NPT talks with Acadia National Park Superintendent about taking the lead on getting children back in nature.

Superintendents, regional directors and emerging leaders representing 300 national parks converged in Snowbird, Utah for a summit meeting this July. They used the summit as an opportunity to network and discuss the plight of parks, many of which face declining budgets and visitation.

National Park Service Director, Mary Bomar, had three main themes for the summit: engaging Americans with their park, increasing the capacity of the system and preparing the next generation of leaders.

The national parks welcomed 275 million visitors last year; however, Bomar states that National Park visitation is “significantly down from our peak visitation in the mid-1990s.”

 One main reason for decreased visitation is that children are spending more time inside with televisions and computers than exploring the outdoors. 

NPT spoke recently with Acadia National Park Superintendent, Sheridan Steele.  He is trying to reverse that trend by leading the way in Maine to bring more youth to the Parks. He presented Acadia’s youth programs at a session at the Utah summit, with the goal of sharing ideas and reenergizing superintendents to focus on bringing more youth to the parks.  Many of the programs he shared are highlighted in Acadia’s summer issue of its newspaper.  His goal is to reach every school child in Maine.  Steele says that while the National Parks can provide leadership, “the solution to the problem is going to come through multiple agencies becoming involved, including federal, state, nonprofits and private partnerships.”

NPT is pursuing new ways to work with individual parks and the National Park Service as a whole to ensure that we meet our vision that Everyone will have an American Park Experience.  

NPT commits support to Lassen Peak Trail Enhancement project

NPT has embarked on a 5 year fundraising plan in partnership with the Lassen Park Foundation and Lassen Volcanic National Park.  The three organizations will raise needed funds to restore the much loved Lassen Peak Trail, the centerpiece of the Park experience. Every year approximately 40,000 people climb to the Peak during the Park’s short four month season. The current trail in inadequate for the numbers of people who hike it and is unsafe in places.

According to Lassen Peak staff, hiking Lassen Peak can be one of the most memorable experiences of your lifetime; however, shortcuts have quickly eroded the volcanic soils and damaged alpine plants, such as the Lassen Peak Smelowskia, an endangered species found in only one place in the world: Lassen Peak!   

On May 22, 1915, an explosive eruption at Lassen Peak devastated nearby areas and rained volcanic ash as far away as 200 miles to the east.  A year later Lassen Volcanic National Park was created. 

Please help us in our efforts to protect the Park’s fragile ecosystem and restore the overused trail. Click here to donate to this important project. Click here for more on Lassen Volcanic National Park.

NPT Park Service partner retires

Superintendent Don Campbell retired from the Park Service this July after 41 years at the National Park Service. He spent 29 of those years as Superintendent of Harpers Ferry National Historical Park (HAFE) in West Virginia.  

NPT partnered many times with HAFE over Campbell’s tenure, most recently in helping preserve the 99-acre Murphy’s Farm from development.  The scenic farm overlooks the Shenandoah River; it served as a battlefield during the Civil War, and was later the site of a landmark meeting of African-American leaders, leading to the creation of the NAACP. The land has since been added to the park under the management of the National Park Service.

In his outgoing letter to NPT, Campbell says “your unwavering commitment to preserve the rich history and unparalleled beauty of Harpers Ferry National Historical Park is much appreciated.  I will always be thankful for your efforts to see the Murphy Farm preserved and from bringing about the Harpers Ferry National Historical Park Boundary Revision Act of 2004.”

We thank Don Campbell for his years of service.  We will miss his vision and his ability to preserve and expand an important part of America’s history and landscape. 

Click here for more information on Campbell’s retirement.

New name chosen for our newsletter

We at NPT have chosen a new name for our monthly newsletter and will unveil its new look in the September issue.  We’re changing the name from Parkland News to NPT News on the American Park Experience. We'll call it NPT News for short. Our plan is to update you on the great work NPT is doing to protect our parks and provide everyone with an American park experience. Thanks to all of you who responded to our request for input!

Scholarship will send NPT manager to LTA 08 Rally

Congratulation to NPT’s Land Projects Manager, Kit McGinnis! She was selected to receive a scholarship to attend the 2008 Land Trust Alliance Rally. The annual rally brings representatives from land trusts across the country to learn the latest in land preservation techniques and to network with colleagues in the field. The title of this year’s Rally is ‘Bridging Our Past, Connecting Our Future'.  Approximately 2000 participants are expected at the Rally, which will be held in Pittsburgh, PA. 

Click here for more information on Rally 08.  In the photo, Kit is overlooking Lake Takahula in the Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve.

Bison advocates aim to seed West with new herds

Associated Press

July 30, 2008

More than a century after Buffalo Bill and others hunted America's wild bison to near-extinction, researchers at a compound near Yellowstone National Park have launched an ambitious restoration effort. >>> More

NPT has worked with Bison advocacy groups near Yellowstone National Park for several years to determine solutions for protecting the shrinking Yellowstone Bison herd.

Name This Park!

NPS Photo

 Click here to find out

TRAVEL: Five tips for a green "staycation"

Yahoo's Green Picks

July 27, 2008

Hawaii and the Caribbean are out of range this summer, thanks to airfare sticker shock. Europe is a big no-go because of the awful exchange rate for the dollar. Even Disney World is no deal unless you happen to live in Orlando. 

So everyone's talking of taking a "staycation" -- that is, staying home and vacationing in your own town or nearby. Some reports suggest that 50 percent of Americans have changed their summer vacation plans due to rising gas prices and other economic woes.

Check out these ideas for an eco-friendly staycation this year:

Camp in a county, state, or national park or forest. You may not have to go far to get into the woods -- search online if you're not familiar with what's local. Many parks have nominal fees, and you may need to reserve a campground space in advance. But total costs are low, and this is the ultimate down-to-earth experience for the whole family. Climb a mountain, swim in a lake, or just relax on the grass and watch the clouds go by.

>>> More

Poem of the Day:

Climb the mountains and get their good tidings.
Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees.

The winds will blow their own freshness into you...
while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.

-John Muir

Did you Know? 

While many people often associate St. John’s history with the Danish colonization period beginning in 1719, the island’s history dates back several more centuries. Even when Christopher Columbus discovered the Virgin Islands in 1493, native populations had been living there more than 500 years before he arrived.