arks & Trails New York regularly hosts workshops designed to support grassroots Friends groups through the sharing of best-practices, innovative programming and collaboration. Our workshops feature expert panelists ranging from professional consultants to other Friends group leaders, who share their insights on a variety of topics designed to increase the capacity and impact of grassroots organizations. Our workshops also provide opportunities for Friends to network and share resources.

Upcoming Workshop

New York State Parks Centennial
and Friends groups

In 2024 NY State Parks and Historic Sites will celebrate 100 years of outdoor recreation, environmental stewardship, and historic preservation, but the festivities won’t be complete without Friends groups!

During this webinar with leadership from the agency’s Centennial team, you’ll learn how your organization can join in on the fun. We’ll review the goals of the campaign, highlight the work done so far, and identify tools and opportunities you can leverage to engage new patrons, raise your group’s profile, and build on the campaign’s momentum.

The Centennial is a hundred years in the making,
and you won’t want to miss this informative session.

This session will include a formal presentation, curated Q&A session, plus a wealth of resources for attendees!

Featured Presenters

This workshop will feature professional insights from leadership from the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) Centennial team:

Lacey Seidman, Deputy Public Information Officer
Madeleine Gionet, Director of Marketing
Patrick Yacco, Empire State Fellow and Centennial Coordinator for Friends groups

PTNY has many resources available for Friends groups on a variety of topics include those discussed during our workshops. These resources have migrated to the Friends Group Gateway, powered by Parks & Trails New York in January 2022.

For up-to-date resources and information for Friends Groups, visit the new Friends Group Gateway, Powered by Parks & Trails New York! Launched in January 2022, the Gateway is a comprehensive online community designed to support Friends Groups. The Gateway includes an array of integrated tools, including a member database and directory, event management, and e-communication tools, a resource library (reports, recordings, templates, etc.), discussion forums for you to collaborate with other groups on specific topics, plus a number of other services. You can access the Gateway here.

Previous Workshops

Programming Through the Lens of Contemporary Indigenous Knowledge and Culture

In this Friends-to-Friends workshop, the Friends of Ganondagan's Program Director, Jeanette Jemison (Mohawk, Snipe Clan), shares the history of the Friends of Ganondagan including her time as the founding Executive Director, the transformational programming and events she creates, and collaborating with a purpose, focusing on building relationships through reciprocity. This session also features a curated Q&A session, plus a wealth of resources for attendees!

Connect Kids and Ladders to the Outdoors

Featured presenters Kejuan Harmon, Statewide Ladders to Outdoors Coordinator at National Heritage Trust, and Greta Alvarado, Connect Kids to Parks Coordinator

Tuesday, September 26

In this third workshop in our 2023 Friends-to-Friends Series, we will learn more about two amazing programs offered through the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation that are actively working to connect school-aged children to our state public lands--Connect Kids to Parks and Ladders to the Outdoors. We will explore the history of these programs, how they have evolved, and how Friends groups can get involved.

This workshop will feature professional insights from Kejuan Harmon, Statewide Coordinator for the Ladders to the Outdoors Program, and Greta Alvarado, Coordinator for Connect Kids to Parks Grant Program.

This session will include a formal presentation, curated Q&A session, plus a wealth of resources for attendees!

Updating & Maximizing Your MOA with State Parks: June 24th, 2021

Updating & Maximizing your MOA with State Parks- Thursday, June 24th @ 4PM

Every 5 years, Friends groups affiliated with New York State Parks are required to update their MOA (Memorandum of Agreement) with OPRHP. Whether your organization is due for a renewal this year, or in the near future, there are new requirements for your next application.

This first workshop in our 2021 series will dive into best-practices and tips for updating and maximizing your MOA with State Parks. Specifically, we will look at the requirement that groups submit a 5-year plan including tips, templates and valuable strategies for communicating your vision with the park or site manager, and the broader community.

This workshop will feature insights from Shari Calnero, Associate Counsel at the New York Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation as well as Andy Fyfe, Assistant Deputy Commissioner at State Parks plus a wealth of resources, and a peer Q&A session!

Engaging, Recruiting & Retaining Volunteers: Best Practices, July 22nd, 2021

Engaging, Recruiting & Retaining Volunteers: Best-Practices-Thursday, July 22nd @ 4PM

With warmer weather and longer days upon us, it is likely that your Park or Site is welcoming more visitors. Year after year, more people are exploring New York’s iconic park system and realizing, perhaps for the first time, the importance of these resources. For Friends—Summer presents the perfect opportunity to capitalize on this interest and turn visitors into volunteers.

