Visit beautiful Greenbelt Park, Maryland -- an urban oasis

GREENBELT PARK, Maryland
This month's National Park Getaway
By Kevin P. Barry, park ranger, Greenbelt Park

Photo: NPS

Welcome to an urban oasis. Although most visitors find it hard to believe, Greenbelt Park is just 12 miles from Washington, D.C. The peace and quiet that you'll find here evoke images of a dense forest or mountain resort. That's what you’ll experience when you visit Greenbelt Park -- untrampled nature in a region where most wild spaces have disappeared.

Despite its primitive setting, the campground is close to public transportation. Even the train to Washington, D.C., is within walking distance from campsite loops. Leave your car or camper on-site and take the train to such places as Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, Mary McLeod Bethune Council House, the National Mall, the Smithsonian Institution's museums, and a host of other sites in and around the city. After you've enjoyed the sights of the city, enjoy a campfire and a quiet night's rest at your campsite.

Photo: NPS

Greenbelt Park attracts visitors from across the country and around the world, drawn by the recreational opportunities, stunning natural beauty, and a campground that is open year-round for RVs or tents at an affordable rate of $16 per night ($8.00 for Golden Age, Golden Access, and the America the Beautiful Senior pass card holders). The campground offers more than 170 campsites, nine miles of trails, and several day-use picnic areas. Make online reservations to guarantee your site up to three months in advance.

Wild yet accessible, Greenbelt Park is one of those places that you may not have heard of, but once you visit, you'll be back and telling friends about the national park treasure you discovered. The memories you create will be lifelong.

Read more here. 

Free entrance day in National Parks on Veterans Day, November 11

Photo of hikers on the Cerro Grande Trail 

at Bandelier National Monument. NPS photo

November 11, Veterans Day, is the last free entrance day in the National Parks for 2014. The fee waiver includes: entrance fees, commercial tour fees and transportation entrance fees. Other fees such as reservation, camping, tours, concession and fees collected by third parties are not included unless stated otherwise. Read more here.

Take an amazing aerial tour of Black Canyon National Park

Enjoy a spectacular aerial tour of Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, located near Montrose, Colo. David Bott, from OutsideOurBubble.com, shot this at a remote area of the park after obtaining permission from the only other guests in the area at the time. According to David’s explanation, it was a difficult location to videotape, so we’re fortunate to be able to view this breathtaking region from the air.

Free webcast: Photographing America's National Parks

From National Parks Traveler

Mt. Rainier (Photo: NPS)

National park photography classes will take a big step forward in late August when Ian Shive, an award-winning photographer and author of The National Parks: Our American Landscape, conducts a live class over the Internet from Olympic and Mount Rainier national parks.

Hoh Rainforest,
Olympic National Park;
(Photo: NPS)

The show, Photographing America's National Parks, August 27-29, is being produced by CreativeLive, the world’s largest live online education network. CreativeLive will broadcast a live on-location shoot from Olympic National Park, a historic achievement that will provide access to places beloved by millions — all through the lens of one of the world’s most published photographers.

Shive, who will be live in Olympic National Park, with pretaped portions from Mount Rainier spliced into the show, will demonstrate his award-winning techniques during three days of shooting some of the most iconic locations in Mount Rainier and Olympic national parks. He will teach the key elements of professional outdoor photography, including: composition, shooting in challenging weather conditions, exposure settings for every environment, using filters to manage available light, scouting the perfect location and much more.

The classes will air August 27, 28, and 29 from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. PDT

All of CreativeLive’s live online classes are free to watch and accessible to anyone with an internet connection. Additionally, during the live event, anyone can ask Shive a question directly via CreativeLive’s social classroom. His course, complete with 22 hours of video, is also available to purchase for on-demand access for $99.

For full details and to RSVP for the live event, please visit this site.

Elevated levels of mercury found in fish in Western U.S. national parks

From National Park Service and USGS, April 16, 2014.

Mercury has been discovered in fish in some of the most remote national park lakes and streams in the western United States and Alaska. Mercury levels in some fish exceeded U.S. Environmental Protection Agency health thresholds for potential impacts to fish, birds, and humans.

