Tag: National Parks

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New York 9/11 Fireman Visits All 397 National Parks

I have to admit that visiting all 397 (hopefully more by the time I complete it) national parks is a secret goal I have. I’m not sure if I will ultimately be able to accomplish it, but it always gives me hope when I come across stories like this.

Yesterday Girard Owens, a retired New York fire department lieutenant who was a fireman during 9/11 managed to visit his 397th national park — and chose it to be the Statue of Liberty on the 11th anniversary of the World Trade center terrorist attack. One of the aspects of his journey that I liked the most is that his family didn’t even realize that he was on a quest to accomplish this noteworthy feat. Below is a photo of him with his son and daughter pressing the last stamp into his book and a short video of him during his visit to the Statue of Liberty:

397 national park stamps

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How National Parks Benefit The Economy Infographic

As you might well imagine, I love our national parks. Unfortunately, in these times of budget cuts, that argument is simply not enough when it comes to keep the financial support coming to our national parks. What many people fail to realize, and what is often not expressed when it comes to the funding fights for national parks, is that national parks also provide a huge economic benefit. As part of the 96th birthday of the National Park Service, the National Parks Conservation Association has released an infographic that sums up some of the economic benefits that our national parks provide.

I encourage you to do more than simply look at the economic information provided, but take some notes and contact your congressional representative. Let them know that you strongly support the continued funding of national parks not only for the beauty they provide, but because of the economic benefits they provide.

As the inforgraphic plainly states at the very top:

After two years of declining funding, national parks now face the prospect of additional cuts, including the looming threat of the “sequester” schedule of January 2013. If Congress doesn’t agree on a deficit reduction plan, the Park Service could face cuts up to 10 percent. That would mean closed visitor centers, closed campgrounds, closed parks and thousands of park staff out of a job.

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Speed Kills in National Parks

One of the things I have learned from visiting numerous national parks is that it’s the journey and not the destination that matters. While you may have a specific destination in mind when you start off the day, sometimes the greatest adventures and most fun come from the unexpected side paths that reveal themselves and you choose to take. It’s the journey of getting to where I am heading rather than the destination which usually proves to be what gives me the most out of my trips.

With this in mind, it amazes me that so many people that visit national parks seem to be in such a hurry to get somewhere. They are so focused on the destination that they forget to take in all the wonderful and unexpected surprises along the way. This seems to be especially true when it comes to getting somewhere by car in national parks.

speeding kills bears sign

When you visit national parks this summer, remember to slow down. Take your time to admire the beauty and wonder all around you, even when in the car. Not only for yourself, but for all the animals that call the national park their home. Speeding cars kill far too many of the animals living in national parks than it should…

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National Parks Wishing Everyone Happy Holidays

The national Parks want to wish you a very happy holiday season and are coming out with a series of holiday videos which started yesterday and will continue with a new video each day through the rest of December on their Youtube Channel. Todays happens to be a bunch of excited dog sled puppies at Denali National Park and Preserve — how can you go wrong with that? Watch and enjoy:

This is the national parks holiday video schedule for the rest of the month:

December 13 – Yosemite National Park
December 14 – Denali National Park and Preserve
December 15 – Vicksburg National Military Park
December 16 – Biscayne National Park
December 17 – Grand Canyon National Park (Sign Language)
December 18 – Glacier National Park
December 19 – Big Cypress National Preserve
December 20 – Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area
December 21 – Everglades National Park
December 22 – Grand Canyon National Park (Spanish)
December 23 – Biscayne National Park
December 24 – Arches National Park
December 25 – San Juan National Historic Site
December 26 – Virgin Islands National Park
December 27 – Cape Lookout National Seashore
December 28 – Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park
December 29 – Biscayne National Park
December 30 – Denali National Park and Preserve
December 31 – Andrew Johnson National Historic Site

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Top 10 National Parks For Kids

I always have to take top 10 national park lists with a grain of salt, especially when they are as subjective as the top 10 national parks for kids. The truth of the matter is that almost all national parks within the national park system are an excellent place to take kids and provide them with numerous activities and learning experiences. This makes picking the top ten national parks for kids a pretty arbitrary exercise that will leave out many excellent national parks that would clearly rank equally with the parks mentioned.