This second workshop in our 2021 Friends-to-Friends Series will dive into best-practices for engaging, recruiting, and retaining volunteers. We will explore tips and peer-approved examples for capturing visitors’ interest in your site and programming—igniting their desire to get involved, creating successful and worthwhile volunteer opportunities, and maintaining those volunteers over time.

This workshop will feature insights from Adam Bartoszek. Adam is the Director of VolunteerWNY at The Service Collaborative. He has spent over 10 years working in the volunteer management & development realm. He is a co-founder of YNPN Greater Buffalo and serves on the WNYHOA (Western New York Hockey Officials Association) Board of Directors. He completed his Masters in Public Administration at SUNY State University of New York College at Buffalo and is a proud AmeriCorps Alum.

We will also be sharing a wealth of resources and hosting a curated discussion and peer Q&A session!

Natural Heritage Trust: September 23rd, 2021

The Natural Heritage Trust: What Is It and What Does it Mean for Friends? Thursday, September 23 @ 4PM

This third workshop in our 2021 Friends-to-Friends Series will explore the Natural Heritage Trust, whose mission is to receive and administer gifts, grants and contributions to further public programs for parks, recreation, cultural, land and water conservation and historic preservation purposes of the State of New York.

The NHT is dedicated to building and sustaining relationships with organizations that share mission compatible goals and purposes--including Friends Groups--and during this workshop, we will explore this relationship further and find out what possibilities are available to Friends through this partnership, including examples of part partnerships and outline opportunities that may lie ahead.

This workshop will feature insights from Sally Drake, Executive Director of the Natural Heritage Trust, who has over two decades of public sector experience, with the last thirteen years at the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation where she served as Director of Community Relations. This session will include a formal presentation, curated Q&A session, plus a wealth of resources for attendees!

Cultivating & Strengthening Your Board: October, 21st 2021

Cultivating and Strengthening Your Board: Best Practices in Board Development: October 21st @ 12PM*

Developing an active and effective board is more of a process than a single event. It takes time, dedication and sustained attention to have a productive board that is in good communication with and works hand-in-hand with state park management to achieve agency priorities and establish common goals.

The health and effectiveness of your board is vital to the success of your Friends group--which is why this workshop in our 2021 series will dive into best-practices and tips for maintaining and improving the functioning and effectiveness of board leadership. We will examine methods for assessing the functionality of your current board and share strategies to help you strengthen your board to meet your organizational needs over time.

This workshop will feature insight from Susan Weinrich, Sr. VP, Organizational & Community Development with NYCON (NY Council of Nonprofits, Inc.), as well as a wealth of resources, and a peer Q&A session!

The Power of Instagram: November 18, 2021

Workshop #5: The Power of Instagram: Using Instagram to Support Your Organization: November 18th, @ 4PM

In recent years, many nonprofits are learning the advantages of using social media to support their organizational goals. Today, many Friends groups are familiar with Facebook and its benefits but only a handful of groups are using Instagram regularly, despite the platform’s usefulness and potential to Friends.

This fifth workshop in our Friends-to-Friends series will focus on the value of Instagram as a tool to promote, market and ultimately support the work Friends do in our state parks and historic sites. We will do a deep-dive into best practices for using Instagram and we will explore the benefits of investing time into using this platform to support your organization. We will spend some time comparing Instagram, Facebook and other platforms that folks might use, examine strategies for using Instagram to support your organizational needs, and examine tips for creating a good post.

This workshop will feature insight from Maria DiSalvo, Marketing and Communications Manager at Walkway Over the Hudson, as well as a wealth of resources, and a peer Q&A session!

Friends are the Future!: What PTNY Can Offer Friends in 2022

Workshop #6: Friends are the Future! What PTNY Can Offer Friends in 2022, December 16th @ 4PM

The last Friends-to-Friends workshop of 2021 will explore PTNY’s upcoming events, plans and initiatives that aim to support and benefit Friends groups in 2022. From our annual Park Advocacy Day and I Love My Park Day events to another series of workshops and the launch of a new online community, The Friends Group Gateway, 2022 is on track to be a friends-focused and exciting year!

Join us—by marking your calendars!--as we dive into these initiatives, explore resources that are available to Friends from previous workshops, and share important dates/ information for you as you start planning for the new year.

Friends-to-Friends Workshop Series