National Park Service – Page 5

Celebrating “America’s Best Idea”

Published on August 22, 2023October 23, 2023 by JNPALeave a comment

Who doesn’t love a birthday? On August 25, let’s all celebrate the 107^th birthday of the National Park Service!

President Woodrow Wilson. Credit- Library of Congress

On August 25, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed the Organic Act, creating a new federal bureau within the Department of Interior to protect the 35 existing parks. It was called the National Park Service. The purpose of the new agency, according to the legislation that created it, is “to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wildlife therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.” However, the story of the National Park Service actually began long before then, and it involved two other U.S. presidents.

In 1872, President Ulysses S. Grant designated Yellowstone as the first national park and placed it under the control of the Secretary of the Interior. Then, in 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt enacted the Antiquities Act, which gave presidents the authority to create national parks, monuments, forests, and reserves. During his presidency, Roosevelt established 5 national parks and 18 national monuments.

After the passage of the Organic Act in 1916, management of national parks fell to the National Park Service; in 1933, an executive order also transferred control of national monuments and certain military sites to the Park Service.

Today, the National Park Service manages and protects 425 sites in all 50 states. This amounts to more than 85 million acres of natural spaces and historic sites. The largest national park is Wrangell – St. Elias National Park and Preserve in Alaska. It encompasses over 13 million acres! The smallest national park, at only 0.2 acres, is Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial in Pennsylvania. In recent years, national parks have received more than 300 million visitors annually, and as additional sites are added to the National Park System, that number will only grow.

*Wrangell – St. Elias National Park and Preserve. Credit- NPS*

If you want to join in the anniversary celebrations, you can attend a special event at a nearby park unit (like this one at Ste. Genevieve National Historical Park) or share #YourParkStory on social media. The National Park Service website also has many ideas of how to celebrate!

As Pulitzer Prize winner and environmentalist Wallace Stegner said, “National parks are the best idea we ever had. Absolutely American, absolutely democratic, they reflect us at our best rather than our worst.” At Jefferson National Parks Association, we are so proud to support these American treasures, and we wish the National Park Service a very happy birthday!

Don’t “Pass” This Up!

Published on May 30, 2023July 18, 2023 by JNPALeave a comment

Now that summer is in full swing, you’re probably making vacation plans. If a national park is on your travel agenda, we have a suggestion you won’t want to pass up: buy an America the Beautiful Pass.

This $80 annual pass entitles you and three guests to free access to more than 2,000 public sites managed by five federal agencies for an unlimited number of visits during the year. And since some national parks charge up to $20 per person or $35 per vehicle, these savings can add up. What’s more, the proceeds from the purchase of each pass are dedicated to improving and enhancing visitor experiences at these federal recreation sites.

Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site. Credit: NPS/David Newmann

Beyond the regular annual park pass, there are other options for certain groups:

Members of the military and their dependents qualify for a free annual Military Pass;
Gold Star families and Veterans can receive a free lifetime Military Pass;
Those who are ages 62 and up can purchase a $20 annual Senior Pass or an $80 lifetime Senior Pass;
Those who have a permanent disability can qualify for a free lifetime Access Pass, regardless of their age.
Children in 4^th grade and their educators can take advantage of a free Every Kid Outdoors Annual 4^th Grade Pass.
Those who volunteer for a federal recreation site for more than 250 hours are entitled to a one-year Volunteer Pass.

Where can you get one of these park passes? If your vacation is more than two weeks away, you’ll have time to order your passes online and have them mailed to you (there’s a $10 processing fee for online orders). But if you’re travelling sooner, you’ll want to buy your passes at one of more than 1,000 recreation sites managed by the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. To find one near you, go here.

Clinton Birthplace Home National Historic Site

A number of JNPA partner parks sell passes at their visitor centers: Gateway Arch National Park, Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site, Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site, Clinton Birthplace Home National Historic Site, and Lewis & Clark Visitor Center.

Enjoy your summer travels!

Calling all NPS History Buffs!

Published on December 6, 2022January 3, 2023 by JNPALeave a comment

The National Park Service has a long and storied history. Starting with the establishment of Yellowstone National Park in 1872, NPS has taken seriously its mission of preserving and protecting America’s natural resources and historical places for the benefit of current and future generations. Over the years, the agency has collected more than four million artifacts, photographs, documents, uniforms, and other memorabilia that document the stories of our nation’s culture and history. Most of those items are carefully stored and preserved at the NPS Harper’s Ferry Center in West Virginia, where few of us will ever be privileged to see them.

But now there’s good news for NPS history buffs – the agency’s history collection can be accessed virtually through a new behind the scenes experience. You can follow the guided tour or choose your own path to discover objects, art, photographs, and uniforms that span over 100 years of NPS history.

Another fascinating resource is the NPS online museum collection, a searchable online database that provides access to thousands of images and records from numerous parks’ individual museum collections. You can simply browse the online database or search the themed collection highlights that group together the parks’ artifacts by particular themes, types of objects, or locations. Each week, NPS features a Collection Highlight of the Week that can range from historic clothing to model ships to prehistoric artifacts. (Warning – you can quickly get absorbed by these fascinating items and lose all track of time!)

Finally, teachers will want to check out the NPS online resource Teaching with Museum Collections. The site provides lesson plans by theme and park as well as guides on How to Read an Object and How to Read a Photo.

Happy snooping!

Who doesn’t love a birthday?

Published on August 23, 2022September 27, 2022 by JNPALeave a comment

The National Park Service is turning 106 this Thursday, and you’re invited to help celebrate. With more than 400 park units across the country, there are countless ways to join in the fun.

On August 25, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson charged the Department of the Interior with establishing a new federal bureau to protect the 35 national parks and monuments then managed by the department. The new agency, dubbed the National Park Service, was directed “to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wild life therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.”

Yellowstone National Park. Photo by Kerry on Pexels.com

The creation of the iconic Yellowstone National Park in 1872 actually pre-dated the establishment of the Park Service. In subsequent years Congress authorized additional national parks and monuments, many of them carved from the federal lands of the West. But it was not until the National Park Service was created that all of these parklands were administered by one centralized agency.

Today, the national park system has expanded to 423 sites, covering more than 84 million acres in 50 states, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, Saipan, and the Virgin Islands. These sites range from national battlefields and military parks to national rivers and lakeshores to national historic sites and monuments.

In honor of its 106th birthday, the Park Service wants you to share your favorite WOW moments from past visits to any NPS location. These could include an occasion when you encountered breath-taking scenery, heard an inspirational ranger talk, or were surprised when you learned about a compelling historical event. You’re invited to share your WOW moments via social media and tag it with #NPSBirthday.

You’re also encouraged to experience parks virtually. There’s the NPS app, where you can learn about all of the national park sites and get tips to help you on your next visit, as well a number of podcast series that highlight the stories and wonders of various national parks. And for kids (of all ages), be sure to check out NPS Games and Challenges where you can test your park knowledge or learn something new about many national parks. One of our favorites is Where the “Park” Am I? – it’s not as easy as it sounds!

Mississippi National River and Recreation Area

However you decide to celebrate the long history of the National Park Service, we’re sure you agree with author Wallace Stegner, who famously said “National parks are the best idea we ever had. Absolutely American, absolutely democratic, they reflect us at our best rather than our worst.”

Happy Birthday, NPS!!!