The National Association of State Park Foundations today announced its keynote speakers for its 2022 virtual annual conference on October 13 and 14.

“We are delighted that Cindy Dunn, Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources will open the conference, and that Stephenne Harding, Senior Director for Lands at the White House Council on Environmental Quality, will be our keynote speaker on October 14,” said Marci Mowery, chair of the National Association. “We are hopeful that National Park Service Director Chuck Sams III will also be able to join us.”

The National Association represents the state park foundations that work closely with the 8500 state parks nationwide.   These parks represent 18.6 million acres of land with 52,600 miles of trails, and the thousands of volunteers and Friends groups that help care for them.

The two-day conference will include nationally recognized speakers presenting sessions on volunteerism pre and post COVID, fundraising, inclusive recreation best practices, insurance and liability insights, and using economic studies for messaging. There will also be a presentation on doing diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility the right way.

“Our members are State Park Foundations which represent millions of volunteers and bring a voice to these special places in the landscape.  It is important that we give the foundations and their volunteers the tools they need to conserve and steward the nation’s state parks, which are acknowledged as among the best in the world,” she said.

State parks are more popular than ever, and many are experiencing record visitation, Mowery added. 

The National Association also organizes the annual national “I Love My State Parks” week in May, which aims to increase the visibility of state parks by sharing the story of state parks and their many benefits.

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