Arizona State Parks and Trails received a gold medal from the National Recreation and Park Association for being the best-managed state park system at a recent NRPA conference in New Orleans.

Accepting the accolade, Arizona State Parks and Trails Executive Director Sue Black credited the entire agency for its achievement, according to a press release.

“This Gold Medal win is not just about the staff of Arizona State Parks and Trails,” Black said in the release. “This is about everyone in Arizona who contributes to our success or gets to enjoy our beautiful parks. It’s a huge honor to be considered the best-managed state park agency in the country, and we hope everyone will get out and see these amazing parks first-hand.”

The award recognizes those park systems that exhibit outstanding performance in long-term planning, resource management and fresh approaches to public services as well as prudent business practices.

“This is a tremendous achievement that benefits everyone in our state — from residents to tourists,” Gov. Doug Ducey said. “Winning the Gold Medal is a testament to the hard work, collaboration and innovation that Arizona State Parks and Trails demonstrated to get us to this point.”