Who We Are

The Friends of Thacher and Thompson's Lake State Parks is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, founded in 1996. Our mission is to support and promote the educational and interpretive programs at Thacher and Thompson's Lake State Parks.

Members of the Friends group share a love for the Parks, an appreciation for their natural beauty and a dedication to preserving their natural resources. As a member of the Friends you receive a bimonthly newsletter and, if desired, email updates of current events. You will also receive a 10% discount on any items purchased at the Nature Center Gift Shop. Your dues help support the programs at the Park and the Thacher Nature Center. For example, Friends funds have helped purchase plants and equipment for the native plant sale and trail maintenance equipment for the Park. The Friends also sponsor barbecues for the volunteers who help out during Trails Day and the Festivals. Although your participation in our volunteer activities is certainly welcome, it is by no means required! Many of our members do not have time to help out, yet still like to contribute to our cause with their membership fees.

If you would like to volunteer your time, you are more than welcome! With two big and active Parks, extra hands are often needed for maintenance and to help out. Volunteer activities include involvement in educational programs, weekend staffing of the Thacher Nature Center, help with ongoing nature programs such as Nest Box monitoring, and help in trail maintenance and invasive species removal. The salamander rescue each spring is especially popular with our younger friends. As stewards of part of route 157, the Friends are also responsible for trash removal along the road that runs through the park. Listed below are just some of the events that require volunteers:

• Native Plant Sale (June)
• Trails Day (June)
• Highway Cleanup (three to four times a year)
• Fall Festival (October)
• Wheels in the Woods
• Salamander Rescue (March)
• Nest Box Monitoring (summer months)
• Invasive Species Removal (as required)
• Ice Fishing Contest

Help is always needed and more than welcome! If you are interested in helping us at any of the events above, please call the Thacher Nature Center at (518) 872-0800.

Our board consists of 10 people dedicated to promoting the activities of the Park. Board meetings, to which the public is invited, are held every second Wednesday of every other month (starting in January), at 7:00 pm at the Thacher Nature Center.

Our Board

• pursues grants to fund educational programs in the Park and at the Thacher Nature Center
• plays an active part in organizing and participating in volunteer work
• advocates for the Park
• assists Park Personnel in Park Maintenance and Park Programs
• prepares newsletters to keep the membership up to date on issues relating to the Parks