Dedicated to the preservation and management of parks, protected areas and cultural sites.
By connecting knowledge and management, we support leaders on the frontlines of conservation.
COMMUNITY
CONNECTION
CONSERVATION
The George Wright Society (GWS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1980 to promote professional research and resource stewardship. As a bridge between scholarly knowledge and management, the GWS brings together hundreds of leaders across disciplines in natural and cultural resource management. With members in all 50 U.S. states and numerous countries around the world, the GWS unites a community of resource managers and park staff, researchers, professors, emerging leaders, educators, government agencies, Indigenous peoples, nonprofits, and park enthusiasts.
Through impactful events and trainings, publications, communication platforms and student summits, the George Wright Society connects community with conservation.
The George Wright Society is dedicated to building the knowledge needed to protect, manage, and understand
parks, protected areas and cultural sites around the globe.
Announcing
Parks Stewardship Forum
The Interdisciplinary Journal of Place-Based Conservation
The UC Berkeley Institute for Parks, People, and Biodiversity and the George Wright Society are excited to announce that they have joined forces to create a new interdisciplinary journal to serve the global stewards of parks, protected areas, and cultural sites—the people at the forefront of conserving the special places most crucial to safeguarding the world’s cultural and natural heritage.
GWS News
Harris, Thomas win sets on GWS Board
October 24, 2019 -- Two retired USNPS veterans have been voted onto the Society’s Board in the 2019 annual election.
Richard “Rick” Harris retired from the US National Park Service after a long career that included serving as an Associate Regional Director where he led one of the Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance and partnership Wild and Scenic Rivers programs. Terri Thomas served as an ecologist at several national parks before becoming Chief of Natural Resources Management and Science at Golden Gate National Recreation Area and lastly as the Director of Conservation, Stewardship and Research at the Presidio of San Francisco.
Harris and Thomas will serve three-year terms beginning on January 1, 2020.
Today’s Top Parkwire Story
19 November 2019
Important Senate subcommittee votes to permanently authorize, fully fund LWCF
A key Senate panel has voted to fully and permanently fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), a move that conservation groups see as a significant victory.
The Senate Energy and Natural Resources committee voted Tuesday morning to permanently authorize and completely fund the program, which was established in 1964 to help with outdoor projects on public lands. The bill passed with bipartisan support out of the committee and now faces a full floor vote.
George Melendez Wright was born in San Francisco, CA and in 1930 became the first chief of the wildlife division of the U.S. National Park Service. Under his vision and leadership, each park started to survey and evaluate the status of wildlife and to identify urgent problems. As one of the first and only latino staff for the Park Service, he was a true pioneer in celebrating diversity and working together across disciplines for our wildlife and wild places.
The George Wright Society was founded in 1980 in his honor, to continue the legacy of forward thinking and applied solutions in an ever changing environment.