Grand Canyon national park

That being said, the writers at the About national & State Parks guide put together their list of what they felt were the best national parks for kids. Here is what the came up with:

Acadia National Park
Biscayne National Park
Cape Cod National Seashore
Carlsbad Caverns National Park
Grand Canyon National Park
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks
Yellowstone National Park
Yosemite National Park

Not taking anything away from the parks mentioned on the list, I had a hard time believing that Dinosaur National Monument wouldn’t make a list of top parks for kids. I guess that while it certainly was a gallant attempt at giving parents a guide to what national parks their children might enjoy, it really is a nearly impossible task when so many of the national parks are kid friendly. What would you consider to be an excellent national park for kids that didn’t make the list?

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Better Food For National Parks Initiative

Golden Gate Bridge at Golden Gate National Recreation Area

OK, I think this is a fabulous idea — having the National Parks across the US provide the local, seasonable food for the area the park is located as (at the very least) an option for those visiting the parks. I’m not the only one that thinks that way. The Institute at the Golden Gate’s Food for the Parks initiative has the goal of expanding the availability of local, nutritious, and sustainable fresh food to all National Park visitors. This program hopes to take advantage and leverage the National Park Service’s purchasing power to make small changes in the food supply chain which will ultimately affect the food systems across the country and beyond.

In order to achieve these goals, the Institute put together two publications which it hopes that the National Parks in conjunction with food service providers will use as a guide to take the needed steps to continue to help spread this idea.

The first of these is called Food for the Parks: Case Studies of Sustainable Food in America’s Most Treasured Places. This PDF document highlights parks and concessionaires which have already implemented healthy and sustainable food programs. Looking at these programs, it pinpoints the best practices of these programs so that these can be adopted by other parks around the country.

The second of these is called Food for the Parks: A Roadmap to Success. This PDF document can be used as a sort of toolkit by providing strategies and ideas to help initiate and inspire collaboration among the parks and food service providers. It encourages the two to be partners in order to create a fresh, healthy, and sustainable food program which can be used in parks or any other similar places across the country.

The best part of the Food for the Parks initiative is that it ultimately can become a model to help encourage ongoing incremental improvement within the current large-scale food system that reaches far beyond just the National Parks system. Having the National Parks service leverage its buying power to requests improved food offerings by concessionaires, these new choices will become available not only to the National Park service, but to all the concessionaire’s customers as well. This would include the better food choices being available to institutions such as hospitals, sports stadiums, and universities. The hope is that by working together, National Parks and food providers can both create and expand markets for sustainable foods and products which in turn will reduce the impact on the environment while benefiting local economies which surround the parks.

Does this sound like an initiative that the national parks should be doing?

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National Parks Senior Pass By Mail Now Available

National Parks Senior Pass for age 62 or older

The National Parks Senior Pass can now be obtained through mail. While the Senior Pass will still be available for purchase at National Parks, the National Parks Service realises that getting the Senior Pass by mail may be a more convenient option for many seniors. The National Parks Senior Pass is available to those who are citizens and/or permanent residents of the United States and are age 62 or older.

The National Parks Senior Pass is good for the lifetime of the card holder and provides admission to, and use of, federal recreation sites that charge an entrance or standard amenity fees. The pass also allows users to receive a 50% discount on some amenity fees for activities like camping and launching a boat.

To request a Senior Pass through the mail, you must fill out and submit a completed application along with proof of residency and age. You must also enclose a fee of $20 which covers the cost of the senior pass and a processing fee. Once the senior pass application package has been received and all the documentation verified, the senior pass will be mailed to the address provided in the application.

