The President’s Fiscal Year 2011 budget for the National Park Service requests $2.7 billion and makes investments of $35.3 million in park operations increases. “Caring for national parks, welcoming more than 286 million visitors every year, and revitalizing Amer (more…)

The County of Hawai’i proclaimed January 2010 Volcano Awareness Month.  Activities scheduled throughout the month include guided hikes, evening talks, teacher workshops and other extraordinary programs focusing on Hawaiian volcanoes. These programs, focusing on the importance of understanding volcanoes, are sponsored by Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park, the U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, and the University of Hawai’i-Hilo.
For more information, please visit (more…)

The County of Hawai’i proclaimed January 2010 Volcano Awareness Month.  Throughout the month, Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park, the U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, and the University of Hawai’i-Hilo will sponsor guided hikes, evening talks, teacher workshops, and other programs focusing on the importance of understanding  and respecting the volcanoes on which we live.  Volcano Awareness Month began on Saturday, January 2 at 10 a.m. at the Jaggar Museum O (more…)

The National Park System has added a new national park. With President Obama’s signing of the Defense Authorization Act Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial in Concord, California became the 392nd national park unit. According (more…)

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From October 1 to October 31, the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area will accept submissions of digital and print photographs for its annual Spirit of the Mountains photo contest.  Amateur photographers can submit photographs in a number of categories.  This contest has inspired many regional amateur photographers from the Southern California area to explore and discover new special places within the Santa Monica Mountains.  One past winner reflected, “Even though the Santa Mon (more…)

From October 16 to 18, three days of public-education events will focus on the 36 hours of  John Brown’s raid, which took place at Harpers Ferry 150 years ago.  The weekend will include music, drama, scholarship, living history, activities for families and youth, and ranger-conducted programs.  There will be book signings, a jazz show produced for the sesquicentennial, and a walk in the footsteps of John Brown and his raiders to which descendants of Harpers Ferry residents, militia, marines (more…)

The National Park Service is welcoming visitors to the new Thomas Edison National Historical Park.  A variety of special programs and events, free of charge and open to all, will be held October 10 through October 12.  Festivities will take place at the Laboratory Complex on Main Street and the Glenmont Estate in Llewellyn Park from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. each day, with extended hours on Saturday until 8 p.m.  The original music recording studio, Thomas
Edison’s private laboratory, and a phot (more…)

Acclaimed filmmaker Ken Burns has created a documentary film about our national parks. The National Parks: America’s Best Idea, a six-episode series, premiered on September 27th on PBS stations. The 12-hour film follows the development of the national parks from their beginnings in the 19th century through 1980. Told from many perspectives and coupled with outstanding cinematography, the film illustrates the creation of a uniquely American idea.