The information about mercury, and its appearance in protected areas considered to be relatively pristine and removed from environmental contaminants, is in a recently published scientific report from the U.S. Geological Survey and the National Park Service.

The study of mercury in fish is the first of its kind to incorporate information from remote places at 21 national parks in 10 western states, including Alaska. Western parks were selected for this study because of the significant role that atmospheric mercury deposition plays in remote places, and the lack of broad-scale assessments on mercury in fish in remote areas of the west.

Mercury concentrations in fish sampled from these parks were generally low, but were elevated in some instances. This study examines total mercury in fish, of which 95 percent is in the form of methylmercury, the most dangerous form to human and wildlife health.

Mercury is harmful to human and wildlife health, and is among the most widespread contaminants in the world. It is distributed at a global scale from natural sources, such as volcanic eruptions and from human sources such as burning fossil fuels in power plants. Mercury is distributed at local or regional scales as a result of current and historic mining activities. These human activities have increased levels of atmospheric mercury at least three fold during the past 150 years.

... The authors found that mercury levels varied greatly, from park to park and among sites within each park. In most parks, mercury concentrations in fish were moderate to low in comparison with similar fish species from other locations in the Western states. Mercury concentrations were below EPA’s fish tissue criterion for safe human consumption in 96 percent of the sport fish sampled. 

For more on this from the U.S. Geological Survey, click here.

Visit Horseshoe Bend National Military Park during the bicentennial commemoration of the Creek War

Horseshoe Bend National Military Park, Alabama
a National Park Service Monthly Getaway

By Doyle Sapp, Superintendent, Horseshoe Bend National Military Park

Nature provided a landscape-sized protection in the shape of a sharp horseshoe bend of the Tallapoosa River to the people of several Upper Creek towns of present-day Alabama. These Creek people, also known as Red Sticks, chose this site, surrounded by water on three sides, to establish the village of Tohopeka in the waning days of 1813 as a safe haven during the Creek War of 1813-1814 and the War of 1812.

On March 27, 1814, the natural defense that the Tallapoosa provided was pitted against the technology of muskets and cannons. An army led by Major General Andrew Jackson of approximately 4,000 Americans, allied Creek and Cherokee arrived at the bend to attack the Red Stick encampment. The fighting raged for hours, but ended ultimately in a decisive American victory which made a national hero of Andrew Jackson.

(Photo: NPS.gov)

This struggle marked the end of the Creek War. Within six months, the Treaty of Fort Jackson was signed and the Creek Nation ceded 23 million acres to the United States government. These lands were divided into the new state of Alabama and the existing state of Georgia. 

Today, Horseshoe Bend National Military Park is a quiet 2,400-acre sanctuary, belying the chaos of the Creek War and the War of 1812. Starting in March 2014, the park commemorates the bicentennial of the battle.

The beautiful natural landscape of central Alabama offers many scenic vistas to explore on your visit. A 3-mile driving tour visits important battle sites, with stops at the spot where the Creek erected the protective log barricade in the early days of 1814 and the site of the Tohopeka village. Not to be missed is the 2.8-mile nature trail snaking through the dense hardwood and pine forest. Along the trail you’ll find a dramatic view overlooking the battlefield and the high ground overlooking the site of Tohopeka, the refuge village of the Red Sticks. 

The park will host a wide variety of interpretive events throughout March 2014, including a symposium in partnership with Auburn University, living history encampments, and Creek and Cherokee cultural demonstrations. Throughout the year, park volunteers demonstrate life at war and at peace through living history musters. Read more. 

Doctor's orders: Go out and have fun!--at national parks

(NPS.gov)

Would you follow your doctor’s advice if he told you to go out and have fun? Across the nation, healthcare providers are urging people to get outdoors to play and learn in national parks. Be a part of the action. Watch how healthy parks lead to healthy people!