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Top 10 National Parks

I received an email asking me what are the top 10 most popular National Parks? The answer, of course, depends on how you define “popular” when it comes to National Parks. First, I’m making the assumption that the question is what are the top 10 US National Parks and not what are the top 10 National Parks in the world. In trying to come up with a list, it becomes pretty subjective as everybody has their own favorite parks. Possibly a more concrete way of measuring the top 10 parks would be to define a park’s popularity by the number of visitors it attracts. In this case, these are the top 20 national parks for 2010 (all the National Parks that received more than 1 million visitors) according to the National Park Service:

grand canyon national park

1. Great Smoky Mountains National Park: 9,463,538 visitors
2. Grand Canyon National Park: 4,388,386 visitors
3. Yosemite National Park: 3,901,408 visitors
4. Yellowstone National Park: 3,640,185 visitors
5. Rocky Mountain National Park: 2,955,821 visitors
6. Olympic National Park: 2,844,563 visitors
7. Grand Teton National Park: 2,669,374 visitors
8. Zion National Park: 2,665,972 visitors
9. Acadia National Park: 2,504,208 visitors
10. Cuyahoga Valley National Park: 2,492,670 visitors
11. Glacier National Park: 2,200,048 visitors
12. Joshua Tree National Park: 1,434,976 visitors
13. Hot Springs National Park: 1,311,807 visitors
14. Hawaii Volcanoes National Park: 1,304,667 visitors
15. Bryce Canyon National Park: 1,285,492 visitors
16. Shenandoah National Park: 1,253,386 visitors
17. Mount Rainier National Park: 1,191,754 visitors
18. Haleakala National Park: 1,105,606 visitors
19. Arches National Park: 1,014,405 visitors
20. Sequoia National Park: 1,002,979 visitors

And some National Monuments that received over 1 million visitors in 2010

Castle Clinton National Monument: 4,126,378 visitors
Statue of Liberty National Monument: 3,833,288 visitors
World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument: 1,372,724 visitors

Do you think that this is a valid way of measuring the top 10 National Parks? If not, what do you think would be a better way to determine this top 10 list?

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National Park Fees List

What is not commonly known is that the vast majority of the nearly 400 parks in the National Parks system do not charge any entrance fee at all. Of those that do charge an entrance fee, there is usually a fee per car and or a fee per individual entering the National Park. The following is a list of all the parks in the National Parks system that usually charge a fee to gain entrance to the park. The parks on this list waive the fee on National Parks fee free days.

Arizona

Casa Grande Ruins National Monument entrance fee:
$5 per adult
Chiricahua National Monument entrance fee:
$5 per adult
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area entrance fee:
$15 per vehicle / $7 per individual adult
Grand Canyon National Park entrance fee:
$25 per vehicle / $12 per individual adult
Lake Mead National Recreation Area entrance fee:
$10 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult
Montezuma Castle National Monument entrance fee:
$5 per adult
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument entrance fee:
$8 per vehicle / $4 per individual adult
Petrified Forest National Park entrance fee:
$10 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult
Pipe Spring National Monument entrance fee:
$5 per adult
Saguaro National Park entrance fee:
$10 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult
Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument entrance fee:
$5 per adult
Tonto National Monument entrance fee:
$3 per adult
Tumacacori National Historical Park entrance fee:
$3 per adult
Tuzigoot National Monument entrance fee:
$5 per adult
Walnut Canyon National Monument entrance fee:
$5 per adult
Wupatki National Monument entrance fee:
$5 per adult

Arkansas

Fort Smith National Historic Site entrance fee:
$4 per adult
Pea Ridge National Military Park entrance fee:
$10 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult

California

Cabrillo National Monument entrance fee:
$5 per vehicle / $3 per individual adult
Death Valley National Park entrance fee:
$20 per vehicle / $10 per individual adult
John Muir National Historic Site entrance fee:
$3 per adult
Joshua Tree National Park entrance fee:
$15 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult
Lassen Volcanic National Park entrance fee:
$10 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult
Lava Beds National Monument entrance fee:
$10 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult – Only accepts cash or checks, no debit or credit cards
Muir Woods National Monument entrance fee:
$5 per adult
Pinnacles National Monument entrance fee:
$5 per vehicle / $3 per individual adult
Sequoia National Park entrance fee:
$20 per vehicle / $10 per individual adult
Whiskeytown National Recreation Area entrance fee:
$5 per vehicle
Yosemite National Park entrance fee:
$20 per vehicle / $10 per individual adult

