NATIONAL PARKS BLOG

“If you will state the time at which you will evacuate Fort Sumter we will abstain from opening fire upon you.” That message was sent by Brigadier General G. T. Beauregard of the Confederate States Army and delivered to Major Robert Anderson, commander of U.S. Army forces in Charleston, S.C., at forty-five minutes past midnight on April 12. Anderson, a former instructor of Beauregard’s at West Point, refused an immediate surrender and within four hours the first shot of the Civil War was fired across the harbor at Fort Sumter.


150 years later, the ruins of Fort Sumter still stand in Charleston Harbor. Since 1948, the National Park Service has preserved the fort as a public memorial commemorating this crucial moment in American history.

Perhaps it is not surprising that Civil War military engagements began in South Carolina, the first state to secede from the Union in December 1860, declaring that President-elect Lincoln held “opinions and purposes…hostile to slavery.” When Lincoln took office on March 4, 1861, he was greeted by a newly formed Confederate States of America that considered U.S. garrisons like Fort Sumter as fortifications of a “foreign” army.

Remarkably, this inaugural battle of the bloodiest war in American history was fought without a single casualty from enemy fire. Out gunned and surrounded by cannon fire, Major Anderson kept his men away from the most exposed fortress walls and he refused open fire on the city of Charleston and its civilian residents. He surrendered Fort Sumter 34 hours after the fighting commenced.

Today, many of the Civil War’s most memorable places are protected as national parks and all of us are called upon to ensure that future generations may visit them for inspiration, reflection and remembrance. The National Park Foundation yesterday announced a partnership with HISTORY channel which is launching a massive educational and fund-raising initiative titled “GIVE 150” to enhance Civil War education nationwide, and to protect and preserve battlefields and other key sites from this pivotal period in American history. As part of this initiative, HISTORY will direct donations to the Civil War Trust and the National Park Foundation, so that an important and course-changing chapter in the story of our country can be kept alive in the consciousness of future generations. To show your support and to learn more visit www.give150.com.

To learn more about the 150th commemoration of the Civil War, visit the National Park Service at www.nps.gov/civilwar.

The Land Player

This week’s Featured Video for the “Your Parks Video Challenge,” is submitted from TheLandPlayer who made this acoustic riff about the Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons.

TheLandPlayer had set out to the Grand Tetons with his wife to celebrate their tenth wedding anniversary, when a simple sinus infection turned into pneumonia.  He says, “In the song presented here, I am reflecting on my surroundings and the recent events of my life - the anniversary, being sick, seeking beautiful places when your bank account says not to.  This is the only take, all the words are improvised, and I like to think that maybe for a second or two I was the voice of the scene around me.”

Continue to read the lyrics to this spontaneous and heartfelt song:

Read the rest of this entry »

It’s not every day that you will help protect our national parks and preserve our environment by simply clicking your mouse. But today you can! Target has created a great opportunity for all American’s to help raise cash support for our national parks - and all it takes is casting an online vote.

The National Park Foundation was selected by Target to benefit from Bullseye Gives, a two-week long giving campaign on its Facebook page. From May 10th to May 25th, Facebook users have the power to decide how Target will distribute $3 million among ten nonprofit organizations - including NPF. The percentage of votes the Foundation receives will represent its portion of the $3 million.

So take a few seconds and lend your support for our national parks. Visit Target’s facebook page, click the “Vote” tab and cast your ballot for the National Park Foundation.  Vote today and every day through May 25th.

Today the National Park Foundation announced the winners of the 2008 Share The Experience Photo Contest. The contest encourages amateur photographers to enter their favorite photographs from national parks, forests, recreation areas, and wildlife refuges in the hopes of winning great prizes. This year’s Grand Prize winning photo by Mark Campbell of Enid, Oklahoma will grace the cover of the 2010 America the Beautiful – National Parks and Federal Recreation Lands Pass. He will also receive a trip to a national park of his choice and an Olympus E-3 digital single lens reflex (DSLR) camera kit. Congratulations, Mark!

The 2009 Photo Contest will open on May 4, 2009. Get your cameras ready!

In 2009, First Bloom expanded from five cities to serve 16 national parks in communities across the country - including San Antonio Missions National Historical Park in Texas. Last Friday, Boys and Girls Club kids planted gardens between Mission San Jose and the San Antonio River. The San Antonio Express-News reported:

But from the blackfoot daisies and rock roses down to the mulch made of crushed pecan shells, the pair of 200-square-foot gardens are the culmination of 12 students’ months long study of South Texas’ native plants. Read the rest of this entry »