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22-596: The Muogamarra Nature Reserve ( / m u ˌ oʊ ɡ ə ˈ m ɑːr ə / ) is a protected nature reserve that is located in the Sydney region of New South Wales , in eastern Australia . The 2,274-hectare (5,620-acre) reserve is situated in the northern edge of Sydney and lies between the suburb of Cowan to the south, and the Hawkesbury River to the north. The vegetation is mainly dry sclerophyll forest and shrubs on rocky areas, as well as mangroves along

44-526: A land lease from the U.S. government , while Mackinac National Park was handed down to become the first of the Michigan state parks . As with national parks, facilities at state parks are often leased to concessionaires to operate. Breaks Interstate Park is operated under an interstate compact by Virginia state parks , although it is also one of the Kentucky state parks , straddling both sides of

66-589: A few exceptions such as Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in California, and Wood-Tikchik State Park in Alaska, the largest state park in the United States . In addition to preserving natural landscapes and providing recreational opportunities, many state parks also serve as important educational resources . They often offer guided tours, interpretive programs, and exhibits that help visitors learn about

88-883: A government unit like a U.S. state. Distinguished from National Parks in the Republic of Ireland , which are owned and run centrally by the state's National Parks and Wildlife Service , Ireland's regional parks are managed and operated by individual local authorities in Ireland . Examples include Ballincollig Regional Park (managed by Cork City Council ), Millennium Regional Park ( Fingal County Council ), and Malahide Demesne Regional Park (also Fingal County Council). A law to establish regional parks in Lithuania took effect in 1992. As of 2022, there were 30 such regional parks ( regioniniai parkai ). In New Zealand , regional parks are administered by regional councils rather than

110-699: A restaurant) for lodging at some parks. These typically use "Resort" in the name, such as "_____ Resort State Park" in West Virginia state parks and "_____ State Resort Park" in neighboring Kentucky state parks , which has 17 such resort parks, the most of any state. Other states use the Resort name inconsistently (like DeGray Lake Resort State Park , the only one out of three resorts in Arkansas state parks ), or have only one such park ( South Carolina state parks ' Hickory Knob State Resort Park ), or do not use

132-648: A small open grassy area and the main information centre. An entry fee applies. There are many Aboriginal sites in the Muogamarra Nature Reserve, especially rock art engravings and grinding grooves. In 1836 George Peat was granted 50 acres (20 ha) on the Hawkesbury River at what is now Peats Bight. He built huts and a wharf there, and farmed his land. A dairy farm was then built nearby at Peats Crater. Founded by John Duncan Tipper in 1934 when he leased 600 acres (240 ha) to protect

154-660: The Australian states of Victoria and New South Wales . The equivalent term used in Canada, Argentina, South Africa, and Belgium, is provincial park . Similar systems of local government maintained parks exist in other countries, but the terminology varies. State parks are thus similar to national parks , but under state rather than federal administration. Similarly, local government entities below state level may maintain parks, e.g., regional parks or county parks . In general, state parks are smaller than national parks, with

176-638: The Civilian Conservation Corps and Works Progress Administration . Regional park A regional park can be a special park district covering a region crossing several jurisdiction boundaries, or a park system of a single jurisdiction, such as a province, county, or city. There are 101 regional parks in Saskatchewan. All parks are operated by volunteer boards. Regional parks in Italy are administered by each region in Italy ,

198-577: The Department of Conservation or territorial authorities . In the United States, a regional park is sometimes referred to as a 'Metropolitan Park (Metropark)' or as an open space reserve . The terms region and metropolitan can have different meanings in U.S. local government agencies. Regional parks can be administered by a regional park board, a state , county or other units of local government . A special authority can be set up, under

220-760: The Three Rivers Park District in Minnesota . In Ohio, under Ohio Revised Code Chapter 1545, metroparks such as the Cleveland Metroparks Park District, Columbus and Franklin County Metro Parks have their own Police Departments with sworn police officers . The Toledo Metroparks , and Dayton Five Rivers Metroparks are also in the state. The East Bay Regional Park District and Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District have extensive parklands in

