2022 Regional Conferences for Friends of NYS Parks & Historic Sites

Group Photo of Taconic Friends Conference Attendees

Parks & Trails New York and the New York Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation hosted five in-person regional conferences for Friends groups September-November. The Parks Team at PTNY is incredibly appreciative of everyone who took the time to attend, engaged in the conversations, and made each event a unique success!

In total we welcomed folks from over 50 Friends groups at our five conferences, representing grassroots groups from every corner of the state. After two years of restrictions, it was wonderful to connect with everyone in person and we hope you found as much value in getting together and sharing knowledge and insight that we did and we hope to see everyone again soon!

Presentations and Resources

Throughout the conferences, we discussed important topics including the NYS Parks Centennial Celebration and coinciding funding opportunities, current initiatives that PTNY is offering to support Friends, and the importance and how-to's of incorporating diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility best-practices into your work for our public lands.  Through our panel discussions with regional leaders that concluded each session, we were able to dive into broader issues and resources like the role of the regional park commissions and the importance of positive communication between Friends and State Parks staff. 

We have provided the slides or recorded videos from all our presenters below:

Presentation Recordings:

Feedback

If you attended one of our conferences, we would love to hear from you!
  • Share your feedback about the ConferenceHelp us make our next Friends conferences more impactful and enjoyable for your group by sharing your feedback about your experience with us at Planting Fields Arboretum.

We also wanted to thank our incredible hosts who played a key role in our success and truly rolled out the red carpet for us: Friends of Ganondagan, Friends of Knox Farm and Planting Fields Arboretum.  Thank you for the hospitality and engaging tours!  It was so fun to learn more about each of these amazing places. 

Panel Discussion at Thacher State Park