Friends, Friends, Friends
From the end of September through the beginning of November, Parks & Trails New York (PTNY), in partnership with the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation (OPRHP), hosted five regional Friends gatherings across New York State.
Overall, nearly 200 Friends and staff of New York State Parks and Historic Sites attended the gatherings. This included representatives from approximately 60 Friends groups, covering every region in the state.
The main goal of the Friends gatherings is to provide an opportunity for learning, and networking and information-sharing among Friends groups and park staff. The gatherings also served as a platform to provide information on the second round of capacity-building grants program administered by PTNY in collaboration with OPRHP. At each gathering, Regional Directors and other park staff gave presentations thanking Friends groups for all they do and updating Friends on the status of the park system and the Parks 2020 initiative.
The gatherings were a tremendous success and PTNY looks forward to the continued enthusiasm of our growing network of Friends groups.