About Us
Transforming Lives and Landscapes Across the Globe
With a belief in the transformative impact of spending time outdoors, Butler Parklands was founded in 2005 to promote aerobic recreation, encourage meaningful connections to the outdoors, and create passionate stewards of the natural world.
Across its eight parks, Butler Parklands illuminates the rich natural and cultural history of each setting, and thoughtfully designs low impact, high caliber infrastructure. From New York, Maine and South Carolina, to Chile, Argentina and Uruguay, Butler Parklands builds and operates parks in partnership with local organizations. Together they preserve stunning landscapes and enable more Americans to experience the awe of nature’s power.
About Our Founder
Gilbert Butler
Gilbert Butler’s conservation ethic took root during his childhood, set in the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains near Utica, New York. While a student at Milton Academy and Harvard University, Gilbert became an avid hiker, climber, kayaker and cross-country skier – building community with fellow stewards of nature. After receiving an MBA from Columbia University, he launched a career in finance at Morgan Guaranty Trust Company and soon formed Butler Capital, an early and successful private equity firm.
Timeline
Key Moments
From the beginning, Gilbert Bulter’s philanthropy has been driven by a commitment to places for which he feels a strong personal connection: New York City, for example (his principal home), where he has made substantial gifts to the Central Park Conservancy; the Adirondacks, where he accepted an invitation to join the board of the Adirondack Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, and the State of Maine, especially its magnificent rivers and coastline, where he has consistently and generously supported the work of Friends of Acadia, Maine Coast Heritage Trust, the Natural Resources Council of Maine and numerous local land trusts. Above all, Gilbert has sustained a commitment to his birthplace – the Alder Creek/Tug Hill Plateau region of upstate New York – where he created the Black River Environmental Improvement Association (BREIA) in 1984.
Butler Parklands initially operated like a conventional foundation, making grants to organizations engaged in some of the nation’s most important environmental battles, eventually contributing more than $75 million to conservation and historic preservation initiatives. Over time, however, it became clear to Gilbert that there was one particular arena of conservation in which the foundation could have an outsized and lasting impact: the creation of new, large parks featuring world-class trails, facilities and programs – providing citizens exceptional access to the beauty and wonder of the landscapes he has cherished and helped protect over the many decades.
Guanaco at Lake Belgrano Perito Moreno National Park
Timeline - Key Moments
Butler Parklands has invested an unparalleled amount of technical expertise, human capital and financial resources (more than $85 million) in some of the most beautiful and well conserved parts of the Americas – exciting new platforms for outdoor recreation, public well-being and environmental awareness.
Four of these large parks – Penobscot River Trails (Maine), the Cobscook Shores Park System (Maine), the Black River Cypress Preserve (South Carolina), and the Black River Environmental Improvement Association (New York) – are operated by Butler Parklands and will serve and delight visitors in perpetuity with a standard of maintenance and care rivaled only by Acadia National Park.
Four other parks have been built in collaboration with conservation partners, including the River to Ridge Trail (part of New York State’s Shawangunk Mountain Range trail network) with the Open Space Institute; the Patagonia National Park trail system and visitor accommodations with Tompkins Conservation and the Chilean Park Service; the Perito Moreno National Park Trekking Network with the Parks Administration of Argentina, and the Rio Uruguay Bi-National Protected Area with Uruguay National Protected Areas and Entre Rios Protected Areas.
Butler Parklands supports these parks as they transition to self-sustaining operations, offering the highest quality visitor experience.
At the same time, Butler Parklands Outdoor Education Programs activate and enhance the park experience by hosting 22,000 students annually – engaging young people in the same types of activities that our founder enjoyed as a boy: hiking, biking, paddling, skiing and snowshoeing. These student programs are a compelling expression of the Butler Parklands belief in the powerful synergy between nature, public health and active outdoor recreation, and the conservation of our environment.
Stepstone trail to Red Point Island at Cobscook Shores
East Branch of the Penobscot River
Gilbert & Ildiko Butler at Estancia Belgrano at Perito Moreno National Park
Johns Lake Pavilion at Black River Cypress Preserve
Financials & Taxes
Butler Parklands is a 501 (c) (3) charitable foundation incorporated in Massachusetts. IRS 1099 forms for past years can be made available upon request.