National Parks Foundation Feature

Thank you so much to the National Parks Foundation for featuring us in their September newsletter (scroll down):

NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION

CENTENNIAL
Centennial Month Recap — This year has been full of amazing events, programs, and celebrations in honor of the National Park Service Centennial. Hundreds of celebrations took place across the country with some of August’s highlights including a Park Exchange event in New York City at Thomas Edison National Historical Park that lit up the New York skyline and a giant living arrowhead on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

Obama’s Weekly Address — President Barack Obama addressed the nation in a Youtube video on August 20 in anticipation of the National Park Service’s Centennial birthday. The President commemorated the 100th anniversary by sharing his family’s incredible experiences in national parks. President Obama described the importance of parks to himself and his family, as well as to current and future generations of Americans. He encouraged all Americans to explore the outdoors and “Find Your Park.”

Centennial Commemorative Coin — The United States Mint is selling commemorative coins that honor the National Park Service Centennial. These are beautiful collector’s items and every sale benefits the parks through funding for NPS signature projects and programs. As the official nonprofit partner of the National Park Service, the Foundation will collect the surcharges from sale of the coins to be used for vital projects and programs throughout the park system. The coins are available for purchase in select parks and online through December 31, 2016, so be sure to order yours soon!

National Park Centennial Challenge — The National Park Foundation teamed up with Humana and Charity Miles to create the National Park Centennial Challenge. Charity Miles is an app that allows people to earn money for a charity when they walk, run, or bike. The results of the Centennial Challenge showed that people logged over 100,000 miles during the course of the centennial week, making the National Park Foundation the number one charity on the app! You can learn more about the National Park Centennial Challenge here.

FIND YOUR PARK
A New Century and A New Park! — Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument was designated by President Obama as the newest park on August 24, 2016. It is the 413th park, covering 87,500 acres of rugged terrain in Northeastern Maine, including mountain ridges and wild rivers. The parklands are home to a wide variety of animals like moose, bobcats, bald eagle, salmon, and Canadian lynx. Philanthropist Roxanne Quimby donated thousands of acres and millions of dollars to the creation of this monument.

Find Your Park Expedition 2016 Updates — Eight social media personalities, bloggers, and online influencers will be adventuring through San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Rosie the Riveter WWII Homefront National Historical Park, and Yosemite National Park this month. The Find Your Park Expedition is a great opportunity to connect millennials and diverse audiences to our national parks. By taking online influencers to parks, we’ll bring the parks to people everywhere! Keep following #FYPx on social media for the latest updates.
Wrapping up the Park Exchange in New York City — The Park Exchange event series celebrated its final event in New York City on August 22. The all-day event boasted hundreds in attendance, celebrity appearances, and lots of media coverage. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell, National Park Foundation President Will Shafroth, and Bill Nye ‘the Science Guy’ joined in on the fun, while DJ Questlove played a set into the night. Media coverage included CBS News, CNBC Squawk Box, and All Hip Hop.

NEWS AND RESOURCES
Obama Administration Launches Second Year of Every Kid in a Park — The Obama Administration announced on Thursday, September 1, that the Every Kid in a Park Program will continue for a second year. In addition, the National Park Foundation announced 129 field trip grants that will make it possible for 250,000 4th graders to visit national parks during the 2016 -2017 school year.

Paint the Parks! — What better way to celebrate the National Park Service Centennial than with painting your favorite outdoor spaces? Paint the Parks is a project for artists and nature lovers alike. Artists from around the country can paint scenes from their favorite national parks and then donate 10% of their proceeds from the sale of the painting to the National Park Foundation or to a specific park. You can find, purchase or get more information about these great pieces of art online at PaintTheParks.com.

National Public Lands Day — Celebrate our public lands by participating in a volunteer event on September 24. There are thousands of public land sites nationwide that need a little of your time for National Public Lands Day. People of all ages are invited to give back to their local community. There are lots of options to choose from. You can pull weeds, pick up litter, maintain trails and so much more. National Public Lands Day is a free admission day for all federal public lands and many state parks. Check out the National Public Lands Day website for more information.
2016 Fall Friends Alliance Registration and Updates — Registration is still open for the 2016 Fall Friends Alliance meeting at Grand Canyon National Park. This meeting will focus on sustaining and growing support for our national parks into the next century. Topics covered will include updates from the National Park Service, the National Park Foundation, and networking opportunities for partners. The upcoming Fall Friends Alliance meeting is quickly approaching so be sure to register, coordinate travel plans, and signup for field trips today! For questions, or interest in carpooling to the Grand Canyon, please contact Marya Skotte at 202.796.3115 or mskotte@nationalparks.org.

A Warm Welcome to Chrystal Morris Murphy at the National Park Foundation — The National Park Foundation is excited to welcome Chrystal Morris Murphy as Senior Vice President of Community Partnerships. Chrystal is a community leader with over 10 years of constituency building and public relations experience. In her most recent role as VP and Senior Director of Community Engagement with America’s Promise Alliance (APA), Chrystal successfully created national partnerships, campaigns, and networks that galvanized communities to action. We look forward to the engaging work that Chrystal will be doing at the National Park Foundation!

Have Any Upcoming Find Your Park Programs, Events, or Volunteer Activities? — Please let NPF know if you have any events and/or volunteer opportunities you’d like us to share on social media. Please send details to Alanna Sobel, Senior Communications Manager, at asobel@nationalparks.org at least two weeks before the event date.

We sent you this email because you requested our monthly newsletter about national parks. If you’d rather not receive GoParks from the National Park Foundation, you can delete your name from our subscription list by contacting Marya Skotte at mskotte@nationalparks.org. In addition to our monthly newsletters, the National Park Foundation may periodically send out special editions of GoParks to alert our readers of news and events. Please see our revised Terms of Agreement here.

The National Park Foundation is the national charitable partner of the National Park Service.