Regional Conferences for Friends Groups 2022

Parks & Trails New York and the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation will be hosting five in-person regional conferences for Friends groups this Fall.
Friends groups are grassroots, non-profit organizations that champion our state public lands and are essential to the stewardship and promotion of our state park system. These nonprofit organizations—oftentimes made up entirely of volunteers—clear trails, paint buildings, build kiosks, lead interpretive programs, and raise significant money for capital projects.

One of the primary ways that PTNY achieves its mission is by supporting the network of 70+ Friends groups that help steward and increase access to our parks, sites, and public lands--helping groups continue to thrive in an ever changing landscape of environmental education and outdoor recreation.

These conferences will provide opportunities for learning, networking and information-sharing among Friends groups and agency leadership. The last regional meetings were held in 2016 and more than 200 Friends and staff of New York State Parks and Historic Sites were in attendance. This included representatives from approximately 60 Friends groups, covering every region in the state.

The Parks Team at PTNY is excited to be hitting the road this Fall to meet Friends from all corners of the state and to discuss exciting opportunities such as the Park and Trail Partnership Grant expansion, the upcoming release of the Open Spaces for All report, and the NY State Park Centennial Celebration. We look forward to hearing from agency leadership and getting to better know our beautiful state parks and historic sites.

Conference Dates/Locations:

• September 15: Central, Finger Lakes, and Thousand Islands @ Ganondagan State Historic Site, Victor, NY (outside Rochester)
• September 22: Allegany, Genesee, and Niagara @ Knox Farm State Historic Site, East Aurora, NY (outside Buffalo)
• September 29: Capital Region @ Thacher State Park, Voorheesville, NY (outside Albany)
• November 3: Long Island & NYC @ Planting Fields Arboretum, Oyster Bay, NY
• November 10: Taconic & Palisades @ Taconic Regional HQ, Staatsburg, NY