PTNY is a friend for friends!

Enlightened. Inspired. Energized. That’s what some of the 133 attendees of this year’s Statewide Friends Conference had to say about their experience.

The event brought 45 grassroots friends groups from across the state to Saratoga Springs on October 18th and 19th for two days of discussion, surrounding everything from improving accessibility and inclusion to best practices.

To kick off the weekend, Parks & Trails New York hosted a press conference in Saratoga Spa State Park to announce the release of our latest economic impact report for New York’s State Park System. This research solidified what we all know: parks aren’t just good for people, they're good for local economies.

Later that day, participants gathered at the Gideon Putnam Hotel–one of a handful of hotels located within the state park system–to hear from and speak directly with agency staff from multiple levels, partners, and peers from across New York.

In addition to Friends groups, we were joined by Regional Park Commissioners, Park & Historic Site Managers, featured presenters from both the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation and the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, along with other non-profit partners. Participants could ask questions, seek advice, and share information with their peers and agency partners across 9 sessions, concluding with an Interagency Panel Discussion with OPRHP and DEC.

Highlights from the two-day event include:

• Keynote speaker, Dr. Anjana (AJ) Poonthata, Medical Director of Women and Children's Services at Garnet Health and PTNY Board Member, who discussed the intersection of health and the outdoors.
• A Happy Hour hosted by the Friends Leadership Council
• A guided park tour of Saratoga Spa State Park hosted by Linda Harvey of the Friends of Saratoga Spa State Park
• A session on programming on our state public lands that advances diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility featuring partners such as Outdoor Promise, Outdoor Afro, and John Brown Lives!
• Remarks from key partners at OPRHP including Tom Alworth, Executive Deputy Commissioner, and Andy Fyfe, Assistant Deputy Commissioner
• A best-practices roundtable brainstorming session hosted by PTNY
• An introduction to NYSDEC’s first-ever Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Civil Rights and their new Chief Diversity Office, Tonia Wheeler.

Staff from Office of Parks Recreation and Historic Preservation and the Department of Environmental Conservation sit on a panel fielding questions from their Friends partners.

The Statewide Friends Conference is held every two years, though the last time we were able to host this event in person was in 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year marked the centennial year of the NY State Park System, giving us the opportunity to look back at the successes and challenges over the last century. Many speakers addressed the proposed shutdown of state parks in 2010, when 40% of parks were set to close due to budget cuts. A strong public reaction saved the system and became a stepping stone for the enthusiasm and support our public lands still see today. Again in 2020, the decision was made to keep our state parks open amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to a record-breaking 84 million visitors that our state parks and historic sites saw in 2023.

The Parks & Trails New York team looks forward to next fall when we’ll be hitting the road to bring smaller versions of this conference to regions across the state. Not only will these Friends Gatherings be more convenient, they’ll also provide a smaller setting for networking and opportunities to dive deeper into conversation.

Presentations and other resources from the conference are available the Statewide Conference Page of the Friends Gateway

Like photos? Check out Parks and Trails New York’s 2024 Statewide Conference gallery.