader, after her death in 1962.
The recreation area nearly doubled in size after several adjacent parcels were purchased by New York State from
The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a global environmental organization headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. it works via affiliates or branches in 79 countries and territories, as well as across every state in the US.
Founded in 1951, The Nat ...
starting in the late 2000s. An acquisition of increased the recreation area's total size to in 2014.
Park description
Open year-round, the recreation area offers panoramic views of the countryside, including
Honeoye Lake
Honeoye Lake ( ) is one of the Finger Lakes located in Ontario County, New York. Most of the lake is within the town of Richmond but a smaller southwestern part is in the town of Canadice. The hamlet of Honeoye is just north of the lake.
The ...
. The park has one picnic pavilion, and offers hiking, cross-country skiing, and biking trails, and hunting.
Organizational use
Because of its elevation, this recreation area gets more snow than many parks in the area, making it a regional winter sports destination. of trails, ranging in difficulty from novice to expert, are constructed, maintained, and groomed by the Rochester Cross Country Ski Foundation. Cross-country skiing teams often use the park for practice.
The Muller Field Station near this park is utilized often by
Finger Lakes Community College
Finger Lakes Community College (FLCC) is a public community college in Canandaigua, New York. It is affiliated with the State University of New York and sponsored by Ontario County. The main campus is just east of the City of Canandaigua, with ...
's conservation department in monitoring local wildlife populations and training students in valuable methods and techniques, such as imitating
scent rubbing.
See also
*
List of New York state parks
References
External links
New York State Parks: Harriet Hollister Spencer State Recreation AreaUniversity of Rochester's collection of Harriet Hollister Spencer's papersRochester Museum and Science Center's collection of Harriet Hollister Spencer's papers
State parks of New York (state)
Parks in Ontario County, New York
Protected areas established in 1962
1962 establishments in New York (state)
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