ABOUT US
OUR MISSION
The George Wright Society supports parks, protected/conserved areas, cultural sites, and other kinds of place-based conservation by encouraging communication among and convenings of researchers, managers, educators, practitioners, and the public to facilitate informed decisions and actions that embrace our values.
OUR VISION
Founded in 1980, we strive to be the premier organization connecting peoples, places, knowledges, and ideas to foster excellence in cultural and natural resource management, research, protection, andinterpretation in place-based conservation. We are an interdisciplinary network of researchers, managers, Indigenous people, educators, students, and various other dedicated professionals.
OUR INSPIRATION: GEORGE MELÉNDEZ WRIGHT
George Meléndez Wright (1904–1936) was an American biologist who conceived of, then
conducted, the first scientific survey of wildlife for the US National Park Service. Among his
many attributes, Wright pioneered a holistic approach to conservation in the national parks
and beyond. The GWS honors the vision of this pioneering thinker and doer.
OUR VALUES AND IMPACT
Drawing on core values of integrity, respect, inclusion, and collaborative curiosity, we unite diverse communities around a common passion for protecting Earth’s natural and cultural heritage, creating the sustainable stewardship needed to meet today’s greatest conservation challenges.
OUR STRATEGIC DIRECTIONS
Every three years the GWS Board of Directors reviews and renews the four primary strategic directions that guide our Society's work. You can read our current Strategic Directions document here.
WHAT SETS US APART:
INTERDISCIPLINARY
CONSERVATION
THINKING
GWS’s unique role is to foster interdisciplinary place-based conservation. Specialist organizations and subject-matter professional societies create essential knowledge. GWS operates one level up from that endeavor: we provide opportunities for specialists to go beyond their usual mental boundaries and see how what they know connects with, and complements, what other specialists know. GWS nurtures the kind of context-aware thinking needed to tackle complex conservation problems.
How we work: Convening
The learning spaces we create are both physical and virtual. We convene opportunities for people to come together in person: face-to-face events that expand communication networks, support mentoring, and build the capacity of park and protected area stewards, cultural and natural resource managers, scientists and other scholars, and teachers and students. We also help create these goods by nurturing a virtual global community of stewardship through publications and online interactions.
What we create: Innovation
Innovation only comes from open minds. Open minds thrive in a collegial atmosphere that encourages people to think outside their silo, beyond their usual point of view. GWS is the only conservation organization that exists specifically to bring people together from a wide range of points of view in settings designed to allow open-mindedness to flourish. By doing this, GWS creates space for multidimensional learning and collaboration that leads to innovative conservation action.