Colorado

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park entrance fee:
$15 per vehicle / $7 per individual adult
Colorado National Monument entrance fee:
$10 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult
Dinosaur National Monument entrance fee:
No entrance fees charged in 2011 until after the Quarry Visitor Center and Exhibit Hall open on October 4
Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument entrance fee:
$3 per individual adult – Only accepts cash or checks, no debit or credit cards
Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve entrance fee:
$3 per individual adult
Hovenweep National Monument entrance fee:
$6 per vehicle / $3 per individual adult
Mesa Verde National Park entrance fee:
$15 per vehicle / $8 per individual adult: May 29 – September 5, 2011. All other times: $10 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult
Rocky Mountain National Park entrance fee:
$20 per vehicle / $10 per individual adult

Florida

Canaveral National Seashore entrance fee:
$3 per adult
Castillo de San Marcos National Monument entrance fee:
$6 per adult: San Marcos is considering increasing its admission fee to $7 per adult
Dry Tortugas National Park entrance fee:
$5 per adult
Everglades National Park entrance fee:
$10 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult
Gulf Islands National Seashore entrance fee:
$8 per vehicle / $3 per individual adult

Georgia

Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area entrance fee:
$3 per adult
Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park entrance fee:
No entrance fee. Point Park at Lookout Mountain Battlefield: $3 per adult
Cumberland Island National Seashore entrance fee:
Entrance fee is $4 per adult. Ferry fee is $20 per adult round trip
Fort Frederica National Monument entrance fee:
$3 per adult
Fort Pulaski National Monument entrance fee:
$5 per adult

Hawaii

Haleakalā National Park entrance fee:
$10 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park entrance fee:
$10 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult
Pu’uhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park entrance fee:
$5 per vehicle / $3 per individual adult

Idaho

Craters of the Moon National Monument entrance fee:
$8 per vehicle / $4 per individual adult
Yellowstone National Park entrance fee:
$25 per vehicle / $12 per individual adult / $20 per snowmobile or motorcycle

Illinois

Jefferson National Expansion Memorial National Memorial entrance fee:
Varying prices for tram, movie and riverboat or combinations: see here

Indiana

Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial entrance fee:
$5 per family / $3 per individual adult

Maine

Acadia National Park entrance fee:
$20 per vehicle June 23-early October; $10 per vehicle May 1-June 22 and early October-October 31 / $5 per individual adult

Maryland

Antietam National Battlefield entrance fee:
$6 per family / $4 per individual adult
Assateague Island National Seashore entrance fee:
$15 per vehicle / $10 per motorcycle / $3 per individual adul
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park entrance fee:
$5 per vehicle / $3 per individual adult
Fort McHenry NM and Historic Shrine National Monument entrance fee:
$7 per adult
Fort Washington Park entrance fee:
$5 per vehicle / $3 per individual adult
Harpers Ferry National Historical Park entrance fee:
$6 per vehicle / $4 per individual adult

Mississippi

Gulf Islands National Seashore entrance fee:
$8 per vehicle / $3 per individual adult

Massachusetts

Adams National Historical Park entrance fee:
$5 per adult
Cape Cod National Seashore entrance fee:
$15 per vehicle / $3 per individual adult

Michigan

Isle Royale National Park entrance fee:
$4 per adult
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore entrance fee:
$10 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult

Minnesota

Pipestone National Monument entrance fee:
$10 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult

Mississippi

Vicksburg National Military Park entrance fee:
$8 per vehicle / $4 per individual adult

Missouri

Harry S Truman National Historic Site entrance fee:
$4 per adult
Jefferson National Expansion Memorial National Memorial entrance fee:
Varying prices for tram, movie and riverboat or combinations: see here
Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield entrance fee:
$10 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult

