The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) signed an agreement that will help the National Park Service (NPS) showcase sustainable energy practices and fulfill its mission of environmental stewardship. With equal amounts of initial “seed money” from DOI and DOE totaling $1 million for 2009, the Energy SmartPARKS program hopes to eventually draw private sector support to spark a green energy future in the United States. (more…)

“Talking buoys” may not replace park rangers, but buoys are providing tidbits of history to boaters on the Chesapeake Bay as part of an agreement between the National Park Service (NPS) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). 

Under this agreement, the National Park Service and NOAA will promote enjoyment and stewardship of the Chesapeake Bay, using projects like the interpretive buoy system to tell the story of the Bay through science, history, and recreation. Ca (more…)

The 2008 Alaska Park Science Symposium is scheduled for October
14-16 in Fairbanks, in conjunction with Beringia Days 2008. The symposium is sponsored by the National Park Service and is an International Polar Year event. The theme is Natural and Cultural Heritage of Greater Beringia. Meeting presentations will focus on the natural and cultural resources found in the parks, protected areas, and communities of this vast area, which stretches from the Lena River in Siberia to the Mackenzie River (more…)

As the presidential election approaches and Americans consider which candidate they will vote for on November 4th, the National
Park Service offers a new Discover Our Shared Heritage on-line travel itinerary that explores the lives and contributions of all 43 American
presidents. The American Presidents Travel Itinerary features the White House and more than 70 other sites nationwide that are listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Almost half of the sites are also part of the (more…)

Tropical storms and other flood events are often termed disasters because of injuries, fatalities and the destruction of homes and businesses. Part of the disaster is the loss of family heirlooms. “I am saddened by the stories of people who have lost so much from floods and storms,” said National Park Service Director Mary A. Bomar. “We learn about their stories of survival in the news but also hear about damage to a lifetime of memories – the loss of personal heirlooms is devastat (more…)

The National Park Service will provide enhanced programs and services for injured military members through a partnership established today with Wounded Warrior Project. In a ceremony held at the Lincoln Memorial, National Park Service Director Mary Bomar and Wounded Warrior Project Executive Director and Founder John Melia signed an agreement to develop opportunities to help severely injured military members mend physically, mentally, and spiritually in parks. (more…)

In August of this year law enforcement officers from nine agencies raided a marijuana plantation in Ross Lake National Recreation Area where they removed and destroyed 16,000 marijuana plants. The site was the first known marijuana plantation within a National Park area in Washington State. With the idea that national parks are places where we bring our family and children to enjoy nature and learn about our heritage, “marijuana farms like the one recently destroyed in North Cascades National Pa (more…)

The Kids Zone, a new addition to the National Park Service’s website, launched on August 25th. It includes more than 50 interactive activities designed to connect children with the people, places, and events commemorated in the country’s 391 National Park Service sites. “The Kids Zone, launched on the 92nd anniversary of the National Park Service, introduces the next generation of park stewards to the fascinating stories told in national parks,” said Nat (more…)

The National Park Foundation and Olympus Imaging America Inc. are challenging everyone who can point and click to grab their camera, head to a federal land, and enter the 2008 Share the Experience Photo Contest. This year’s official contest is sponsored by the National Park Foundation and Olympus in partnership with the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of Reclamation, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. For (more…)