The National Park Service's (NPS) Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance program is working with doctors, healthcare providers and NPS managers as part of the Healthy Parks Healthy People (HPHP), Greater Washington Area Initiative. Doctors are prescribing park or nature prescriptions to patients so they can improve their health, connect with the outdoors and become park stewards. Click on Healthy Parks Healthy People and The National Park Service Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance program for more information.

Check out the video for more incentive to follow the doctor's orders:

National Parks to offer free admission on nine days in 2014

WASHINGTON – Circle the dates on the calendar and plan your trip – America’s 401 national parks will offer free admission on nine days in 2014, including several holidays!

The 2014 entrance fee-free days are:

·        January 20: Martin Luther King Jr. Day

·        February 15-17: Presidents Day weekend

·        April 19-20: National Park Week’s opening weekend

·        August 25: National Park Service’s 98^th birthday

·        September 27: National Public Lands Day

·        November 11: Veterans Day

“America’s national parks welcome more than 280 million visitors a year. To say thanks for that support and invite every American to visit these treasures that they own, we are declaring nine days of free admission next year,” said National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis. “Whether it’s that once-in-a-lifetime family trip to Yellowstone or taking a daily walk along the National Mall in Washington, D.C., or the moment at Central High School that your child suddenly understands what civil rights are all about, national parks offer places for unforgettable experiences.

“National parks not only protect and preserve the places we most value; they also add enormous economic value to nearby communities and the entire nation.  Visitor spending represents a $30 billion annual benefit to the national economy and supports more than 250,000 jobs,” said Jarvis. “Fee-free days are a great way to both thank those visitors and introduce parks to first-timers who can find a new place to call an old favorite.”

With more than 84 million acres of spectacular scenery, 17,000 miles of trails, 5,000 miles of shoreline, 27,000 historic and prehistoric structures, and 100 million museum items and an infinite number of authentic American stories to tell, national parks offer something for every taste.

Those in search of superlatives will find them in national parks including the country’s highest point (in Denali National Park) and lowest point (in Death Valley National Park), deepest lake (Crater Lake National Park), longest cave (Mammoth Cave National Park), tallest trees (Redwood National Park), and highest waterfall (Yosemite National Park).

Normally, 133 national parks charge an entrance fee that ranges from $3 to $25. The entrance fee waiver does not cover amenity or user fees for things like camping, boat launches, transportation, or special tours.

Other Federal land management agencies that will offer fee-free days in 2014 are:  U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of Reclamation, the U.S. Forest Service and the Army Corps of Engineers.  Please contact each for details.

The National Park Service, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, and the U.S. Forest Service also participate in the America the Beautiful National Parks Pass and Federal Recreational Lands Pass programs. These passes provide access to more than 2,000 national parks, forests, wildlife refuges, grasslands, and other federal lands. Four passes are available:

·        free annual pass to current military members and their dependents

·        free lifetime pass for people with permanent disabilities

·        $10 lifetime senior pass for those aged 62 and over

·        $80 annual pass for the general public.

 Click here for more information.

National Parks Commemorate Veterans Day with Free Admission and Special Events

WASHINGTON: The National Park Service will honor all military veterans with special events and free entrance to all 401 national parks for everyone during the Veterans Day weekend, November 9 through 11.

“Every national park tells a part of the American story, and many of the parks have a direct connection to those who have served in the military through the years,” said National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis. “I invite everyone to come to a national park to commemorate Veterans Day, whether it is to learn more about those who have given so much to defend our freedoms or to simply enjoy the beauty and majesty of the land they fought to protect.”  

Hallowed places such as Saratoga, Fort McHenry, Vicksburg and the USS Arizona Memorial are among the 94 National Park Service battlefields, military parks, national cemeteries and military-related historic sites that commemorate the service and sacrifice of veterans throughout our country’s history. Additional national parks preserve American icons like the Statue of Liberty, Mount Rushmore and the Liberty Bell which have inspired generations of troops.

“I have been very proud to serve my country as a Marine and now again for the National Park Service,” said Dan Hottle, a combat veteran who is one of thousands of veterans who work for the National Park Service. “Our parks bring out the very best in people from all walks of life, coming together to preserve our most valuable resources for our future generations.” 

