Archive for August, 2011

NPS Town Halls Inspire a Call to Action

August 24th, 2011 at 2:28 pm by NPPC

National Park Service employees and partners gathered at sites and parks across the nation on Aug. 25, to participate in a national town hall meeting led by NPS Director Jon Jarvis.

The Town Hall meetings included presentation of highlights from ”Call to Action: Preparing for a Second Century of Stewardship and Engagement,” a report being issued by the National Park Service that describes the challenges facing the national parks as they approach the 100th anniversary of their founding in 2016. The report calls all who work in or support the national parks to commit to concrete actions that advance the mission of the Service.

Broad themes, supported by specific actions are described, including: Connecting People to Parks, Advancing the NPS Education Mission, Preserving America’s Special Places, and Enhancing Professional and Organizational Excellence.

The complete report can be read at: CLICK HERE.

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Chattahoochee River Rap

August 12th, 2011 at 4:23 pm by NPPC

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5PdDnoxWnQ&feature=channel_video_title

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Statue of Liberty National Monument To Remain Open During Interior Renovation

August 11th, 2011 at 3:32 pm by NPPC

The New York Times reported today that safety improvements inside the Statue of Liberty will require the statue’s interior to be closed for a year.  In following stories, the Associated Press and other media made it appear that the Statue of Liberty was closing… not so.  Only access inside the statue and its pedestal will be closed. For 86% of visitors, there will be no change to what they experience, as only 14% enter the statue. In fact, park staff who worked inside the statue previously will be outside to greet visitors, providing a higher staff to visitor ratio on the grounds beneath her feet.

There’s no easy solution when a place as beloved and visited as the Statue of Liberty needs maintenance, though the National Park Service’s solution assures that access to this beloved monument will continue throughout the improvements. Just as Lady Liberty will never fail to hold high her beacon of liberty, rest assured, she will not close.

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Newly Released Study Renews Concern About Missing Minority Visitors

August 4th, 2011 at 9:03 am by NPPC

The recently released “Comprehensive Survey of the American Public,” conducted by the Wyoming Survey & Analysis Center at the University of Wyoming for the National Park Service is raising public awareness discussion of why so few minorities visit national parks, particularly natural parks.

In “Where are the people of color in national parks?,” MSNBC.com travel writer Rob Lovitt  points out findings within the study which indicate that despite efforts by the National Park Service and its partners to encourage more minorities to visit parks, fewer minorities visit national parks than are represented in the U.S. population.  “Visitation figures are skewed even further when the visits in question are to parks that showcase wilderness and outdoor recreation,” Lovitt writes, “For example, at Yosemite National Park in California, a 2009 visitation survey showed that African Americans totaled just 1 percent of visitors, compared to 77 percent white and 11 percent each for Hispanics and Asians.  The reasons would easily fill a book… but the end result is that the national parks run the risk of losing their connection to the American public.”

To review the new study, CLICK HERE and to read the MSNBC article, CLICK HERE.

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