Independent Bookstore Day

Happy Independent Bookstore Day!

This national one-day party celebrates independent bookstores across the country online and in-store. 

To celebrate this day and these special stores, go visit your local independent bookstore either in-person or even go online! Yay – another reason to buy more books!

You can even find my children’s book Turtle Tube: An Erutuf National Park Novel at a great independent bookstore in Florida called Copperfish Books. Click here to order it online from them and check out their awesome selection of books.

Copperfish Books

Happy Shopping!

CA State Park Passes

1,100 public libraries in California now have state park passes to check out!

California has over 200 state parks to visit and the state park passes usually cost around $195. Library cardholders can now check out these passes to get a free vehicle day-use pass.

Each library has three passes and will decide how many days people can check out the pass. Visit your own public library for the details there.

If you live in California and have a library card, check out the state park pass and go visit one of our great state parks here in California!

Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park

National Park Week Thanks

As National Park Week wrapped up yesterday, I thought a lot about our national parks this past week. I thought about all the memories of our visits there.

Yellowstone National Park, 2019

I also thought about the sPark discovery, creativity, collaborations, innovations, opportunities, preservations, actions, curiosity, and memories. I love the sPark!

I smiled a lot during all these thoughts and memories. National parks bring us great joy in addition to many other benefits. National Park Week provided us with a daily reminder of all the goodness within this great and unique system.

Thank you for coming along with me on this year’s National Park Week.

sPark Memories

Happy National Park Week!

To end this fun week, today’s theme focuses on memories. National parks provide families and friends with so many wonderful and lasting memories.

Enjoy two photos from my own amazing memories from the same area in the Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming 15 years apart.

2004
2019

What’s your favorite memory from one of the national parks?

Time to start planning the next national park trip to create more memories!

sPark Curiosity

Today’s National Park Week theme focuses on curiosity.

I can’t think of a better place to go and be curious than our national parks! They all offer so much to learn, explore, and just be a part of.

Merriam-Webster defines curious as “marked by desire to investigate and learn”.

To celebrate today, take a look in person or online at a national park and investigate and learn something new. There’s so much to explore and learn out there!

Are you curious about Crater Lake National Park? Here are some fun facts about it:

Crater Lake National Park, 2016

Happy National Park Week!

sPark Action

Happy Earth Day! Today’s theme during National Park Week looks at taking action which fits perfect with Earth Day.

Click this link here for some ideas to incorporate conservation at your home. Anyone can help. And every little bit adds up and makes a difference.

Happy Earth Day!

sPark Preservation

Today’s theme for National Park Week centers around preservation. The National Park Service is a leader and partner in preservation of historic, cultural, natural and recreational resources nationally and internationally. It’s literally their mission.

Yellowstone National Park

If you’re interested in historic preservation programs or resources, click here to learn more.

Happy National Park Week!

sPark Opportunities

Happy National Park Week!

Today’s theme focuses on the many, many people it takes to make the national parks work. It includes employees, interns, volunteers, and fellows. It takes part-time, full-time, seasonal, and project-timed types. It takes all types!

This amazing team of diverse backgrounds and experiences keep our national parks going day in and day out.

Have you ever thought about volunteering or working for the National Park Service? If so, click here and check out the variety of opportunities.

Happy National Park Week!

sPark Innovation

Today’s theme for National Park Week focuses on innovation. The National Park Service works to create new technology to support conservation and preservation efforts while working to improve current conditions at the parks as well.

For example, did you know that parks like Petroglyph National Monument are going green with newer technology, such as electric vehicle charging stations and solar panels?

They have projects that range from multi-year waste reduction initiatives and all-electric bus fleets to the installation of water bottle refill stations, solar panels, LED lights, and more. These measures are helping parks think and plan long-term for a greener future, ensuring they are resilient and sustainable for the benefit of both parks and the people who love them.  

Propane recycling outside the Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center at Lassen Volcanic National Park
NPS Photo by Amanda Sweeney

To celebrate today, go online and watch a webcam at one of the national parks. See the technology first hand and check out somewhere new! Click here for your choice of parks to visit online.

Happy National Park Week!

sPark Collaboration

Today’s National Park Week theme looks at the many partners working to help our national parks.

The national parks need our time by volunteering and our donations to help continue these great treasures. You can help by supporting one of more than 200 philanthropic organizations that partner with national parks nationwide.  In addition, many national parks have nonprofit associations linked to them. In addition, the National Park Foundation is the official charity of our national parks and nonprofit partner to the National Park Service.

Take a moment to check out one of these friend organizations of the national parks today! Click here for a directory of these organizations.

Happy National Park Week!