Park conservancy facts for kids

The High Line, a park in New York City, is a great example of a park cared for by a conservancy.

A park conservancy is a special kind of group in the United States. It's a non-profit organization, which means it doesn't try to make money for itself. Instead, these groups help take care of parks. They raise money to keep parks clean, build new things like playgrounds or walking paths, and speak up for parks. Park conservancies are created to fit the needs of local communities and their resources. They play a big role in making sure our city parks stay beautiful and useful for everyone.

Why Park Conservancies Are Important

Park conservancies became popular because cities sometimes didn't have enough money to fully support their parks. These groups offer a new way to keep parks amazing. They allow people in the community to directly help their local parks. Over the past few decades, more and more park conservancies have started. This is because city money for parks has often gone down.

How Conservancies Help Parks

Park conservancies are managed independently, meaning they are not directly controlled by local elections. This helps them focus on the long-term future of parks. They plan for many years ahead to make sure parks have enough money to stay well-maintained. The Central Park Conservancy in New York City is often seen as one of the first groups like this. However, park conservancies are different from "Friends of the Park" groups or other types of community groups.

Famous Park Conservancies

New York City has many park conservancies, but you can find these groups all over the country. They help manage and care for parks of all sizes. The way each conservancy works can be different, depending on the park's size and how much money it needs.

Here are some well-known parks that have conservancies:

• Abingdon Square Park in New York, NY
• Balboa Park in San Francisco, CA
• Brooklyn Bridge Park in Brooklyn, NY
• Central Park in New York, NY
• Forest Park in St. Louis, MO
• Golden Gate National Parks (GGNRA) in the San Francisco Bay Area, CA
• The High Line in New York, NY
• Memphis River Parks Partnership in Memphis, TN
• Millennium Park in Chicago, IL
• Overton Park Conservancy in Memphis, TN
• Piedmont Park in Atlanta, GA
• Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy in Pittsburgh, PA
• Shelby Farms Park Conservancy in Memphis, TN
• Tregaron Conservancy in Washington, D.C.