The National Park Service turns 100 — and is giving us free park admission through Sunday
Source: KPCC-FM, 89.3 MHz in Pasadena, California
Brianna Lee 5 hours ago
Today’s the day to break out some birthday candles for the National Park Service – 100 of them, to be exact. ... The agency has been celebrating the run-up to its centennial for months now, but today marks the exact day in 1916 that President Woodrow Wilson signed the law creating the National Park Service.
A few of Southern California's national parks are commemorating the milestone Thursday. Death Valley National Park will be holding a 100th birthday bash at the Furnace Creek Visitor Center. While you're there, you can also check out their photography exhibit featuring historic art from Death Valley on display through the end of August. Channel Islands National Park will be hosting a party from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., featuring an outdoor screening of a documentary about Channel Islands' history, as well as live music, yoga and food trucks.
But for those who can't make those celebrations, here's the kicker: All national parks around the country are granting free admission to visitors today through Sunday, August 28. Which means this weekend, we’re off to the parks!
Within Southern California’s national parks – including Joshua Tree, the Santa Monica Mountains, Channel Islands, Death Valley and the Mojave National Preserve – there are a whole host of spectacular camp sites and spots for scenic day trips. What are your favorites?
Read more: http://www.scpr.org/news/2016/08/25/63923/the-national-park-service-turns-100-and-is-giving/
The 100th birthday isn't exactly breaking news, but the weekend of free admission is.
By Darryl Fears
http://twitter.com/bydarrylfears
August 24 at 3:22 PM
When dusk falls Thursday on Yellowstone National Park, Interior Secretary Sally Jewell is expected to kick off a commemoration of the 100th birthday of the National Park Service that will probably go well into the night.
About 6,000 people are expected to gather under the Roosevelt Arch at the park’s north entrance to hear federal officials and governors extol the virtues of what’s hailed as “America’s best idea,” a system started in 1916 by then-President Woodrow Wilson that now includes more than 400 sites on 85 million acres in the 50 states and territories. But when the night is over, what will they awaken to at the start of the park system’s second century?
{What will reshape national parks most in their new century? Climate change, the director says.}
These days, the views at the parks aren’t all pretty. The system faces a $12 billion maintenance shortfall that has left such entities as bridges and restrooms in disrepair. Yellowstone’s backlog alone is $603 million with crumbling roads, buildings and wastewater systems. Congress has declined to provide funding needed for fixes that have lingered for more than a decade.
= new reply since forum marked as read
But...they need our help now more than ever: please VOTE this November!
Found a little audio interview of the Superintendent of the INHP park done by the local PBS station (that is located near this park) -
http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/homepage-feature/item/96618-beyond-the-uniform-stories-from-the-national-park-service
Happy birthday to the NPS and hope that more parks will be continually added as they go into their next 100 years.
