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February 2016 News
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Cabin at Knob Creek Hill.

Cabin Fit for a President

This month, we celebrate President’s Day and Black History Month by taking a look at a place that helped shape one of our most influential presidents. Knob Creek Hill in Kentucky is now a National Historic Site, but in 1811 it was the boyhood home of Abraham Lincoln. “My earliest recollection is of the Knob Creek place,” Lincoln wrote on June 4, 1860. Did you know that in 2001 NPT provided the funding to option the acquisition of Knob Creek Hill - adding it to the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site?

Last Call for a Chance to Win a Park Trip!



Last year's winners included students, grades K-12, from Tri-County Christian School, NC who visited Grandfather Mountain and hiked the The Mile High Swinging Bridge, America’s highest suspension footbridge.

Hurry, March 4th is the last day to enter our 2016 Kids to Parks Day National School Contest! Teachers, there’s still time to work with your students and plan your park adventure to celebrate Kids to Parks Day in May.

The 2016 contest was selected as a National Park Service Centennial Challenge Project. This match will help us double the number of grants we award to schools that lack the funds for a park experience. Last year, we provided 50 schools with grants. With the NPS match, we will be able to award grants to 100 schools! 100 schools to celebrate 100 years of the National Park Service! A generous gift from First Solar Corporate Charitable Fund of the Toledo Community Foundation is helping us towards our match.To learn more about how you can help support our fundraising efforts, contact Dan Quinn at danquinn@parktrust.org, or donate here.

The contest closes on Friday, March 4th, 2016. Winning classrooms will be announced on March 25th on our website. See contest forms here. For more information about the contest, contact Billy Schrack at william@parktrust.org or call 301-279-7275 x11. 

Buddy Bison Comes to Life to Save the Day!


National Geographic Kids in partnership with NPT released their new book this month, Buddy Bison's Yellowstone Adventure, by Ilona Holland, a member of NPT's Leadership Council. In this wonderful book full of adventure and fun facts, Buddy Bison, NPT’s pint-sized woolly mascot, shares his love for parks with readers.

"What a sweet and magical romp through one of our beloved National Parks! The photographic backgrounds leap off the page - I imagine that readers will be inspired to visit these beautiful locations and have adventures of their own. The charming story of Elena, Christopher, Aunt Rosa and Buddy is a treat for parents, aunts, kids and nature lovers of all ages."—Danielle Gillis, Producer, Fablevision.

Get your copy now! 

For the Love of Whales, Teacher Awarded The Buddy

Krista Gordon (first row, center) and members of the 5th-grade class from Alderwood Elementary (WA) with Grace Lee, NPT executive director (third row, right).

We all know about the Oscars, the Emmys, the Tonys and the Grammys. Did you know that The Buddy is our National Teacher Award for Outstanding Environmental Stewardship? Earlier this month, Grace Lee, NPT executive director, surprised Krista Gordon at Alderwood Elementary School in Bellingham, WA with The Buddy at an all-school assembly. Krista, a substitute teacher, found inspiration while whale watching off the shore of San Juan Island and wanted to share this experience with students in her community. Two years ago she helped her Alderwood Elementary students apply for the Kids to Parks Day National School Contest. They won and used the funds to visit Lime Kiln Point State Park.

Our contest inspired Krista to raise funds locally and also re-enter the contest for a second year. With the money she raised last year including a contest grant, 10 of the 14 schools in her district were able to visit Lime Kiln Point State Park to see whales and learn about their environment.

Krista believes that the experience of visiting Lime Kiln Point -- taking the ferry, exploring the rocky seashore, meeting with scientists, and whale-watching from shore impacts each child differently, stating, “My job is to plant the seed of experience. Each student decides how those seeds will grow. All come away understanding their actions have an impact though and that simple things like picking up trash make a difference." She added, “Students took pride and ownership of their experience because they earned their trip by preparing their contest entry. Receiving the grant let them know others felt their experience was valuable too.”
400 Acres Added to Yosemite National Park

Ackerson Meadow at Yosemite National Park and Stanislaus National Forest.

You may recall reading about NPT’s partnership with The Trust for Public Land to acquire Ackerson Meadow at Yosemite, a 400-acre parcel of privately owned land at risk. The property is surrounded by Yosemite National Park and Stanislaus National Forest and is just minutes from the national park's Big Oak Flat entrance. Great news! The acquisition has been completed and the Yosemite boundary has been extended. TPL raised the funds for the transaction while NPT provided funding for the due diligence steps for the land acquisition. The next step is for the National Park Service to carry out their due diligence steps in order to take possession and officially add the acreage to the national park.

The meadow habitat is unique to the higher elevations in the Sierra Nevada, and protects an abundance of wildlife species. Ackerson Creek travels through the property for nearly one mile before converging with the Wild and Scenic South Fork of the Tuolumne River. The meadow's key location and beauty had attracted the attention of developers but now it will be open for all to enjoy an enhanced park experience.
3 National Monuments Designated in California

Mojave Trails National Monument includes 400,000 acres of congressionally-designated wilderness spanning 1.6 million acres.

Nearly 1.8 million acres of land in the California desert have now been designated by President Obama as national monument linking already protected lands, including Joshua Tree National Park, Mojave National Preserve, and fifteen congressionally-designated wilderness areas. Wildlife, natural resources, and cultural and historic sites within Sand to Snow National Monument, Mojave Trails National Monument, and Castle Mountains National Monument will now be permanently protected for future generations.

“The California desert is a cherished and irreplaceable resource for the people of southern California,” said Secretary of the Interior, Sally Jewell. “It is an oasis of nature’s quiet beauty just outside two of our nation’s largest metropolitan areas. Its historic and cultural resources tell the stories of armies, travelers, ranchers, and miners, and of the original caretakers of this land. [The] designation by the President furthers the longstanding work of public land managers and local communities to ensure these areas will remain preserved and accessible to the public for future generations.”

Since taking office, President Obama has protected more than 265 million acres of land and water – more than any other president in American history – 97% of which are located in the Pacific Remote Islands National Monument.


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