The George Wright Society champions stewardship of parks, protected & conserved areas, cultural sites, and other kinds of place-based conservation by connecting people, places, knowledge, and ideas. By uniting people from many different backgrounds around a common passion for protecting Earth’s natural and cultural heritage, we create the collaboration needed to meet today’s greatest conservation challenges.
INNOVATING ACROSS BOUNDARIES FOR
Parks • Cultural Sites
Protected / Conserved Areas
INSPIRED BY GEORGE MELÉNDEZ WRIGHT
Watch our virtual chat with author Jerry Emory!
The long-awaited, first-ever biography of our namesake — the visionary who revolutionized management of America‘s national parks
“Emory’s enumeration of Wright’s accomplishments—including a survey of wildlife in Western parks, the first of its kind—is nothing short of awe-inspiring. Highly recommended for nature lovers and park enthusiasts.” LIBRARY JOURNAL
30% discount for GWS members!
A Yosemite ranger's living history portrayal of George Meléndez Wright
Latest top headlines • 3 September 2024
The Miccosukee Tribe and USNPS have reached agreements on co-stewardship activities at Big Biscayne and Everglades NPs. https://buff.ly/3ZguDXr
The US National Park System created $55.6 billion in economic activity in 2023, supporting 415,000 jobs, according to the latest figures. https://buff.ly/3MqYuER
The National Park Foundation, a congressionally chartered philanthropic partner of USNPS, is getting the largest gift in its history: $100M. https://buff.ly/3ySmFZI
An arms manufacturer has withdrawn a proposal to test bombs at a Scottish WH Site. https://buff.ly/3Mi0Ky1
Houses keep collapsing into the ocean in one vulnerable village inside Cape Hatteras NS — and, with no inexpensive options to move structures, there is a perverse incentive to for owners to let them fall in. https://buff.ly/3WYFiTR
What sets us apart: Interdisciplinary conservation thinking
GWS’s unique role is to foster interdisciplinary place-based conservation. Specialist organizations and subject-matter professional societies create essential knowledge. GWS operates one level up from that endeavor: we provide opportunities for specialists to go beyond their usual mental boundaries and see how what they know connects with, and complements, what other specialists know. GWS nurtures the kind of context-aware thinking needed to tackle complex conservation problems.
What we create: Innovation
Innovation only comes from open minds. Open minds thrive in a collegial atmosphere that encourages people to think outside their silo, beyond their usual point of view. GWS is the only conservation organization that exists specifically to bring people together from a wide range of points of view in settings designed to allow open-mindedness to flourish. By doing this, GWS creates space for multidimensional learning and collaboration that leads to innovative conservation action.
How we work: Convening
The learning spaces we create are both physical and virtual. We convene opportunities for people to come together in person: face-to-face events that expand communication networks, support mentoring, and build the capacity of park and protected area stewards, cultural and natural resource managers, scientists and other scholars, and teachers and students. We also help create these goods by nurturing a virtual global community of stewardship through publications and online interactions.