-
Blog Post What Does It Take to Run a National Park? Few of us appreciate the monumental task of caring for America’s national parks—each one a unique part of the country with its own specific management challenges and irreplaceable public resources. Shenandoah National Park staff recently decided to shine a light on what it takes to maintain their landmark Virginia park on a day-to-day basis.
-
Blog Post 6 Reasons to Act Today for Clean Air in Arizona It’s no secret that reducing air pollution creates a host of benefits for human health and the environment. But what does it mean in real terms when a coal plant cleans up its act and spews fewer particulates into the air?
-
Blog Post World-Class Music and History at Muscle Shoals Nestled in the northwest corner of Alabama, the Muscle Shoals National Heritage Area (MNSHA) consists of the six northwest Alabama counties—Colbert, Franklin, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, and Morgan—that border the meandering Tennessee River. World-class fishing lakes and challenging golf courses combined with a thriving music industry and a fascinating local history attract thousands of visitors to the region every year.
-
Blog Post Looking Ahead for National Parks NPCA's 4 priorities for President Obama in the New Year.
-
Blog Post Ticket to Ride: Free Trolley Service Expands Access to Everglades and Biscayne This Winter Thirty miles south of Miami, the community of Homestead, Florida, sits in a lucky spot. Equidistant from two major national parks, with Everglades National Park about ten miles to the west and Biscayne National Park about ten miles to the east, residents and visitors are perfectly situated to enjoy some of the most beautiful lands, waters, and wildlife in the entire country.
-
Blog Post Saturday on the Green Looking for a new adventure in the New Year? A first-time visitor to First State National Monument shares stories and tips for Delaware’s new—and only—national park site.
-
Blog Post Saving a Piece of History at Harpers Ferry Four historically significant acres at risk of becoming a mini-mart will now be preserved as part of the national park.
-
Blog Post Restoring Resiliency at Dyke Marsh A year ago, Superstorm Sandy slammed the East Coast, demonstrating once again the power of nature. It left behind $65 billion in damage affecting 24 states and 70 national parks.
-
Blog Post A Transformative Victory The largest power company in the United States is phasing out more of its coal plants. NPCA's Don Barger explains the significance of this major victory for clean air.
-
Blog Post 5 Tips for Visiting National Parks in Winter Winter adventures are some of my favorite trips. Here are a few tricks I’ve learned over the years.
-
Blog Post Park Allies Target an Unwelcome Guest at Petrified Forest: Tumbleweed I love living in Arizona. The natural landscapes have always been among my favorite places to explore, with its many climates and ecosystems, including the desert, forests, mountains, and canyons. Yet, the native flora and fauna in my state face a serious threat: invasive species.
-
Blog Post Journey Through Hallowed Ground Commemorates Our National History The Journey Through Hallowed Ground National Heritage Area is a 180-mile long, 75-mile wide swath of land stretching from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, to Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello in Charlottesville, Virginia.
-
Blog Post Reducing the Harmful Impacts of Oil and Gas Development Near Theodore Roosevelt National Park Would Theodore Roosevelt still be inspired to become America’s greatest conservationist president if he experienced western North Dakota today? The land he lived on is now preserved as Theodore Roosevelt National Park, but a dramatic increase in the amount of hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” for oil and natural gas in the area is having ill effects on the park.
-
Blog Post Meet NPCA’s New President and CEO Earlier this week, NPCA named a new president and CEO to lead the organization during a time of political volatility, symbolic milestones, and strong public support for national parks.
-
Blog Post One Year Later: Park Service Recommendations for Expanding César Chávez Monument into Comprehensive Historic Park Ever plan a birthday party where no one shows up? Sadly, the César E. Chávez National Monument could not commemorate the one-year anniversary of the park’s dedication on October 8—because the site was closed and the monument’s one dedicated Park Service employee, Superintendent Ruben Andrade, was furloughed due to the federal government shutdown.
-
Blog Post Batteries Not Included Kids who regularly spend time playing in and exploring the outdoors benefit from fitter bodies, calmer minds, reduced incidence of stress and attention deficit disorders, and greater academic achievement.
-
Blog Post Yosemite in Autumn: An Insider’s View Millions of people visit Yosemite each year. What makes for a truly exceptional trip? One NPCA staffer finds out.
-
Blog Post Pushing the Limits “There is nothing like pushing your physical limits to help you remember you're alive and capable of pushing,” my coworker and teammate Elizabeth Jordan reflected.
-
Blog Post Mormon Pioneer Highlights Fierce Determination in a Rugged Landscape This story is part of our series on national heritage areas, the large lived-in landscapes managed through innovative partnerships to tell America’s cultural history.
-
Blog Post The Anniversary of Superstorm Sandy Exactly one year ago today, Superstorm Sandy made landfall in the New York metropolitan area, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.
-
Blog Post Why Don’t States Run National Parks? Do we need a National Park Service? Why don't states control national park lands and resources? Here are 5 critical reasons.
-
Blog Post If Americans Overwhelmingly Love Our National Parks, Why Isn’t Congress Fully Funding Them? If lawmakers continue chipping away at the National Park Service budget and offering only short-term funding solutions, we will continue to see cutbacks, closures, crumbling infrastructure, and disrepair in these places we love—the very places that should represent the best we have to offer as a nation.
-
Blog Post The 9 Best Things We Saw Online During the Government Shutdown The federal government shutdown was an agonizing time for people around the country, including the thousands of Park Service staff, contractors, business owners, and tourists who love and depend on our national parks. If something positive came out of all this, it was that park closures reminded so many of us how much we truly value these wonderful places.
-
Blog Post Small Potatoes in a Big Standoff After an agonizing 16-day impasse, Congress and the administration finally reopened the federal government on October 17 and authorized a short-term resolution that will fund national parks through January 15, 2014. We missed these places, and we’re happy to see open signs replace closed signs at last. The fight to adequately fund America’s most inspirational places is not over, however. This stopgap measure, while necessary, continues a slow-motion shutdown in our National Park System that needs to end.
-
Blog Post Why Can’t Visitors Walk In to “Open-Air” Parks? National parks are prominent icons representing the very best of America—so it’s not surprising that losing access to these inspirational places is causing heartbreak and anger around the country. When Congress closed the national parks as part of the government shutdown on October 1, it affected hundreds of thousands of visitors, business owners, and workers. Eleven days later, the standoff on Capitol Hill continues.
-
Blog Post Q&A: Do Visitors Really Need to Be Shut Out of National Parks During the Government Shutdown? As we enter week two of the government shutdown, closed signs and barricades at national parks have become powerful symbols of the fiscal standoff’s impact on people around the country.
-
Blog Post Emotional and Financial Toll of Government Shutdown Hits Home for National Park Service Personnel More than 21,000 Park Service staff have been furloughed indefinitely, and the park rangers who still have jobs are taking heat for doing their jobs.
-
Blog Post The 10 Best Places to See Fall Foliage Each autumn, nature puts on an artistic display as hardwood trees change color. The following national parks offer some of the best fall foliage in the United States.
-
Blog Post NPCA Acting President Makes Statement on Government Shutdown NPCA Acting President Theresa Pierno made a statement earlier today regarding the government shutdown and its effects on our national parks. A video of this statement is now available below.
-
Blog Post The 8,000-Year Park NPCA released its Clean Air Timeline today showing how long it will take for 10 national parks to return to natural air quality conditions. One park is missing from the timeline, though—a park that measures way off the chart.
Pagination