National Association of State Park Foundations Announces New officers and Board Members
The national voice as advocates for all the 8,500 state parks and forests nationwide
Every state in the nation has many wonderful state parks and forests and they all rely heavily on volunteers and nonprofit Friends groups.”
LONGWOOD, FL, UNITED STATES, January 23, 2023 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The National Association of State Park Foundations (NASPF) today announced its officers and board members for 2023.— Damon Kirkpatrick, National Association Chair
The incoming chair is Damon Kirkpatrick, President & CEO of Friends of Georgia State Parks and Historic Sites, Vice Chair is John Floberg, Executive Director of the Washington State Parks Foundation, Treasurer is David Pearson, Executive Director of the North Carolina Friends of State Parks, and Secretary is Marci Mowery, immediate past chair and President of the Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation.
In addition, Tim Kennel with the Virginia Association for Parks, Coby Gierke with the Montana State Parks Foundation, and Lisa Bellefond, with the Washington State Parks Foundation, were elected as board directors.
The National Association provides a national voice as advocates for all 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.
“Every state in the nation has many wonderful state parks and forests and they all rely heavily on volunteers and nonprofit Friends groups,” said National Association Chair Damon Kirkpatrick.
“These volunteers and groups support the work of park managers and staff, raise funds for projects in the parks, help run educational and environmental programs, and much more. Without them, many parks would not be able to operate,” he said.
The National Association, a 501(c)3 incorporated organization, aims to connect, build, elevate and empower these member statewide non-profit partners of America’s state parks and advocate for them, he added.
Full membership is open to all nonprofit groups directly supporting their state parks and affiliate membership is open to individuals, other organizations and corporate entities that want to support our mission and goals, said Kirkpatrick.
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.
NASP’s major annual event is “I Love My State Parks Week’, which this year runs from May 14-20 with hundreds of events planned at state parks nationwide. The National Association’s annual conference will take place in Helen, Georgia, from October 11-13.
Marci Mowery
National Association of State Park Foundations
+1 3212778442
mmowery-ppff@pa.net
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