Montana

Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area entrance fee:
$5 per vehicle
Glacier National Park entrance fee:
Summer: $25 per vehicle / $12 per individual adult: May 1 – November 30
Winter: $15 per vehicle / $10 per individual adult: December 1 – April 30
Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument entrance fee:
$10 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult
Yellowstone National Park entrance fee:
$25 per vehicle / $12 per individual adult / $20 per snowmobile or motorcycle

Nebraska

Scotts Bluff National Monument entrance fee:
$5 per vehicle / $3 per individual adult

Nevada

Death Valley National Park entrance fee:
$20 per vehicle / $10 per individual adult
Lake Mead National Recreation Area entrance fee:
$10 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult

New Hampshire

Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site entrance fee:
$5 per adult

New Jersey

Thomas Edison National Historical Park entrance fee:
$7 per adult
Morristown National Historical Park entrance fee:
$4 per adult

New Mexico

Aztec Ruins National Monument entrance fee:
$5 per adult
Bandelier National Monument entrance fee:
$12 per vehicle / $6 per individual adult
Capulin Volcano National Monument entrance fee:
$5 per vehicle
Carlsbad Caverns National Park entrance fee:
$6 per adult
Chaco Culture National Historical Park entrance fee:
$8 per vehicle / $4 per individual adult
El Morro National Monument entrance fee:
$3 per adult
Fort Union National Monument entrance fee:
$3 per adult
Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument entrance fee:
$10 per family / $3 per adult
Pecos National Historical Park entrance fee:
$3 per adult
White Sands National Monument entrance fee:
$3 per adult

New York

Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site entrance fee:
$8 per adult for Val-Kill Guided Tour
Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site entrance fee:
$14 per adult
Martin Van Buren National Historic Site entrance fee:
$12 per family / $5 per adult
Sagamore Hill National Historic Site entrance fee:
$5 per adult
Saratoga National Historical Park entrance fee:
$5 per vehicle / $3 per individual adult
Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site entrance fee:
$8 per adult for Vanderbilt Mansion Guided Tour

North Carolina

Wright Brothers National Memorial entrance fee:
$4 per adult

North Dakota

Theodore Roosevelt National Park entrance fee:
$10 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult

Ohio

James A. Garfield National Historic Site entrance fee:
$5 per adult
Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial National Memorial entrance fee:
$3 per adult

Oklahoma

Fort Smith National Historic Site entrance fee:
$4 per adult

Oregon

Crater Lake National Park entrance fee:
$10 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult
Lewis & Clark National Historical Park entrance fee:
$3 per adult

Pennsylvania

Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site entrance fee:
$4 per adult
Fort Necessity National Battlefield entrance fee:
$5 per adult
Johnstown Flood National Memorial entrance fee:
$4 per adult
Steamtown National Historic Site entrance fee:
$7 per adult, Train rides $5 per individual

Puerto Rico

San Juan National Historic Site entrance fee:
$3 per adult for 1 fortification, $5 per adult for both fortifications

South Carolina

Fort Sumter National Monument entrance fee:
No entrance fee for visitors who arrive by private boat. Ferry concessioner does not accept America the Beautiful National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Passes. Ferry tickets are: Adults: $17 Seniors: $15 Children (6-11): $10 Infants (5 and Under): Free

South Dakota

Badlands National Park entrance fee:
$15 per vehicle / $10 per motorcycle / $7 per individual adult
Jewel Cave National Monument entrance fee:
Enterance to grounds is free. Cave tours: $8 per adult / $4 per youth ages 6-16

Tennessee

Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park entrance fee:
No entrance fee. $3 per adult for Point Park at Lookout Mountain Battlefield
Shiloh National Military Park entrance fee:
No fee for Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center. $5 per family / $3 per adult for Shiloh Battlefield

Texas

Big Bend National Park entrance fee:
$20 per vehicle / $10 per individual adult
Fort Davis National Historic Site entrance fee:
$3 per adult
Guadalupe Mountains National Park entrance fee:
$5 per adult
Padre Island National Seashore entrance fee:
$10 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult

