Joseph Davis State Park was originally known as Lower Niagara State Park when it first opened in 1964. The park was formed from a 220-acre (0.89 km2) parcel of land purchased by New York State in 1961. An additional 98 acres (0.40 km2) of land was added to the park in 1969, just before the decision to rename the park in honor of Joseph Davis in 1970. Davis was a former president of the Niagara Frontier State Parks Commission, serving from 1948 to 1969.[6]
Joseph Davis State Park includes trails for hiking, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and snowmobiling, in addition to facilitating access for anglers to fish the Niagara River or several ponds within the park. The park also includes a free 27-hole disc golf course.[9]
A bird conservation area has also been established within the park, including riverfront land, wetlands, and successional shrubland. The conservation area's primary purpose is to provide habitat and feeding areas for songbirds that utilize river corridors during their annual migrations.[10]
^ ab"Section O: Environmental Conservation and Recreation, Table O-9". 2014 New York State Statistical Yearbook(PDF). The Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government. 2014. p. 672. Archived from the original(PDF) on September 16, 2015. Retrieved February 24, 2016.