NATIONAL PARKS BLOG

Can you believe it’s already New Year’s Eve? Boy did this year fly by fast! Just yesterday, I found myself reflecting on how meaningful this holiday season has been for me. And it occurred to me that it’s the first time I’ve celebrated the holidays in our national parks. I attended both the National Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony and the National Menorah Lighting in President’s Park and both were such festive and fun experiences! We’re so fortunate that our national parks offer so many unique ways to enjoy and celebrate the holidays!

Rabbis lighting the National Menorah in President's Park in celebration of Chanukah

And I’m not the only one who feels this way! Michael Faison of the Idaho Commission on the Arts (the official state agency for the support and development of the Arts in Idaho), which selected the local artist and arts youth group that designed and created the 2011 ornaments for Idaho’s state tree, wrote about his experience at the National Christmas Tree display and you can read it below.

(In case you want a little background on the state and territory trees, here’s the deal: A local artist and local youth were selected from each U.S. state, territory and the District of Columbia to design and create 24 ornaments. Twenty-three of the ornaments are hanging from the state and territory trees surrounding the National Christmas Tree in President’s Park. One ornament from all 56 states, territories and the District of Columbia are showcased on the White House Visitor Center Christmas tree.  You can get the inside scoop on all of the 2011 state/territory ornaments here!)

Guest blog post by Michael Faison, Executive Director of Idaho Commission on the Arts

It happens that I was able to be in Washington, DC last week and took the occasion to go see the National Christmas Tree display in President’s Park. It is spectacular and does credit to Idaho and all the other states and territories.

There, behind the White House, the National Christmas Tree sits, surrounded by smaller trees representing all the states and territorial jurisdictions. Notable also is the stage where, when I came by in the evening, children’s groups were doing seasonal song and dance performances – they were pretty amazing performances too. There were loads of visitors- a veritable sea of people moving through the displays.

The 2011 Idaho Christmas Tree in President's Park

It was fun walking from tree to tree, seeing what each state had sent for their display, in a few cases even recognizing the schools or organizations that had sent the ornaments for their state trees. I came across Guam and Pennsylvania and remembered good friends and colleagues I have there, who would have directed their states’ efforts. They and others gave me the warm thought of all those kids from all these places who had sat in classrooms and created these lovely ornaments for their trees, sealed them into globes, and shipped them off to Washington, DC, so that they now glisten on Christmas trees at the White House.

It’s all rather cool if I say so myself.

So, many congratulations to the kids of the Kroc Center and many thanks to the crew at the National Park Foundation for managing what must be overwhelming logistics to make it all happen so splendidly. It’s worth all the effort.

There are so many great ways to visit, share and support America’s iconic, national treasures during the holiday season. Here are a handful of our suggestions:

• Give The Gift Of The Parks - Thanks to the generosity of the National Park Foundation board, all year-end gifts (between now and December 31) will be matched up to $75,000! That means your gift will be matched dollar-for-dollar. Pretty incredible, right?! And when you make a donation to NPF, we’ll send you a special printable certificate to include in a stocking or under your Christmas Tree.  I also recommend you check out our gift guide to shop for more gifts that give back to our national parks.

• Holidays In The Parks – From Alaska to Georgia, we pulled together an impressive list of not-to-be-missed holiday celebrations for you to enjoy!  Definitely check them out!

• Hooray For The Holidays! – Now listen up, this is the part where we thank YOU and give back to YOU! From December 19 through December 23, you could win the ultimate national park prize pack including a free annual pass to America’s nearly 400 national parks and roundtrip airfare to any national park destination Southwest Airlines can take you to, outstanding outdoor gear, NPF apparel, and more! Join us at today at www.facebook.com/nationalpark and learn more about Hooray for the Holidays!

• Watch The 2011 National Christmas Tree Lighting From President’s Park On-Demand! Let us bring the spirit of the season to you with the Lighting of the National Christmas Tree at www.thenationaltree.org or by checking local PBS listings for airdates and times. Promise you won’t be disappointed as you watch President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama and their family, along with a star-studded list of performers including Big Time Rush and Ellie Goulding, OneRepublic, Rodney Atkins, Marsha Ambrosius, Kermit the Frog and host Carson Daly having a wonderful time together at the 89^th National Christmas Tree Lighting!

Now that Autumn is in full swing, it’s time to check out colorful fall foliage! Lucky for you, the National Park Foundation just announced the 2011 “Great National Parks for Fall Foliage” list this week and it’s full of great ideas! Whether by water, foot, bicycle or car, these spectacular colors of the season are not to be missed.

Rocky Mountain National Park, Photo credit: Justin Hess

Here’s a glimpse at the 2011 list:

CALIFORNIA
Whiskeytown National Recreation Area
Peak colors expected middle to end of October. On October 18, a hiking event to Whiskeytown Falls offer a perfect way to view the foliage during the peak season.

MISSISSIPPI
Natchez Trace Parkway
In middle to late October, the maple, hickory, oak and other hardwood trees begin to change colors.

