NATIONAL PARKS BLOG

Last week, Americans celebrated the life of one of our most important presidents through the national parks that honor him. From the grandeur of Mount Rushmore to the hallowed ground of Gettysburg, park visitors. Even the National Park Foundation’s chair, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, commemorated the day at the Lincoln Memorial where he noted: “Abraham Lincoln is not only one of the greatest presidents, he is in many ways the definition of what it means to be an American.”

Kids and adults across the nation are working with the National Park Foundation to preserve Lincoln’s legacy. At St. Stephen’s Regional School, Port Carbon, students are participating in “Give A Lincoln for Lincoln,” an initiative introduced by the National Park Foundation, the National Trust for Historic Preservation and History that asks all American’s to help preserve six key historical sites national parks and historic sites associated with Abraham Lincoln. Over the weekend, city officials in Pittsburgh, PA have also joined the cause, encouraging local citizens to give. The campaign encourages people of all ages to donate Lincoln-head pennies, five dollar bills, or make larger donations online. Read the rest of this entry »

First Bloom was invited to participate in the White House Garden Tours on August 9, 2008. Kids are getting their hands dirty and learning about native species and the environment in their own backyards. Read the rest of this entry »

Lady Bird Johnson spurred our nation to beautify its communities, highways, and parks by planting and nurturing native flowers. To honor her legacy, the National Park Foundation created First Bloom - a project that helps kids get their hands dirty.

On Sunday night, the opening “First Bloom Workshop” began with celebration and humility as Boys and Girls club leaders, plant conservation experts, park biologists, foundation officers and education specialists gathered at the Lyndon Baines Johnson National Historical Park in Texas.

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