Tag Archive for the 'nps' Tag

Great Outdoors Month Begins With Presidential Proclamation

June 3rd, 2013 at 9:04 am by NPPC

Tuzigoot National Monument, Arizona

President Barack Obama declared June Great Outdoors month, while reminding Americans, stating the “wealth of natural diversity that remains at the heart of who we are as a people.”

Great Outdoors Month provides a point in time to reflect upon our natural legacy and what is needed to sustain it, but also to celebrate the outdoors and experience its beauty and recuperative values.

America’s National Parks are, of course, the repository of our greatest natural, cultural and historical resources.  It is both our obligation and to our honor to preserve them unimpaired for the enjoyment of today’s and future generations.

Here are some dates to remember:

National Trails Day, American Hiking Society: June 1
National Fishing and Boating Week, Take Me Fishing: June 1 – 9
National Get Outdoors Day, ARC & USDA Forest Service: June 8
Welcome to the Water on National Marina Day, Association of Marina Industries: June 8
Great American Backyard Campout, National Wildlife Federation: June 22

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USA Today Provides 10 New Reasons to Visit National Parks

May 20th, 2013 at 10:28 am by NPPC

CLICK HERE to read Dayton Duncan and Ken Burns’ list of ten new jewels on their must-see list of national parks, and their perspectives on sustaining the accomplishments of the Antiquities Act.  The list includes several sites important to American history.  Among them, the state of Delaware gets its first National Monument, meaning that all 50 states now have a unit within the National Park System.

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Black Hiker

January 16th, 2013 at 5:12 pm by NPPC

Click the following link to see Blair Underwood’s uproarious take on the plight of the black hiker in the outdoors.

Black Hiker

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Ten Years Hence – A Vision of the National Parks

November 27th, 2012 at 6:47 pm by NPPC




The above discussion occurred at Grand Thoughts at the Grand Canyon, a national conference held in October, 2012. Participating were John Poimiroo, CEO of the National Parks Promotion Council; Gail Adams, Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior; Diane Shober, Director of the Wyoming Office of Tourism and Leigh von der Esche, Director of the Utah Division of Tourism.

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American Dreams

November 7th, 2012 at 11:21 am by NPPC

A creative videographer gets to the heart of the relevance of national parks to American youth in this video.

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The Mountain Doesn’t Care If You’re Black

October 4th, 2012 at 8:35 am by NPPC

To inspire youth of color—and particularly African American youth—to get outside, get active, and become stewards of our wild places, the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) will run an expedition with African American participants who will attempt to summit Denali, the highest peak in North America, in June, 2013, the 100th anniversary of the first ascent of the peak. This journey will involve a group of role models in the African American outdoor community learning and using valuable leadership skills, including expedition behavior, communication, and tolerance for adversity and uncertainty, to work together toward achieving a common goal.

As one participant says in the following preview video, “The mountain doesn’t care if you’re Black,” but the example set by these black mountaineers could inspire a new generation to care about the outdoors.  See more by playing this video.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYSByxcCSFE&feature=player_embedded#![/youtube]

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Our True Nature! – Finding A Zest For Life in the National Parks

September 21st, 2012 at 12:21 pm by NPPC
Audrey & Frank Denali

Audrey and Frank Peterman at Denali NP

Author Audrey Peterman has just released her second book on the national park experience.  She calls “Our True Nature!,” “a layperson’s guide to the NPS through my eyes and footsteps.”

Besides the grand national parks, it includesplaces such as Paul Revere’s house; the Liberty Bell; John Brown’s Fort; the Ocmulgee mounds and the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor. With infectious exuberance, Audrey describes where these parks are, how to get there, where to stay, what to do, and even the best time of year to visit.  She says, “it provides the invitation and the information that has been so long needed.”  That the book is written by a woman of color, who has been to all the places described, makes it particularly unique.  She explains, ”I made a conscious effort not to use the words “fight” or “struggle” anywhere in the book, so much so that my friend who edited it describes it as “an eye-opening invitation to the parks conveyed in Audrey’s inimitable loving spirit.”

