State Park Friends - People with Passion for Parks
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riends groups are grassroots, non-profit organizations that champion our public lands and are essential to the stewardship and promotion of our state park system. These nonprofit organizations—oftentimes made up entirely of volunteers—clear trails, paint buildings, build kiosks, leading interpretive programs, and raise significant money for capital projects.
These volunteer groups have a large impact, accounting for more than $17 million in fundraising to benefit their respective parks in 2018, according to our Friends by the Numbers report. That impact was on top of nearly 132,000 hours of work by more than 5,100 volunteers that was valued at more than $3 million.
By cultivating dynamic park communities and enhancing a network of supporters, we can ensure that New York's parks and conservation legacy remains intact. One of the primary ways that PTNY achieves our mission is by supporting the network of 70+ Friends groups that help steward and increase access to our parks, sites, and public lands--helping groups continue to thrive in an ever changing landscape of environmental education and outdoor recreation.
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.