Some of the military-related special events taking place during the Veterans Day weekend are:

• The annual illumination of 6,000 gravesites of Union soldiers in the Poplar Grove National Cemetery in Petersburg National Battlefield (Va.)
• Encampments with living history demonstrations at  Colonial National Historical Park (Va.), Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve (Fla.) and Kings Mountain National Military Park (S.C.)
• An open house with Cold War veterans at Minute Man Missile National Historic Site (S.D.)
• The program "A Soldier's View of Wars and Trains" with re-enactors, veterans and active duty armed forces members at Steamtown National Historic Site (Penn.)
• A living military timeline that includes 70 reenactors and contemporary soldiers at Guilford Courthouse National Military Park (N.C.)
• Military commemorations and an enlistment ceremony for 20 recruits at Valley Forge National Historical Park (Penn.)

 Other family-friendly programs taking place include:

• A beach walk at Padre Island National Seashore (Texas)
• A 19^th century magic show featuring “curious and innocent diversions for parlor and refined gatherings” at Hampton National Historic Site (Md.)
• A sunset stroll at White Sands National Monument (N.M.)
• The “Wish Upon a Star” program at the Rock Creek Park (Washington, D.C.) planetarium
• A tour of the Paramount Ranch movie set at Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (Calif.)
• The making of sweet sorghum molasses at Great Smoky Mountains National Park (Tenn.)

A full list of all National Park Service events can be found at http://www.nps.gov/findapark/event-search.htm
 
The National Park Service also provides active duty members of the military and their dependents with an annual national park pass, an $80 value, at no charge. Permanently disabled veterans can receive a free lifetime pass to all parks. The passes provides entrance to all national parks, national wildlife refuges, national forests, and many other Federal lands – more than 2,000 in all. The passes can be acquired at any national park that charges an entrance fee. Information about all national park passes is available at www.nps.gov/findapark/passes.htm

Are National Park visitor centers diminishing in importance to visitors?

In a talk to students at the U of Virginia School of Architecture, National Park Service (NPS) Director Jonathan Jarvis asked them to look at the concept behind the park’s visitor centers.

“We have long believed that the visitor center was the gateway to the park; the first stop to learn all that the park had to offer– where to go and what to see,” Jarvis said.

 “Today’s visitors are more technologically attuned than ever before. Many people – and not just those under 30 – plan their visits online, using the National Park Service’s website and other sources to find interactive maps, watch videos of the trails they will hike, listen to podcasts about the wildlife they will encounter, and study online exhibits on the history of the place.

“They download everything they need to iPhones, iPads, Droid, devices that also tell them where they are and where they want to be, and allow them to share the experience in real time with friends and family anywhere on the planet.”

The current plan for visitor centers was hatched in the 1950s, and may be due for a reconsideration. For instance, is the visitor center the best format for real visitors to interact with real rangers and information docents?

Do budget constraints, and the need for funds to tackle the $10 maintenance backlog of existing infrastructure, demand that funds be pulled from building additional visitor centers on the scale that has been the rule up until now?

Will designs of the future be more focused around online information, which is now quite extensive on the NPS website, and away from large buildings, personal contact, and paper maps and brochures? The struggle for funds will certainly be a contentious issue as the park service looks ahead to its second hundred years.

Documentary filmmaker, Ken Burns, scores millions for National Parks

Ken Burns' acclaimed documentary, "The National Parks: America's Best Idea," is being credited with the House's increasing the budget of the National Park Service by $218 million--$47 million more than the administration has asked for. The documentary was shown on PBS in September and October and showed spectacular footage of Yosemite, Yellowstone, and others in our National Parks system.

In addition to highlighting the best features of the parks, it also illustrated how the park service has always ended up shortchanged by Congress, requiring more money than Congress was willing to give it. But as the documentary pointed out, the parks had 275 million visitors last year, and could go over 300 million next year.

The additional money it receives in 2010 will go toward expanding educational programs and facilities, and 45 construction projects. Read the entire article, published in the Federal Times, here.