PENNSYLVANIA
Flight 93 National Memorial
The trees across the Flight 93 National Memorial begin to turn around mid-October.   Check out honorflight93.org/webcam today to find instant inspiration for a trip to the site or to take a virtual fall foliage tour.
To see the full list visit “NPF REVEALS GREAT NATIONAL PARKS FOR FALL FOLIAGE VIEWING”.

Also, I definitely encourage all you foliage seekers to contact specific parks for the inside scoop on their unique foliage timing, as many factors impact the timing of peak fall colors viewing.  Visit the National Park Service website for contact information and special event listings for all 395 national park units.

P.S. Don’t forget to share your fall foliage photos with us at www.facebook.com/nationalpark!

Just the other week NPF partnered with the National Park Service and Nickelodeon to host the Worldwide Day of Play on the Ellipse in President’s Park in Washington, D.C. and it made me think about all the endless adventures that exist in America’s national parks for kids of all ages!

Thousands of people gathered on the Ellipse in President’s Park in Washington, D.C. for Worldwide Day of Play 2011.

No matter the time of year, America’s national parks offer endless activities to get the family out of the house and enjoying the outdoors together!  Here are a handful of fun-packed national park adventures for kids and families (you can read the entire list of 10 adventures at “10 WAYS FOR KIDS TO PLAY IN AMERICA’S NATIONAL PARKS”):

FLORIDA
Biscayne National Park
Families visiting Biscayne between December and April can sign up to attend “Family Fun Fest” – a daylong program held on the second Sunday of those months and focused on activities tied to the park’s diverse resources.

MICHIGAN
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
Winter isn’t the off-season here, as there are trails for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. And if there’s enough snow, kids and adults can even sled down the 100+ ft. Dune Climb.

WYOMING
Grand Teton National Park
Teens looking for a challenge can measure themselves against the Tetons, thanks to climbing schools where world-class guides will teach them the basics and lead them to the summit of 13,770-foot Grand Teton.

Want to learn about more great national park adventures for kids and families? If so, definitely check out National Park Foundation’s special guide, “Parks for Play: 35 National Park Adventures for Kids of All Ages.”

It’s day four of National Park Week! Have you taken advantage of this great opportunity to enjoy our nation’s national parks and historic sites for FREE? If not, what are you waiting for? Get out there, get active and get into your parks! That’s right, I said YOUR parks. You are the owner of 84 million acres of the world’s most treasured landscapes, ecosystems, and historic sites — all protected in America’s nearly 400 national parks. I challenge you to spend at least a few hours this week getting to know at least one of your parks – I’m pretty sure you won’t regret it.

National Park Week runs until Sunday, April 24, so you have several more days to take advantage of these fee free days. And if you take some impressive photos and shoot some great video clips during your visit to your parks, please do share them with us online http://www.facebook.com/nationalpark. We’d love to hear about your experiences and see the beautiful landscapes that you enjoyed on your recent adventures.

Also – have you heard that we’re giving away daily prizes including park passes, outdoor gear, and a trip to Shenandoah National Park? True story! As part of our “I Heart Parks” promotion running until April 22, you have the opportunity to win some of these great prizes! Make sure to visit http://www.facebook.com/nationalpark for more information.

And if you haven’t already checked out the list of events taking place this week to celebrate National Park Week, definitely take a peak here www.nationalparkweek.org. Just some of the FREE activities taking place this week across the nation include:

• Fort Donelson National Battlefield (Tennessee)
Tuesday, April 19
9:00am-4:00pmET
The Stewart County Visitor Center, in partnership with Fort Donelson National Battlefield and the Tennessee State Museum, is pleased to host a traveling exhibit highlighting the story of cavalry in Civil War Tennessee. Photographs, artifacts and stories explain the unique role of mounted warfare in Tennessee during the American Civil War. The Stewart County Visitor Center is located almost across the street from the Fort Donelson National Battlefield visitor center, on HWY 79, in Dover. Call (931) 305-4447 for more information.

• Jean Lafitte National Historical Park & Preserve (Louisiana)
Wednesday, April 20
9:30am – 10:30amCT
Take an hour-long stroll along the Mississippi River levee for an overview of New Orleans history. 25 free tickets are distributed at 9:00 a.m. on a first-come, first-served basis at the French Quarter Visitor Center, 419 Decatur Street, New Orleans.

• Muir Woods National Monument (California)
Thursday, April 21 (John Muir’s birthday)
8:00amPT
Start the morning off with a quiet walk through what John Muir called “the best tree-lover’s monument in all the forests of the world.”

• Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio)
Friday, April 22 (Earth Day)
9:00am-12:00pmET
Celebrate Earth Day with a 5-mile hike on Ledges area trails and learn how organizations and individuals worked together to plant seeds of conservation in the Cuyahoga Valley.

• Jewel Cave National Monument (South Dakota)
Saturday, April 23 (Junior Ranger Day)
9:00amMT
Young visitors and their families are invited to take a guided hike on the one-quarter mile Roof Trail and learn about the second longest cave in the world.

• Biscayne National Park (Florida)
Sunday, April 24
9:00am- 12:00pmET
Explore Biscayne National Park’s mangrove shoreline on a leisurely paddle to learn about mangroves, manatees, fish and more.