242-703: The Muogamarra Nature Reserve is via the Pacific Highway (not the M1 Pacific Motorway ), approximately 3 to 3.5 kilometres (1.9 to 2.2 mi) north of Cowan, near the Pie in the Sky cafe. A small gravel road with a gate is located on the left of the northbound dual carriageway with a 3-kilometre (1.9 mi) long narrow gravel road that is accessible to most motor vehicles that leads into the reserve. The reserve facilities include an unsealed carpark, toilets,

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264-675: The country's state parks. The NASPD further counts over 43,000 miles (69,000 km) of trail, 217,367 campsites, and 8,277 cabins and lodges across U.S. state parks. The largest state park system in the United States is Alaska State Parks , with over 100 sites encompassing 3.3 million acres. Many states include designations beyond "state park" in their state parks systems. Other designations might be state recreation areas , state beaches, and state nature reserves . Some state park systems include long-distance trails and historic sites . To encourage tourism in rural areas, several states have simple lodges, inns, hotels, or motels (usually with

286-478: The designation at all (such as the lodges of Georgia state parks ). The term "lodge" may also refer to a hiking lodge , essentially a large cabin for hikers rather than a large facility with private rooms and a restaurant. Other lodging may include yurts and tipis . Not all parks owned by a state are necessarily part of its state-park system, such as Stone Mountain Park near Atlanta. Some Texas state parks are

308-504: The flora, fauna and aboriginal sites, due to his concern at the loss of Hawkesbury sandstone forest. He named the site 'Muogamarra', which he believed was an aboriginal Awabakal word meaning "preserve for the future." This area was at the northern end of what is now the nature reserve. Over time Tipper expanded his lease to 2,050 acres (830 ha). In 1954 the land was given up by Tipper and gazetted as Muogamarra Sanctuary. The 750-acre (300 ha) Sir Edward Hallstrom Faunal Reserve

330-677: The joint jurisdiction of two or more government bodies or as an independent park district to administer parks. Individual parks may or may not cross governmental boundaries. The park district holds the authority, similar to fire protection districts, to manage and raise taxes to cover park acquisition and management costs. Examples of large regional park systems are the Cleveland Metroparks in Northeast Ohio, Huron-Clinton Metroparks in Southeast Michigan ; and

352-493: The local flora , fauna , geology , and cultural history of the area. These programs are designed not only to enhance the visitor experience but also to promote conservation awareness and encourage responsible enjoyment of natural resources. There are 6,792 state park units in the United States, according to the National Association of State Park Directors (NASPD). There are some 813 million annual visits to

374-417: The river. The reserve is closed to the public for most of the year, and opens for six weekends each year in spring, when there are prolific displays of wildflowers. At other times of the year it is available to groups such as the scouts or to schools for education or special events. During the weekends that the reserve is open to the public, volunteers provide guided walks around some of the trails. Access to

396-474: The state line. Other multi-state parks are legally two separate parks with the same name and more informal cooperation between them. The title of oldest state park in the United States is claimed by Niagara Falls State Park in New York , established in 1885. Several public parks previously or currently maintained at the state level pre-date it. Indian Springs State Park has been operated continuously by

418-454: The state of Georgia as a public park since 1825, although it did not gain the title "State Park" until 1931. In 1864 Yosemite Valley and Mariposa Grove were ceded by the federal government to California until Yosemite National Park was proclaimed in 1890. In 1878 Wisconsin set aside a vast swath of its northern forests as "The State Park" but, needing money, sold most of it to lumber companies within 20 years. Mackinac National Park

440-506: The sub-national level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, or recreational potential. There are state parks under the administration of the government of each U.S. state , some of the Mexican states , and in Brazil . The term is also used in

462-554: Was dedicated in 1961 in what is now the southern part of the nature reserve. This was the work of Allen Strom and Sir Edward Hallstrom. In March 1969 the two areas were amalgamated into what is now Muogamarra Nature Reserve, under the control of the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service . The Muogamarra Nature Reserve has several short day walks, beginning at the main information centre: State park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at

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484-417: Was established in 1875 as the second U.S. national park before being converted to a state park in 1895. The first state park with the designation of "state park" was Itasca State Park in Minnesota , established in 1891. Many state park systems date to the 1930s, when around 800 state parks (and several national ones) across the country were developed with assistance from federal job-creation programs like

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