On August 25, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed the Organic Act creating the National Park Service (NPS), a new federal bureau in the Department of the Interior responsible for protecting the 35 national parks and monuments then managed by the department and those yet to be established (now there are 408 national parks!).
I am surrounded by Oregon and Washington state where I live. Oregon, the gorgeous state where I reside, has a total of 6 national parks, 10 national natural landmarks, and 17 national historic landmarks so far. Crater Lake National Park is by far the most famous of our national parks with its beautiful lake and scenery. Washington state has 14 national parks, 18 national natural landmarks, and 24 national historic landmarks so far. Mount Rainier National Park is one of the national parks in Washington with its gorgeous mountain and surrounding forests.
To celebrate the upcoming centennial of NPS in 2016, the National Park Foundation (NPF) launched their Find Your Park campaign to encourage everyone to get up, get out there and #FindYourPark - no matter your interest.
The National Parks Service has provided 99 ways you could celebrate NPS’ 99th birthday on August 25, 2015 and get ready for NPS’ big 100th birthday next year. Founders’ Day also marks fee free day to all national parks.
99 Ways to Find Your Park
http://www.nps.gov/subjects/centennial/nps99.htm
- Go climbing
- Write poetry
- Be an urban hiker
- Visit a National Heritage Area
- Dance
- Learn about climate change
- Discover a culture new to you
- Experience silence
- Walk through a doorway of a historic house
- Find inspiration in the story of a civil rights leader
- Go on a ranger-led tour #rangerspointingatthings
- Hug a tree
- Make a memory
- Earn a Jr. Ranger badge
- Relax on the banks of a scenic river
- Celebrate innovation
- Find life in a desert
- Get inspired by a First Lady
- Stand on a mountaintop
- Bring a kid to a park
- Paddle a water trail
- Take a photo that matches a historic one #retrogram
- Try something new
- Channel your inner Bill Nye—become a citizen scientist
- Walk a historic main street
- Find your park in Spanish #encuentratuparque
- Explore a cave
- Go green
- Brush up your national park trivia skills
- Scout a park, boys and girls!
- Make art in a park
- Celebrate Native American heritage
- Come sail away
- Take a picnic and dine al fresco
- Be bear aware
- Hit the road
- Enlighten yourself at a historic lighthouse
- Go biking
- Explore Asian American and Pacific Islander culture in America
- Feel the sand between your toes
- Share your story
- Learn about endangered species
- Join us
- Follow NPS on social media
- Follow the footsteps of a woman who made history
- Get in the know about H2O
- Bee pollinator friendly
- Get VIP status
- Catch a wave
- Immerse yourself in a living history program
- Hit record
- Get prehistoric
- Improve your health—get a park Rx
- Use your free active military pass
- Get reel—Visit a park featured in your favorite movie
- Join a trail clean-up
- See the sea
- Discover a traditional tribal cultural practice
- Let Elmo and Murray be your guides
- Mail a postcard
- Discover history around you
- Make new friends
- Raft down a river
- Pay your respects at a national cemetery
- Pick a POTUS
- Take a mini-cruise
- Plan ahead and prepare
- Walk nature's treadmill
- Pose for a family photo in a park
- Recognize women who made history
- Reflect on our most difficult stories
- Stamp your park passport
- Ride on a historic carousel
- Run
- See history from a different perspective
- Renew your spirit
- See how NPS helps transform your community
- Go fish
- See the starry, starry night
- Make a splash
- Share a #tbt park photo
- Discover the beauty of our nation's other public lands
- Sleep outside
- Spread the love—thank a park volunteer
- Plan the best field trip ever
- Visit our international sisters
- Trash Your Trash
- Find a monument and decode history
- Travel the Underground Railroad
- Use the buddy system!
- Visit for free on our 99th birthday
- Wander an American battlefield
- Watch wildlife
- Take a deep breath
- Go wild: Experience wilderness
- Use a national park lesson plan
- Play
- Take a sunrise selfie
- Get ready to celebrate with us in 2016!
The National Park Service waived all of its entrance fees on nine days in 2015. The remaining entrance fee free days are August 25 for the National Park Service’s birthday, September 26 for National Public Lands Day, and November 11 in honor of Veterans Day. The entrance fee waiver does not cover amenity or user fees for activities such as camping, boat launches, transportation, or special tours.
Parks are so much more than the majestic landscapes you might think of; they also protect and preserve our culture and history in urban areas and offer endless ways for families to get involved. So get out and go visit a national park!
To find a national park near you, and to learn more about the Find Your Park campaign, visit FindYourPark.com or EncuentraTuParque.com.
DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I am posting about these events because I want my readers to know about them. Thanks to a public relations email for providing me this campaign information. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any compensation for posting about this campaign and event information.
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