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!

Registration now open — register early and save!

Program ready to view — still accepting proposals for Posters

GWS ParkForum 2025 1-min Intro

GWS ParkForum 2025 1-min Intro

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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 • 18 June 2025

The new Trump-ordered signs asking NP visitors to report any "negative" portrayals of American history have gone up at Manzanar NHS — a WWII Japanese-America internment site. https://buff.ly/0uDsL8c

An analysis by The Wilderness Society says that lots of public land near NPs — some of which is part of areas being studied for potential legal wilderness designation — could be sold under Republican budget plans. https://buff.ly/wTQyira

USFWS has proposed that pangolins — the world's most-trafficked mammal — get ESA protections. https://buff.ly/vuHW3mp

Two female grizzly bears were stuck by trains last month in Banff NP. Parks Canada called the deaths a significant blow to the population. https://buff.ly/dDsd5nE

USNPS sites are being told to erase or cover up any interpretive content deemed "negative" or "inappropriate" by Trump officials by September 17. The administration is asking visitors to identify such content so it can be censored. https://zpr.io/kN9EQwJJtwZc

Scientists are beginning to call for PAs to actively anticipate where species will be located down the road under various climate change scenarios. https://buff.ly/HozYIVZ

The World Oceans conference closed on Friday with MPA progress on the books and momentum toward a UN High Seas treaty, but also got criticism for shying away from any discussion of fossil fuels. https://buff.ly/9UJltm7

If Trump moves to reduce or rescind NMons based on a newly minted legal opinion from the Department of Justice, a major legal brawl will follow. https://buff.ly/1qAVmIv

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