Welcome to a Year Spent Taking Root...

A MESSAGE FROM OUR CEO AND CHAIR

As we embark on our fourth year, we are proud to present a look at the progress we are making each day to live our values and advance our mission. Not only does our 2022 Annual Report capture the incredible work we accomplished together, it gives us an opportunity to invite you along in our shared journey — one that envisions a thriving network of parks and public lands where everyone is able to create lasting relationships to these essential places that rely on us for protection. Thanks to our partners at California State Parks and the robust ecosystem of non-profit organizations, donors and individuals dedicated to serving the people and communities connected to these treasured parks, the seeds we planted are taking root.

Parks California exists because we believe parks are for people, and people are for parks. At our heart, we see this interconnection between communities and nature as the future of state parks. Our team is forging intrinsic bonds between parks and people in order to foster lifelong stewardship, establish meaningful solutions to climate change, and build equitable park access and experiences for all.

California is home to the largest and most diverse state park system in the world, and we are honored to help a generation of caretakers who are preserving its extraordinary biological and wildlife diversity, and protecting its unique cultural resources, artifacts, and histories. As we help more people enjoy the wonders of nature and establish personal ties to these lands, we uncover new voices and lived truths that only strengthen the importance of parks.

We can’t do this work alone. Future-proofing California’s parks for 40 million residents and millions of annual visitors is dependent on establishing trusted partnerships. Over the past three years, we have seen a significant expansion of requests to collaborate from California State Parks and community organizations statewide. Notably, as we make progress, we are finding more opportunity to scale.

To guide our priorities over the next three years, we are pleased to share our latest board-approved strategic plan. It articulates the next phase of our role as implementation partner of California State Parks’ most pressing needs, our joint priorities. It affirms who we are. And it outlines how we will advance the groundwork laid by Parks Forward to not only keep parks open, but to help them thrive by adding expertise, capacity, and resources to the state park system.

The impact we are making is only possible because of you. We are profoundly grateful to the teams who made these achievements a reality, to our funders and sustainers who share our vision, and to everyone who visited a park this year. You are the reason the seeds we planted are taking root.

Kindley Walsh Lawlor: President and CEO, Parks California

Steve Lockhart: Board Chair, Parks California