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Park Advocacy Day

 

 

Join us for Park Advocacy Day 2025!

When: Tuesday, February 25, 2025, 9:00AM- 4:00PM (with optional post-event Happy Hour)

Where: The Egg Performing Arts Center, Empire State Plaza, Albany New York

 

Calling all champions of NY public lands and the communities who benefit from them!

Join "the green scarf brigade" led by Parks & Trails New York and the Open Space Institute on Tuesday, February 25, 2025 in Albany for the 19th annual Park Advocacy Day. 

 

Park Advocacy Day is an opportunity to meet with state legislators to connect on the value our public lands bring to their constituencies, economy and community. Join us in February to give our public lands a voice and to connect with other advocates, partners, and public lands champions from across the state.

 

Tentative Agenda 

  • 9-9:30 Registration
  • 9:30-11 Morning Program and Networking
    • Welcome –
      • Paul Steely White, Executive Director, Parks & Trails New York
      • Erik Kulleseid, President & CEO, Open Space Institute
    • Advocating for Parks, Talking Points and Lobbying Tips –
      • Will Coté, Senior Director for Public Lands, Parks & Trails New York
      • Kathy Moser, Chief Conservation Officer, Open Space Institute
    • Featured Speakers –
      • Randy Simons, Commissioner Pro Tem, NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
      • Sean Mahar, Interim Commissioner, Department of Environmental Conservation
      • Assemblymember Ron Kim, Chair, Committee on Tourism, Parks, Arts and Sports Development
      • Bryan Erwin, Chair, State Council of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
  • 11-12 Lunch and Meet Your Team
  • 12:30-4:00 Legislative Meetings
  • 4:30 Happy Hour 

 

 

Registration for Park Advocacy Day 2025 is now closed

 

Need lodging?

 

If you're looking to stay the night in Albany for Park Advocacy Day, we encourage you to book a room ASAP as many hotels are filling up. We created a list of options for lodging here.

 

Questions?

[email protected]

Park Advocacy Day 2024

 

In 2024, we set out with a goal to gather 100 advocates at the state capitol to celebrate the 100th birthday of New York State Parks & Historic Sites and we were blown away by how many of people traveled across the state to speak on the value of our public lands to our state’s decision makers.

With more than 130 advocates representing nearly 50 Friends groups and a dozen partner organizations, we were able to meet with over 80 legislative offices throughout the day - more than double our impact from 2023!