Following the success of the first ‘I Love My State Parks’ week, the National Association of State Parks Foundations has announced that it will become an annual event.

“A variety of events were held at state parks nationwide during ‘I Love My State Park’ week which ran from May 8-15, and we hope to build on this success every year as we move forward,” said Marci Mowery, chair of the National Association of State Parks Foundations, which organized the event. “Events included volunteer days, hikes, personal engagement, and educational programs, to name a few.”

“The week-long event was a celebration of our state parks which are acknowledged as among the best in the world”, she said.

“The event will kick off every May around Mother’s Day and each day will focus on a different aspect of what makes our state parks important in the lives of people and to economies across the nation,” she said.

“We hope to engage with corporate partners and tourism promotional agencies who will work with us to increase the visibility of our state parks and encourage more people to visit them and support them,” she said.

The National Association provides a national voice as advocates for the 8,500 state parks and forests nationwide, covering 18.6 million acres with 52,600 miles of trails, and the army of volunteers and Friends groups that help care for them. Approximately 31 states have foundations that serve to steward the state parks that improve human and environmental health and play an important part in local and state economies.

State parks get more than 809 million visitors a year, which includes over 61.6 million overnight users, and state parks generate over $100 billion for local and state economies.

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For more information, contact:

Marci Mowery, Chair, NASPF 717-371-2155 or mmowery-ppff@pa.net

Don Philpott, Vice Chair NASPF 321-277-8442 or don@floridastateparksfoundation.org

www.naspf.org