Utah

Arches National Park entrance fee:
$10 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult
Bryce Canyon National Park entrance fee:
$25 per vehicle / $12 per individual adult
Canyonlands National Park entrance fee:
$10 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult
Capitol Reef National Park entrance fee:
$5 per vehicle / $3 per individual adult
Cedar Breaks National Monument entrance fee:
$4 per adult
Dinosaur National Monument entrance fee:
Entrance fees will not be charged in 2011 until after the Quarry Visitor Center and Exhibit Hall open on October 4
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area entrance fee:
$15 per vehicle / $7 per individual adult
Golden Spike National Historic Site entrance fee:
Summer: $7 per vehicle / $4 per individual adult
Winter: $5 per vehicle / $3 per individual adult
Hovenweep National Monument entrance fee:
$6 per vehicle / $3 per individual adult
Natural Bridges National Monument entrance fee:
$6 per vehicle / $3 per individual adult
Zion National Park entrance fee:
$25 per vehicle / $12 per individual adult

Virgin Islands

Christiansted National Historic Site entrance fee:
$3 per adult

Virginia

Appomattox Court House National Historical Park entrance fee:
Memorial Day until Labor Day: $10 per vehicle / $4 per individual adult
Off Season: $5 per vehicle / $3 per individual adult
Assateague Island National Seashore entrance fee:
$15 per vehicle
Colonial National Historical Park entrance fee:
$10 per adult
George Washington Memorial Parkway’s Great Falls Park entrance fee:
$5 per vehicle / $3 per individual adult
Manassas National Battlefield Park entrance fee:
$3 per adult
Petersburg National Battlefield entrance fee:
$5 per vehicle / $3 per individual adult
Prince William Forest Park entrance fee:
$5 per vehicle / $3 per individual adult
Shenandoah National Park entrance fee:
March through November: $15 per vehicle / $10 per motorcycle / $5 per individual adult
December through February: $10 per vehicle / $10 per motorcycle / $5 per individual adult

Washington

Fort Vancouver National Historic Site entrance fee:
$5 per family / $3 per individual adult
Lewis & Clark National Historical Park entrance fee:
$3 per adult
Mount Rainier National Park entrance fee:
$15 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult
Olympic National Park entrance fee:
$15 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult
Whitman Mission National Historic Site entrance fee:
$3 per adult

West Virginia

Harpers Ferry National Historical Park entrance fee:
$6 per vehicle / $4 per individual adult

Wyoming

Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area entrance fee:
$5 per vehicle
Devils Tower National Monument entrance fee:
$10 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult
Fort Laramie National Historic Site entrance fee:
$3 per adult
Grand Teton National Park entrance fee:
$25 per vehicle / $20 per motorcycle / $12 per individual adult. Good for both Grand Teton and Yellowstone national parks
Yellowstone National Park entrance fee:
$25 per vehicle / $20 per motorcycle / $12 per individual adult. Good for both Grand Teton and Yellowstone national parks

If you know of any National Parks fee changes that have taken place, please contact me so I can update this list.

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Research Science in our National Parks

I have to admit that in many ways I’m a science geek — even though I’m not very good at it, I love reading about it and all the new things I discover from the research that others do. So you can imagine how excited I was when I found that the Science Learning Network had published a number of videos about research science being done in our National Parks:

The Science Learning Network has some pretty great goals:

National Parks are our national treasures, which protect living, breathing ecosystems and the cultural history of the American public. Whether monitoring natural ecosystems or studying historic sites, national park scientists are stewards of our nation’s crown jewels. Working unobtrusively and mostly out of sight, park scientists do the rigorous science needed to document park ecological health and to conserve historical riches.

The Science Learning Network (SLN) is where science and education come together to help preserve and protect areas of national significance. Its mission is to integrate research and education to better communicate park science to the public and other NPS staff. The Science Learning Network increases the effectiveness of communicating park research, scientific results, and the management of park resources by:

• Facilitating use of parks for scientific inquiry
• Supporting science-informed decision making
• Communicating relevance of and providing access to research knowledge
• Promoting resource stewardship through partnerships