National Park Foundation

NPF is excited to announce more than $1 million in grants through a Rivers and Trails RFP! Explore the projects: https://lnkd.in/eWVx_KcC These projects will enhance the visitor experience at these sites, create opportunities for on-trail education, fund research, wildlife conservation, and much more. Today marks the anniversary of the National Trails System Act of 1968 and the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968, legislation that enabled the protection of some of our nation’s most iconic places. NPF’s support helps bolster the resiliency of and futureproof these sites! 📸: iStock/UWMadison

Biologists in Joshua Tree National Park have been monitoring desert tortoises since 2003. It's one of the longest-running tortoise monitoring programs in the nation. Scientists began tracking to learn whether adding curbs to some roads to protect habitats from vehicles would interfere with tortoises’ movement. They discovered that tortoises could scale the curbs with a slight modification to their design. Tortoise tracking continues to provide new insights into tortoise behaviors. With NPF’s support, Joshua Tree National Park was able to purchase 18 transmitters to track the desert tortoises living within the park boundaries. These transmitters are specifically designed to safely adhere to the shell of the desert tortoise with glue mounts allowing the animal to live and function normally. 📸: National Park Service

Public lands are: ⛰️ Spaces to explore 🗽 Iconic places 📜 Home to our history 🌄 Where we come together Today, we celebrate public lands and the memories we've made. Happy Public Lands Day! 📸: Sarah Gustafson 📸: lunamarina 📸: National Park Service 📸: Maribel_Torres

Summer, you were fantastic, but it’s time to make way for pumpkin spice, leaves, boots, and sweaters! National parks are great places to see the fall colors and feel the crunch of the leaves beneath your feet! Here are a few things to keep in mind when you visit. 📜 Follow the rules 🏞️ Visit at off-peak times 👀 Look, don’t touch 🐻 Respect wildlife 🙋 Consider volunteering Not sure where to go? USA TODAY’s free national parks edition is filled with inspiration for your next journey: https://lnkd.in/eAeAKFvP 📸: Denis Tangney Jr

All aboard the Big Boy No. 4014! Watch Jay Leno’s Garage: https://lnkd.in/e4uiD7bM NPF and Union Pacific Railroad welcomed Jay Leno aboard the iconic Big Boy No. 4014 steam engine and Union Pacific’s Heritage Fleet cars to film an episode of Jay Leno’s Garage during a tour across western Iowa. Union Pacific has been a longtime supporter of national parks, and the episode honors both their historic role of building infrastructure and transporting visitors to parks like Yellowstone, Zion, Grand Canyon, and Death Valley as well as the role Union Pacific plays today to inspire the next generation’s love of the outdoors and curiosity about the world around them through the National Park Foundation’s Open OutDoors for Kids program.

Expanding access to the outdoors means ensuring that more people can experience the joy of fishing, paddling, rock climbing, hiking, adventuring, boating, camping and more in national parks! With an NPF ParkVentures grant, Beyond Boundaries, in collaboration with National Park Service staff at Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail and partner organizations, are helping make these activities accessible to everyone, regardless of ability or economic situation. Story: https://lnkd.in/encU9xF3 📸: Beyond Boundaries

National Park Foundation welcomes Jeff Reinbold as president and CEO-elect! Read our release here: https://lnkd.in/egmMNarE Reinbold brings more than 30 years of experience with the National Park Service, most recently as superintendent of National Mall and Memorial Parks in Washington, D.C., where he oversaw large-scale initiatives restoring some of America’s most iconic memorials and improving the experience of more than 30 million visitors annually. He begins with the Foundation on December 1 and will work together with current NPF President and CEO Will Shafroth to ensure a smooth transition.

“Communities managing their trails is part of our tradition. We have always cleaned trails and repaired causeways. We can see evidence of this by signatures left along the trail by our ancestors.” -Aric Arakaki, Superintendent of the Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail In a place defined by constant change, where history is honored and tomorrow is uncertain, the Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail traverses an evolving landscape, bridging past, present, and future. Through nonprofit Hoʻāla Kealakekua Nui’s Hana Lima (Working Hands) Program, NPF is supporting restoration and preservation efforts to minimize impacts to the trail from visitors, climate change, and other factors. https://lnkd.in/eCtTKAEH 📸: National Park Service

“Some people don’t think miracles happen; well, they do.” - Forrest Gump On 9/14, NPF and Paramount+ will transform the National Mall into an immersive Forrest Gump experience for a one-time-only film screening, and we’re doing it in under 24 hours – an undertaking that’s truly a miracle! Paramount+ is the National Park Foundation's first-ever official streaming partner. In addition, the partnership provides funding to support the National Park Foundation’s mission to preserve and protect America’s more than 430 national parks, including the National Mall. Event details: https://lnkd.in/eZbeWy6w

NPF is investing over $5 million in Open OutDoors for Kids to support 110 projects across 123 national parks! With support from partners like Union Pacific Railroad, NPF’s Open OutDoors for Kids program helps the next generation of park champions develop a deeper understanding of our country’s history and form their connection to the outdoors! Explore the projects: https://lnkd.in/eFHqccw9