The George Wright Society champions stewardship of parks, protected & conserved areas, cultural sites, and other kinds of place-based conservation by connecting people, places, knowledge, and ideas. By uniting people from many different backgrounds around a common passion for protecting Earth’s natural and cultural heritage, we create the collaboration needed to meet today’s greatest conservation challenges.
INNOVATING ACROSS BOUNDARIES FOR
Parks • Cultural Sites
Protected / Conserved Areas
Safeguarding Essential Information
Honoring & Supporting Public Service
Call for Proposals coming January 2026
University of Montana, Missoula
October 20–23, 2025
Explore the Virtual Workshop Library
with 50+ presentations
Parkwire, GWS’s daily global digest
of park news • Follow on FB
Latest top headlines • 30 December 2025
2025 was the second-warmest year on record, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service. https://buff.ly/OXmm3So
The NY Times has a story on how an unlikely across-the-political-divide friendship helped spur a windfall for Texas's state park system. https://buff.ly/ZgHCwUm
Trump is considering swapping land in Lower Rio Grande Valley NWR with the Musk's space company near its launch site in Texas. The impacts on conservation values are in dispute. https://buff.ly/4JMT5a
Betty Reid Soskin, a storied interpreter at Rosie the Riveter World War II Home Front NHP and the oldest US NP ranger, has died aged 104. https://buff.ly/X0e3TAW
Trump's USFWS chief has ordered a complete review of NWRs and national fish hatcheries — with some ominous-sounding language in the directive. https://buff.ly/sLr5Gnl
After protests from park advocates, a Utah GOP senator backed off from an amendment that could have opened to door to a sell-off of national parks lands. The effort is still not entirely dead, though. https://buff.ly/qo9rjve
In response to a suit by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, a judge is ordering Trump to quickly submit plans for his ballroom project to oversight bodies. https://buff.ly/jGcv5Mb
Trump will dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research, one of the world's leading climate science centers. His budget director, and architect of the the administration's assault on federal service, called it a center of "climate alarmism." https://buff.ly/kpop8lY
A new NOAA report finds that climate change is causing naturally occurring toxic minerals to leaching into rivers in the Alaska Arctic, including in Kobuk Valley NP, with pernicious effects. https://buff.ly/ANOFlr9
INSPIRED BY GEORGE MELÉNDEZ WRIGHT
The first-ever biography of our namesake — the visionary who revolutionized management of America‘s national parks
“Emory’s enumeration of Wright’s accomplishments—including a survey of wildlife in Western parks, the first of its kind—is nothing short of awe-inspiring. Highly recommended for nature lovers and park enthusiasts.” LIBRARY JOURNAL
