NATIONAL PARKS BLOG

The National Park Foundation is once again teaming up with the National Park Service to kick off National Park Week 2011 April 16th – 24th. Celebrating “Healthy Parks, Healthy People,” national parks across the country are encouraging people to come visit, get outdoors, and embrace a healthy lifestyle, while also embracing the importance of keeping our parks protected and preserved. Best of all – all national parks will be FREE all week! From ranger-led hikes and kayak trips to camping and volunteer events, park visitors can start planning their National Park Week adventures now at www.nationalparkweek.org. There, visitors will find resources on national park week events, special activities for visitors of all ages, details on how to share park adventure with other travelers, as well as information on how to support the parks.

For more information on National Park Week and a full listing of events including details on park-specific Earth Day events (April 22), Junior Ranger Day activities (April 23), and ways to lend a hand in local parks on Volunteer Day (April 16), please visit www.nationalparkweek.org.

Whether it is during National Park Week or any other day of the year, it is the generous support of individuals, foundations and corporations that allow the National Park Foundation to continue its Congressionally-chartered mission to support and protect America’s treasured national parks. The National Park Foundation is proud to recognize Bank of America, Energizer, Peace Cereal and The North Face for their support of National Park Week.

As soon as you step onto the ferry to Governors Island in New York, you are immediately enveloped by scenic vistas and American history. From the outset of the trip out to Governors Island, visitors are met with outstanding views of Manhattan’s Financial District, The Statue of Liberty, Brooklyn and the Wall Street Heliport.

Though few are aware of its significance, this large island in the middle of New York harbor has played a major role in American history. From 1776 to 1996, military communities were stationed on Governors Island with the shared objective of providing protection to New York City.

Today, you can explore the island’s history as it evolved from a colonial outpost to regional administrative center for the U.S. Army and Coast Guard through the National Park Foundation’s Active Trails inspired program, a ranger led historical tour around the island.

The National Park Foundation’s Active Trails program was designed to promote healthy lifestyles while protecting and enhancing our National Parks’ trail resources. This multi-faceted program offers many ways in which volunteers, community groups, corporate partners, students and educators can get involved with their national parks through hands-on trail work, citizen science, formal and informal learning activities, special events and community activities.

Our national parks provide remarkable opportunities for outdoor recreation on more than 13,000 miles of land and water trails. These trails provide millions of people a year with opportunities to experience our nation’s immaculate natural beauty and its dynamic past.

Watch the video from the Governors Island ranger led tour and sign up for your own tour next time you are in New York City.

How to get there:

Catch the ferry from the Governors Island Ferry which is located in the Battery Maritime Building, Slip # 7.

Working with the National Park Service staff at Gulf Islands National Seashore (GINS) on our latest Electronic Field Trip (EFT), Sea Change, was an extremely educational experience for me personally. The park unit spans the Gulf Coast between the panhandle in Florida all the way over to Mississippi. From natural and human-created events like Hurricane Ivan and the Gulf oil spill, the National Seashore has endured many changes over the past ten years. Throughout this time the park rangers have remained steadfast in their belief that the park remains resilient and will always make a comeback.

That is the primary lesson we were looking to pass on to students across the country during the Electronic Field Trip. After all, change is a constant in all aspects of life and we need to learn how to understand and manage it as best as we can. Of course, the EFT also instructed students on how we should work hard to minimize the impacts our own behavior has on the Gulf of Mexico and all ecosystems.

Before beginning the work on this EFT, I was unaware that two thirds of the United States, between the Rocky Mountains and the Appalachians form the watershed that eventually drains into the Gulf and this runoff creates a serious impact. I have learned how important it is to understand our personal impacts on these delicate ecosystems and participate in the science and solutions in our own communities. It’s my hope that, through the latest EFT, the National Park Foundation was able to help spread that vital message in 4th to 8th grade classrooms across the country and around the world.

Program Director, National Park Foundation

I just read an article by Philippe Cousteau, CEO of EarthEcho International, about his recent trip to Yellowstone National Park. Click here to see HuffPo commentary.

Cousteau writes about what he’s observed and learned while in Yellowstone. One sentence, in particular, jumped out at me, “Other challenges are threatening the parks as well. A familiar refrain I heard over and over from guides and rangers alike was the concern over the effects of an increasingly volatile climate.”

I was struck by this sentence because I’m working on NPF’s upcoming Electronic Field Trip (EFT) to North Cascades National Park, which will focus on climate change. NPF picked North Cascades for the EFT because it is home to over 300 glaciers. And many of these glaciers have shrunk dramatically during the last century thanks, in part, to global warming.

The upcoming EFT, which will air on October 13th, will use North Cascades as a medium for explaining climate change and its impacts. I think some of the kids will be surprised to learn that the glaciers are not only wonders of the natural world, but they provide an important source of water for the plants, animal and people that live in the region. As the glaciers shrink, a water supply is diminished.

I hope our EFT is successful in teaching thousands of children about climate change, and motivating them to take action to help mitigate the human-caused impacts on the climate.

To learn more about our upcoming EFT click here!