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National Park Week Thanks

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As National Park Week wrapped up yesterday, I thought a lot about our national parks this past week and all the memories of our visits there. I also thought about the discoveries, innovations, conservation, workforce, volunteers, youth, junior rangers, community, and the arts! 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!

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National Park Week – Arts in Parks

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Happy National Park Week! To end this fun week, today’s theme focuses on arts in the parks. The national parks inspire creativity. National parks have inspired artistic expression and creativity for many, many years. The national parks have definitely inspired me! Our national parks inspired me to write children’s book set in a national park. I created a magical national park, Erutuf National Park, as the setting for my children’s book series. It’s not a real national park, but an idealistic and magical one. Click here for more information on the book series. How have the national parks inspired you? Time to start planning the next national park trip to create more memories! 

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National Park Week – Junior Ranger Day

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Today’s National Park Week theme is Junior Ranger Day! I love the junior ranger program! In fact, before having children, I would ask for the junior ranger books and complete it.  I love the activities and learning all the fun facts and information about each unique national park site! My children have enjoyed earning their badges at various sites now too! The photos show my children earning their badges at Yellowstone National Park and at Kenai Fjords National Park. 🙂 “Explore. Learn. Protect” – This is the Junior Ranger motto is recited by children around the country; each taking an oath of their own to protect parks, continue to learn about parks, and share their own ranger story with friends and family. The NPS Junior Ranger program is an activity-based program conducted in almost all parks, and some Junior Ranger programs are national. Interested youth complete a series of activities during a park visit, share their answers with a park ranger, and receive an official Junior Ranger patch and Junior Ranger certificate. Have you ever earned a junior ranger badge? If so, which park? Happy National Park Week! 

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National Park Week – Community Connections

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The theme for today in this year’s national park week focuses on community connections. The national park service works not just within the park boundaries. The national park service works with communities in a variety of ways. Enjoy this short video explaining the involvement of NPS at the local community level. Click here for a short video. What can you do to ensure historic preservation, recreation, natural resource conservation, and education projects in your own community? Happy National Park Week! 

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National Park Week – Youth Engagement

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Today’s national park week theme focuses on youth engagement. National parks are places for fun, discovery, exploration, wellness, and service. Youth and young adult programs are designed to connect kids, teens, and young adults to opportunities at national park sites across the nation. These sites contribute to our nation’s rich natural, cultural, historical, and recreational resources. Enjoy this video about today’s theme! Click here for the video. Happy National Park Week!

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National Park Week – Workforce Wednesday

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Today’s theme is Workforce Wednesday. It focuses on all the many, many great individuals who make these parks run daily. These employees, interns, fellows, volunteers, contractors, partners and more all spend their valuable time and energy making these places great for us all! I am so grateful for these many people who each play an important role for national parks! These two photos show two different park rangers – one giving a park ranger presentation at Yellowstone National Park and the other showing us a sled dog puppy at Denali National Park. What’s your favorite memory with a park ranger ? Happy National Park Week!

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National Park Week – Innovation

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Today, the National Park Week looks at innovation. The national parks provide a great opportunity to learn about innovation. The definition of innovation is “a new idea, method, or device.”  Many of our national sites highlight varying types of innovation. Have you ever visited the Thomas Edison National Historic Park in New Jersey? At this national park site, visitors can step back in time to Thomas Edison’s home and laboratory, when machines were run by belts and pulleys and music was played on phonographs. You can discover where America’s greatest inventor changed our world forever. I have never been here, but would love to visit it! What innovative projects do you recall learning about in a national park? Happy National Park Week!  

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National Park Week – Earth Day

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Happy Earth Day! Join this global celebration encouraging education and stewardship of our planet’s resources. This year’s Earth Day theme is Planet vs. Plastics. The movement looks at a 60% reduction in production of all plastics by 2040. Plastic pollution is very real and single-use plastics are small but have a large impact. 79% of plastic that has ever been made still sits in landfills or the natural environment (with the exception of the small amount that has been incinerated or recycled). At least 14 million tons of plastic end up in our oceans every year. By 2050, there will be more plastic in the oceans than there are fish (by weight). Everyone can take steps to help reduce this plastics use in our daily lives. We can change these statistics! How can you reduce plastic use at your home? Happy Earth Day and Happy National Park Week! 

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National Park Week – Volunteers

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Today’s theme for National Park Week focuses on volunteers. Volunteers support the National Park Service in its mission to preserve and protect our national parks. You can volunteer for a day or year-round; on your own or with friends and family; close to home or at a dream destination. Volunteer opportunities are available nationwide including in U.S. Territories. Visit this website to explore volunteer opportunities with the national park service by clicking here. Have you ever thought about volunteering for the national parks? Happy National Park Week!  

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