NATIONAL PARKS BLOG

For more than 50 years, our friends at North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) have been tracking Santa’s holiday travels around the globe. Throughout the month of December, children and parents are invited to visit the NORAD Tracks Santa website at www.noradsanta.org to play a new game each day and countdown the days until Santa’s launch.  On December 24^th, you can visit the site for real-time information on Santa’s exact location.

The map uses little red and yellow presents to note the places Santa has already visited. You can click on the presents to learn fun facts about each location. Watch this video to learn more about NORAD Tracks Santa:

Last Spring, I was sitting outside after work with some colleagues enjoying the beautiful weather when I received a call from my little brother, Kevin. He was calling to share the news that he would soon deploy to Afghanistan.

Just days before, we heard about his best friend who was deploying to Iraq, and I remember being thankful that it wasn’t Kevin. He joined the Army right out of high school, and almost two years had passed. I honestly believed that he would make it through his four-year commitment without having to go overseas. As his older sister, I can’t help but be protective of him. Kevin has been gone for almost six months, and I am proud of his courage every single day. I am especially proud today as we honor all those who have served in an effort to protect our country.

My brother, Kevin Lamb.

There are several ways that people can honor those who have served and currently serve in our military. Just one of the powerful ways to show our appreciation is to visit one of the many national parks that honor our veterans. Before working at the National Park Foundation, I probably would not have made the connection between Veterans Day and the national parks, but there are actually several units in the park system that honor our military heroes. Many are right by me in Washington, D.C., but there are many  more all around the country. These parks commemorate those who served from the Revolutionary War, like Valley Forge National Historical Park, through present day with the Flight 93 National Memorial. You can check out an entire list at http://cr.nps.gov/nr/feature/va/#parks.

Kevin in Afghanistan wearing the National Park Foundation hat that I mailed him in a care package.

Take some time to celebrate Veterans Day by visiting a park near you. They are even free! The National Park Service offers several fee-free dates throughout the year, including this weekend, November 11-13, 2011.

To all those military men and women serving our country – past, present, and future - thank you for the sacrifices you make to defend the freedoms we enjoy as Americans. We honor you today and every day.

Following the success of last week’s Electronic Field Trip (EFT) to Arizona’s Saguaro National Park, we are excited to announce the launch of another innovative program - the Parks Climate Challenge!

Similar to the EFT program (which in the past four years alone has engaged more than 400,000 people across the country and around the world!), this new online program combines the use of national parks as engaging classrooms with unique web-based technologies so that teachers have the tools they need to teach the powerful lessons of climate change in a way that students will find fresh, new and interesting!

Parks Climate Challenge offers teachers a platform from which to develop curriculum and engage with other teachers around the country to find out how students best learn first-hand about the issues of climate change through the lens of national parks. The program encourages teachers to develop hands-on service projects with their students through a national park experience either within or outside the boundaries of a national park.  Take a moment to learn more at www.parksclimatechallenge.org!

We think this program model can be replicated nationally. What do you think?

Drop everything you’re doing and mark your calendars because just this morning we announced with our friends at the National Park Service that the annual National Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony will take place on Thursday, December 1, 2011, at 5 p.m. EST in President’s Park in Washington, D.C.!

Now how does one go about getting tickets to this must-see holiday event, you might ask.

Starting at 10 a.m. EST/ 7 a.m. PST on Thursday, November 3, you can enter the online lottery system by visiting www.thenationaltree.org. Be sure you enter before 9:59 a.m. EST/6:59 a.m. PST on Monday, November 7 or else you’ll miss out! In fact, I suggest going ahead and bookmarking www.thenationaltree.org and honestly, if I were you, I’d set a calendar reminder.

If you won’t have access to a computer, but will have access to a phone, make sure to save the number 877-444-6777 to place your name into the lottery. The same dates and times apply.

We’ll be announcing the talent line-up next month – so be sure to check back! And not to worry if you can’t make it out to D.C. this year, you can always watch the live webstream of the ceremony online at www.thenationaltree.org or on your local PBS station. Be sure to check your local listings for broadcast times.

And in case you missed last year’s ceremony – watch this video!

Are you a teacher? Know a teacher? Or just LOVE our national parks? If you answered yes to any of those questions, then you have to check out National Park Foundation’s upcoming Electronic Field Trip (EFT) to Arizona’s Saguaro National Park! It’s awesome and it’s FREE!

EFTs give students from across the country and around the world the chance to learn about national parks and a variety of environmental topics in a fun and interactive way! On Friday, October 21, 2011 the National Park Foundation is broadcasting live from Saguaro National Park and will be focusing on the role biodiversity plays in this unique desert environment.

Saguaro National Park, Photo credit: Debbie Angel

And get this – this time around, the EFT is extra special as it coincides with the National Geographic Society-National Park Service fifth annual BioBlitz. At this year’s BioBlitz, more than 150 leading scientists and naturalists from around the country, thousands of local citizens of all ages, and more than 2,000 students from the greater Tucson area will be coming together for this scientific endeavor/festival/outdoor classroom! Sounds like a good time, right? We definitely think so!

The EFT will include two, live, hour-long broadcasts (1pm ET and 4pm ET) which can be viewed online at www.electronicfieldtrip.org and on participating public television stations.  Register here today and help us spread the word!

P.S. We’ve even pulled together some lesson plans and interactive games to accompany the EFT – check them out at www.electronicfieldtrip.org/saguaro!