UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA, MISSOULA
October 20–23, 2025
Deadline for submissions: April 1, 2025 • Decisions on proposals: by May 15
Would you like to share your insights, successes, problems, and experiences with the wider parks and protected areas community? Are you focused on finding and delivering solutions to the challenges facing place-based conservation? Do you want to add your voice to a unique interdisciplinary gathering of people who share your passion for stewardship? If the answer is “Yes!” then we’d welcome your proposal for GWS ParkForum 2025.
We are accepting proposals for Core Workshop Sessions, Information Sharing Sessions, Paper presentations, and Posters. In addition, we invite students and recent graduates to take part in a Three-Minute Research (3MR) Competition for Emerging Researchers. For answers to frequently asked questions, look here. IMPORTANT: Please read this Call for Proposals before submitting the webform linked below.
Proposal Category Descriptions
Organize a Core Workshop Session, which is an interactive training session that shares or points towards one or more conservation solutions for the topic at hand. Core Workshop Sessions are 1.5 hours long. The format can be either a Hands-On Activity or a Presentation with Audience Interaction. Preference will be given to sessions that fit one or more of the four ParkForum Core Workshop Themes, but other topics will be considered. The Core Workshop Themes are:
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Responding to Climate Change threats and impacts on parks, protected/conserved areas, cultural sites, and other forms of place-based conservation. Climate change — and the disastrous loss of biodiversity, which go hand in hand — are global emergencies. Climate change is the defining challenge of our time, reshaping not only the planet’s biological diversity but also a wide array of cultural practices that depend upon a stable natural world. Most protected areas have both cultural and natural heritage values. Making these areas more adaptive and resilient to climate change is an essential part of humanity’s overall response. Parks, protected/conserved areas, and cultural sites must also be in the forefront of demonstrating effective and practical climate mitigation measures.
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Integrating Natural and Cultural Heritage Conservation wherever possible. The GWS’s hallmark is bringing people from diverse backgrounds and skill sets together. In our experience, conservation outcomes — including landscape-scale conservation—are more effective and long-lasting if “nature” and “culture” are not in separate silos. While not every aspect of place-based conservation can be treated this way, there is much more scope to do so than commonly realized.
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Ensuring that Social and Environmental Justice (more broadly, JEDI: justice, equity, diversity, inclusion) is part and parcel of place-based conservation. This is first and foremost a moral imperative to address past and continuing wrongs related to conservation activities. Beyond that, today Social and Environmental Justice is a prerequisite for conservation success because of larger societal demands for such redress. Upholding Social and Environmental Justice will gain the support of a much broader and more representative portion of the public.
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Exploring the broad and significant concept of the Economic Value that parks bring to communities on the local, regional, national, and international levels. This value manifests in the direct economic returns parks generate from tourism. Equally if not more important, though harder to quantify, is the value of the ecological or ecosystem services parks provide for free. Economic value is important to stress because it is critical to people’s livelihoods and to the political context in which all parks operate.
Organize an Information-Sharing Session, which can be on any topic related to parks, protected/conserved areas, cultural sites, and other forms of place-based conservation. Information-Sharing Sessions are 1.5 hours long. Sessions that touch on one or more of the Core Workshop Themes (above) are encouraged, but not required. The format can be a set of Invited Papers (individual presentations organized by you, the session chair), Panel Discussion, Sharing Circle (a guided discussion that encourages everyone to participate), or Affinity Group Meeting (opportunities for groups who share a particular interest to get together and “talk shop”).
Present a Paper, which can be on any topic related to parks, protected/conserved areas, cultural sites, and other forms of place-based conservation. If accepted, your Paper presentation will be assigned to a session of similar Contributed Papers by the Program Committee. Paper presentations are 15 minutes long; we strongly suggest no more than 12 PowerPoint slides total. There will be a consolidated Q&A period at the end of the session.
Participate in a Three-Minute Research (3MR) Competition for Emerging Researchers. Open to current students (undergraduate or graduate) and recent graduates, the 3MR is a friendly, supportive competition designed to help emerging researchers develop academic, presentation, and research communication skills — specifically, the ability to effectively explain their research in language appropriate to a non-specialist audience. You’ll have three minutes to present the key points of your research following a standard format that we will provide. 3MR participants will also have the option of preparing a Poster to further communicate their project to GWS ParkForum attendees. Additionally, presenting in the 3MR does not preclude participants from also presenting different research as a 15-minute traditional, Paper presentation. A variety of awards will be given in different categories (including best presentation) to help emerging researchers develop their CVs … but everyone who participates will benefit! Any research related to parks, protected/conserved areas, cultural sites, and other forms of place-based conservation is welcome. Email william.rice@umontana.edu with questions.
Present a Poster, which can be on any topic related to parks, protected/conserved areas, cultural sites, and other forms of place-based conservation. If accepted, your Poster will be displayed throughout GWS ParkForum. There will also be a dedicated Poster Reception when you can stand by your Poster and interact with attendees. Poster specifications will be provided to you.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does the Program Committee choose proposals?
Among the factors the Program Committee considers are a proposal’s relevance to the four Core Workshop Themes, and whether it shares or points toward a conservation solution; how the proposal contributes to the overall goal of featuring a broad range of disciplines and viewpoints in the Workshop program; and, in the case of Paper proposals, whether the proposal can cohesively fit into a session made up of other such proposals.
What kind of IT equipment can I expect? What about the Internet?
Basic IT equipment (laptop and PowerPoint projectors/screens, plus microphones where necessary) will be provided in all meeting rooms except for the one designated for Sharing Circles, which format by design does not involve IT. Internet connectivity is available at no charge throughout the meeting rooms.
Are there post-Workshop publication opportunities?
Yes! The George Wright Society publishes Parks Stewardship Forum, an open-access interdisciplinary journal, in partnership with the University of California, Berkeley, Institute for Parks, People, and Biodiversity. The mission of the journal is to share impactful work across the spectrum of parks, protected/conserved areas, cultural sites, and other forms of place-based conservation. PSF aims to highlight diverse voices, including those of students and early-career professionals. There are options for non-peer-reviewed submissions, as well as full peer review. If you are interested, contact the editors at psf@georgewright.org for more details.
What about registration fees?
Please understand that these Workshops are not possible without the revenue obtained from registration fees. Therefore you (and anyone you invite to take part in a session, if you are proposing one) must register for the Workshop and pay the applicable registration fee. Discounted fees will be available to George Wright Society members (you can join GWS here) and to full-time students. We will announce the fee schedule in early 2025. In addition, we are seeking outside funding to underwrite travel stipends for students and Indigenous participants. If such scholarships become available, we’ll let you know.
How do I submit a proposal?
Fill out the form at https://www.georgewrightsociety.org/parkforum-2025-cfp-submit. The deadline is April 1, 2025. You will be notified of the decision on your proposal by May 15.
Questions?
Contact the GWS Executive Office at info@georgewright.org or 1-906-487-9722. We’re happy to help!