Friends Executive Directors attend National Park Friends Alliance Fall Meeting

National Parks Friends Alliance Fall Conference graphic

September 28, 2026

Bands of elk are not the only ones to gather in Estes Park, Colorado this autumn. The gateway city to Rocky Mountains National Park was also the site of the 2026 fall conference of the National Park Friends Alliance hosted by the Rocky Mountain Conservancy September 22nd – 24th.

Rocky Mountains National Park - Jeff Rennicke photo

Rocky Mountains National Park – Jeff Rennicke photo

Elk bugling in the river - Jeff Rennicke photo

Elk bugling in the river – Jeff Rennicke photo

Cars lined up at park entrance - Jeff Rennicke photo

Cars lined up at park entrance – Jeff Rennicke photo

Meeting attendees and Friends Alliance slide on the big screen

The annual conference brought together 390 National Park partners and National Park Service staff to discuss a wide range of topics from the park housing crisis to accessibility issues and more.

With more than 550 park partners nationwide, Friends groups helped to provide over $720 million in direct impact to national parks in 2025 including the coordination of 1.2 million volunteer hours. Collectively, park partners have helped to raise $3.5 billion in park aid since 2019.

A record number of participants to the sold-out event were welcomed by Estee Rivera of the Rocky Mountain Conservancy and Gary Ingram, Superintendent of Rocky Mountain National Park and heard from speakers and panelists including Bert Frost (Regional Director of the National Park Service), Katie Nyberg of the National Park Friends Alliance, and Jeff Reinbold of the National Park Foundation, in addition to a wide variety breakout sessions dedicated to important issues facing our national parks today.

Jeff Reinbold, NPF and Katie Nyberg, NPFA - Jeff Rennicke photo

Jeff Reinbold, NPF and Katie Nyberg, NPFA – Jeff Rennicke photo

Friends Alliance meeting wide shot - Jeff Rennicke photo

Friends Alliance meeting wide shot – Jeff Rennicke photo

A star-filled sky over the Outer Island dock - Jon Okerstrom photo

Gary Ingram, Rocky Mountain National Park Superintendent – Jeff Rennicke photo

“This is an all-hands-on-deck moment for all the parks, from the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore to Zion National Park and everywhere in between” says Friends Executive Director Jeff Rennicke. “A conference like this helps inspire, motivate, and generate new ideas for those who love our national parks. It shines a light on the great things that can be done if we work together even when we head back home.”

The 2027 annual conference of the National Park Friends Alliance will be held in South Dakota home to a number of national parks including Badlands, Wind Cave, and Mount Rushmore.

Jeff and Jill Rennicke with Rocky Mountains in the background

Jeff and Jill Rennicke

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