Thursday, May 13, 2010

From the Inbox: Your National Park News May 2010

National Parks Conservation Association Donate NowGet Park Lines
Park  Lines
www.npca.org
May 2010


FEATURED PARK
Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, Indiana

"The dunes are to the Midwest what the Grand Canyon is to Arizona." - Carl Sandburg

Every year more than two million people visit Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore at the southern tip of Lake Michigan to enjoy its renowned beaches, towering sand dunes, and beautiful bird-filled ponds and marshes. The park protects more than 15,000 acres of beautiful shoreline, woods, and wetlands, as well as historic routes where Native Americans traveled between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River.

The strong winds across Lake Michigan create these dunes--including the 126-foot Mt. Baldy--by lifting grains of sand and transporting them inland until plants and hills slow the wind, drop the sand, and create the hilly dunes. As you walk you may hear the "singing sands" as the combination of quartz crystals, moisture, and the friction of your steps create a musical tone unique to only a few beaches worldwide.

Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore was established by President John F. Kennedy as part of a compromise, creating both the park and a port to satisfy industrial needs. Today several steel mills and a power plant are adjacent to the park, so protecting the park's fragile resources is a challenge. NPCA is working on a strategic plan with the park and other partners to build support and carve a path that preserves Indiana Dunes for the future.


PARKS IN THE NEWS
America's Great Outdoors Conservation Initiative Launches

great outdoorsOn April 16th, the White House hosted an all-day conference to focus on land conservation in the United States and discuss a new presidential initiative, America's Great Outdoors. This was the first time the president had convened such a meeting since 1908, when Theodore Roosevelt was in office.

The conference initiated an important dialogue among land managers who work within government agencies, conservation groups including NPCA, as well as those who are involved on a local level in states throughout the country. During the next few months, the Department of Interior, Department of Agriculture, and Council on Environmental Quality will host public and private forums around the country to solicit information about ongoing land conservation programs as well as ideas for new ones.

The national parks provide some of the best means of connecting a wide range of people to America's great outdoors, while preserving our country's natural and cultural diversity. They have great value to the American people as natural and historic landscapes and as places that tell our shared story. As a result, national parks have the potential to be the centerpiece of America's Great Outdoors, and should have a prominent place in the administration's initiative.

Stay tuned. The three agencies are expected to produce a report for the President with their recommendations sometime this fall, and we may be encouraging your comments and participation in some of these forums around the country.


NPCA Announces New Partnership

yosemiteThe National Parks Conservation Association has partnered with NestlĂ© Waters North America Inc., on behalf of its six regional spring water brands--Arrowhead®, Deer Park®, Ice Mountain®, Ozarka®, Poland Spring® and Zephyrhills® -- to support NPCA's mission to protect and enhance America's national parks. NestlĂ© Waters' Regional Spring Water brands will work with NPCA on specific restoration projects in a select number of national parks across the country. Those projects will include some or all of the following; trail maintenance and building, removal of non-native, invasive plants and planting of native species, wetlands restoration, and general park maintenance.

For more information, visit npca.org.


Legacy on the Land

legacyThis April, Audrey Peterman and Frank Peterman published Legacy on the Land: A Black Couple Discovers Our National Inheritance and Why Every American Should Care. The book details their cross-country tour of America's national parks and historic sites to reveal some of the often-overlooked issues regarding race, diversity, conservation, and the outdoors.

As long-time NPCA supporters and outdoor enthusiasts, the Petermans have made it their life's work to ensure that all Americans have the information--and the invitation--to get out and have a national park experience of their very own.

To learn more, or purchase the book, visit Earthwise Productions.


TRAVEL WITH NPCA
Women's Fly Fishing AdventureSeptember 12-18, 2010
women's fly fishing
The National Parks Conservation Association invites you to join Fran Ulmer, Former Lieutenant Governor of Alaska, for a women's fly fishing adventure. You'll meet your fellow travel companions in Anchorage--then it's off to the quaint town of Cordova, where our celebrated guide awaits.

Cecilia Pudge Kleinkauf, author of both Fly Fishing Women Explore Alaska and River Girls: Fly Fishing for Young Women, will be leading our fishing excursions in world-class rivers and streams. We'll also enjoy a trip by air to the interior of the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, as well as sightseeing at Childs Glacier and the Copper River Delta.

For more information or to reserve your space, call us at 800.628.7275, e-mail us at travel@npca.org, or learn more online.


IN THIS ISSUE




legacy

We need your support if we are to leave a rich natural, cultural, and historical legacy for our children and grandchildren. Won't you help us protect our national treasures by giving a tax-deductible gift to NPCA today?

Donate Now




OUR LATEST CAMPAIGN
Help Us Reach Our Goal for Clean Air Over Parks of the Southwest Video

If you haven't seen our compelling video, "Diminishing View," about cleaning up old coal-fired plants near Grand Canyon and Mesa Verde, please click here to watch it now! Then help us achieve our goal of sending 15,000 letters to President Obama about restoring clean air to the national parks of the Southwest—we're only 3,000 letters away!

Take Action Today



National Parks MagazineNational Parks, our award-winning quarterly magazine, is an exclusive benefit of NPCA membership.

SUBSCRIBE TODAY

YOU'RE INVITED

National Parks Offer Free Admission Days!

To mark the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day and to celebrate the launch of the Obama Administration's America's Great Outdoors initiative, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar has announced a schedule of free admission days to many of the lands managed by the Department of the Interior including our national parks!

All national parks offer free admission in 2010 on these dates:

  • June 5th-6th
  • August 14th-15th
  • September 25th
  • November 11th in honor of Veterans Day.

Visit nps.gov for more details about the fee free days and activities available in our national parks.

See NPCA events across the
country > >




Feedback? Story ideas? Email us at npca@npca.org.

Are you having trouble making a donation online? Call us at 1.800.628.7275 Monday - Friday from 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Eastern Standard Time and one of our representatives will be able to assist you.




From All the Staff at NPCA,
Thank you for your time and dedication in helping to enhance and protect our national parks for present and future generations.
NPCA's park-protection work is made possible by the generous support of people like you. Membership is just $25, and includes a subscription to our award-winning National Parks magazine, recently recognized for excellence in coverage of environmental tourism by the Society of American Travel Writers. Join Us Today!

Park Lines is a publication of the National Parks Conservation Association. E-mail us at TakeAction@npca.org, write to us at 1300 19th Street, NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20036, or call us at 800.NAT.PARK (800.628.7275).

To learn more, visit us at www.npca.org

Facebook Logo

Twitter Logo


THOUGHTS FOR ALL TIME

"Our national parks play a central and critical role in the conservation of our land, our water, our heritage, and our wildlife. They also can help America's youth and families lead healthier lives and better connect to the natural world. Our national parks like the Great Smoky Mountains, Santa Monica Mountains, San Antonio Missions, Yellowstone, and the Appalachian Trail can inspire kids to get active and lead healthy lives, connect with the outdoors, and learn about America's heritage in the process."
--Tom Kiernan, NPCA President

No comments:

Post a Comment