Monday, August 24, 2015

Free Entry to All National Parks to Celebrate the National Park Service’s 99th Birthday on 8/25


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
  1. Go climbing
  2. Write poetry
  3. Be an urban hiker
  4. Visit a National Heritage Area
  5. Dance
  6. Learn about climate change
  7. Discover a culture new to you
  8. Experience silence
  9. Walk through a doorway of a historic house
  10. Find inspiration in the story of a civil rights leader
  11. Go on a ranger-led tour #rangerspointingatthings
  12. Hug a tree
  13. Make a memory
  14. Earn a Jr. Ranger badge
  15. Relax on the banks of a scenic river
  16. Celebrate innovation
  17. Find life in a desert
  18. Get inspired by a First Lady
  19. Stand on a mountaintop
  20. Bring a kid to a park
  21. Paddle a water trail
  22. Take a photo that matches a historic one #retrogram
  23. Try something new
  24. Channel your inner Bill Nye—become a citizen scientist
  25. Walk a historic main street
  26. Find your park in Spanish #encuentratuparque
  27. Explore a cave
  28. Go green
  29. Brush up your national park trivia skills
  30. Scout a park, boys and girls!
  31. Make art in a park
  32. Celebrate Native American heritage
  33. Come sail away
  34. Take a picnic and dine al fresco
  35. Be bear aware 
  36. Hit the road
  37. Enlighten yourself at a historic lighthouse
  38. Go biking
  39. Explore Asian American and Pacific Islander culture in America
  40. Feel the sand between your toes
  41. Share your story
  42. Learn about endangered species
  43. Join us
  44. Follow NPS on social media
  45. Follow the footsteps of a woman who made history
  46. Get in the know about H2O
  47. Bee pollinator friendly
  48. Get VIP status
  49. Catch a wave
  50. Immerse yourself in a living history program
  51. Hit record
  52. Get prehistoric
  53. Improve your health—get a park Rx
  54. Use your free active military pass
  55. Get reel—Visit a park featured in your favorite movie
  56. Join a trail clean-up
  57. See the sea
  58. Discover a traditional tribal cultural practice
  59. Let Elmo and Murray be your guides
  60. Mail a postcard
  61. Discover history around you
  62. Make new friends
  63. Raft down a river
  64. Pay your respects at a national cemetery
  65. Pick a POTUS
  66. Take a mini-cruise
  67. Plan ahead and prepare
  68. Walk nature's treadmill
  69. Pose for a family photo in a park
  70. Recognize women who made history
  71. Reflect on our most difficult stories
  72. Stamp your park passport
  73. Ride on a historic carousel
  74. Run
  75. See history from a different perspective
  76. Renew your spirit
  77. See how NPS helps transform your community
  78. Go fish
  79. See the starry, starry night
  80. Make a splash
  81. Share a #tbt park photo
  82. Discover the beauty of our nation's other public lands
  83. Sleep outside
  84. Spread the love—thank a park volunteer
  85. Plan the best field trip ever
  86. Visit our international sisters
  87. Trash Your Trash
  88. Find a monument and decode history
  89. Travel the Underground Railroad
  90. Use the buddy system!
  91. Visit for free on our 99th birthday
  92. Wander an American battlefield
  93. Watch wildlife
  94. Take a deep breath
  95. Go wild: Experience wilderness
  96. Use a national park lesson plan
  97. Play
  98. Take a sunrise selfie
  99. 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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