Autographed, soft-cover, pre-release copies of Our True Nature! are on sale through Friday, Sept. 28 for $14.95 (with shipping and handling included).  Ebook versions are also available for $9.95, including an accompanying Audio Book.  To purchase Our True Nature! – Finding a Zest for Life in the National Park System, CLICK HERE or send check/money order to: Earthwise Productions, Inc.,11200 NW 20th Court,Plantation, FL 33323.

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Jogging in Forest Twice as Good as Gym for Mental Health

July 10th, 2012 at 9:09 am by NPPC

Jogging in a forest is twice as beneficial to one’s mental health as a workout in  a gym, according to researchers at Glasgow University.

A report in the London Telegraph stated that, “Researchers found that anything from a stroll in the park to a run through woodland can have a positive effect on people suffering from depression and anxiety.  The study also showed that the positive effect on people’s mental health was 50 percent more than they might expect from going to the gym.”

Professor Richard Mitchell studied some 2,000 physically active people in the 2008 Scottish Health Survey and was “surprised” to find “around a 50 percent improvement in people’s mental health if they were physically active in the natural environment, compared to those who weren’t,” the Telegraph reported.  The professor said, “Being in areas that have lots of trees and grassy areas help to calm us down and obviously a forest has this.”

He continued, “I wasn’t surprised by the findings that exercise in natural environments is good for your mental health, but I was surprised by just how much better it is for your mental health to exercise in a green place like a forest, than in other places like a gym.  The message to doctors, planners and policy makers is that these places need protecting and promoting.”

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Patriotism Is Visiting National Parks

July 5th, 2012 at 11:53 am by NPPC

Patriot Amy Kersey of Park City hikes Taylor Creek in the Kolob Canyons of Zion National Park

San Francisco Chronicle Travel Editor Spud Hilton suggests true patriots visit national parks.  CLICK HERE to read his Independence Day report.

 

 

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National Get Outdoors Day

June 7th, 2012 at 10:26 am by NPPC

Sunset Over Everglades National Park (John Anderson | Dreamstime)

National Parks are getting people outdoors on National Get Outdoors Day, Saturday, June 9, with Fee-Free Admissions and special events.

At the Roosevelt-Vanderbilt National Historic Sites, hike at least five of the Hyde Park Trails and receive a free Walkabout 2012 patch.  The hiking experience is enhanced through six audio podcast tours, downloadable website at http://www.nps.gov/hofr (click on “photos and multimedia”) or call 845-475-3819 to access cell phone tours.

Mammoth Cave National Park is offering free Discovery and Mammoth Passage cave tours on Sat., June 9.  “It is time to get outdoors and enjoy the beautiful Kentucky landscapes, above and below ground,” said Park Superintendent Patrick Reed. “A walk in the woods or the cave is refreshing to the mind and body.”  Visitors must pick up the free tickets at the visitor center ticket office prior to tour times.   The self-guided Discovery tour runs between 9:30 a.m. and 3 p.m.; a free Mammoth Passage tour will depart from the visitor center at 4:45 p.m.

At Gettysburg National Military Park, living history reenactors of the U.S. Sharpshooters will present demonstrations and encampments atop Little Round Top on June 9.

Everglades National Park’s daily guided walk on the Anhinga Trail (10:30 a.m.) is one way to experience the “glades” in summer, though insect repellent is advised.  Less “buggy” outings include boat tours out of Flamingo, the Gulf Coast, and Tram tours at Shark Valley or visiting Dry Tortugas by ferry or sea plane from Key West.  Infamous Fort Jefferson at Dry Tortugas was built to defend the southern coast against the British Navy in the Gulf.  A guided tour visits its batteries, then snorkel and seen all types of colorful sea life.

Gadling reports that, “In addition to fee-free entry to the national parks, there are 122 official National Get Outdoors Day locations spread out across the U.S. Each of these locations will play host to a number of scheduled events throughout the day and they offer further opportunities to celebrate the occasion. For instance, those living near Highlands Ranch, Colorado, can join the First Annual Backcountry Community Campout, while residents of New Jersey may want to visit Field Station: Dinosaurs to get in on the fun.”

President Barack Obama has proclaimed June as Great Outdoors Month and encourages all Americans to share in the natural splendor of which we are all proud inheritors.  Additional Fee-Free Days in 2012 include September 29 (National Public Lands Day) and November 10 – 12 (Veterands Day Weekend).

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