George Wright Society :: Parks, Protected Areas Cultural Sites

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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

University of Montana, Missoula • October 20–23, 2025

Plan to join us as we launch a new series of annual workshops exploring the latest in place-based conservation!

Still accepting proposals for Posters and 3MR presentations

GWS ParkForum 2025 1-min Intro

GWS ParkForum 2025 1-min Intro

Play Video

Check out the latest issue of our open-access journal, Parks Stewardship Forum

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INSPIRED BY GEORGE MELÉNDEZ WRIGHT

The 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

Watch our virtual chat
with author Jerry Emory!

Parkwire, GWS’s daily global digest

of park news • Follow on FB

Latest top headlines • 7 April 2025

Numerous USNPS history webpages are being rewritten to downplay conflict over slavery, the fight of African Americans to win freedom, and other controversial subjects. https://buff.ly/iDlZ3pz

GWS Executive Director Dave Harmon is the guest on the latest National Parks Traveler podcast, where he talks about our Stewardship Archive project, the upcoming GWS ParkForum workshop, and more. https://buff.ly/vI71Bs5

Burgum issued an order for all National Park System units to remain open during normal hours and that any closures be cleared with political appointees in the Interior Department. The order was denounced by park advocates. https://buff.ly/WH7ALbe

Trump abruptly canceled hundreds of National Endowment for the Humanities grants to cultural organizations, including historic sites, plunging them into crisis. https://buff.ly/7SvjLbF

The devastating bat disease, white nose syndrome, has been confirmed in populations at Rocky Mountain NP. https://buff.ly/2sxZ3nv

Brazil's highest court has withdrawn its own proposal to allow mining on Indigenous lands. https://buff.ly/NeuQSoK

Some 1900 top researchers issued an open letter that characterized Trump's moves as a "war on science." https://buff.ly/AQEwiIw

The "Resistance Rangers" group has created a website with pages of USNPS web material censored by Trump. https://buff.ly/dcxPFsD

Some 200 military personnel, with more to come, along with heavy equipment, are being deployed inside Big Bend NP to patrol the border with Mexico. https://buff.ly/T1LHq1t

In a move that could have widespread implications, Trump is ordering the Smithsonian Institution and the National Park Service to focus on "American greatness" in matters of history, and, with respect to the natural areas NPS administers, " the beauty, abundance, and grandeur of the American landscape.” https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/28/arts/design/trump-smithsonian-institution-eo.html

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