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Join us for a holiday gathering!
San Francisco Maritime Museum
4:30-6:00pm Tuesday, December 6th
Celebrate the achievements of the Fund for People in Parks! This is our first ever holiday gathering! Enjoy light refreshments and visit with Fund staff, donors, volunteers, park rangers, friends, and family in the re-furbished 2nd floor entry and exhibit hall of the 1930s-era art deco Bathhouse at Aquatic Park, 900 Beach Street at Polk. RSVP to bhansen@peopleinparks.org by December 1st.
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Death Valley Sailing Rocks Signage in Progress
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Richard Norris, a paleobiologist at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and his cousin James Norris, a research engineer, were the first to record Death Valley's "sailing rocks" in motion, thus solving the mystery of how they move. A rare combination of rain, ice and wind enables the rocks to slowly "sail" across the playa.
The Fund is providing a grant to Death Valley Natural History Association to replace the interpretive signs at Racetrack Playa. The new signs will explain the fascinating solution to the mystery of the moving stones.
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OMG Fact #2
Death Valley has more miles of roads than any other national park. Though 91% of the park's 3.4 million acres are protected in roadless wilderness
areas, nearly one thousand miles of paved and dirt roads provide extensive opportunities for recreation and exploration.
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Featured Park: Haleakala National Park
Summit to Sea on Maui
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Pictured with a rare silversword plant on the summit of Haleakala, Jun Ying Lim was among 1.2 million visitors to Haleakala last year.
The volcanic mountain's crater, seven miles across and 2,600 feet deep, is a unique ecosystem. From near the summit, two major trails lead off into the wilderness area of Haleakala where visitors day hike
, spend the night in a tent at one of the two
wilderness campgrounds or, by reservation, at one of the three historic and rustic self-service cabins
along the trail.
The Kipahulu region, contiguous with the summit, was added to the park in 1969 largely through the philanthropy and fundraising efforts of Laurance Rockefeller. With fertile soil and magnificent coastal scenery, Kipahulu has a long history as a populated and intensively cultivated land. The Kapahu Living Farm demonstrates Native Hawaiian practices. Program Director Uncle John Lind is shown below at work on the farm.
At the Park Service centennial celebration last year, Haleakala Superintendent Natalie Gates reflected on the formation of the park in 1916. “We are lucky that so many of our staff, volunteers, partners, and local residents continue to share wisdom passed down from their kupuna (ancestors/grandparents) to help us be better stewards.”
The Fund for People in Parks is undertaking a project to produce the park's visitor orientation film.
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Fun Facts for People in Parks
Free Days
This year there were 16 fee-free days in the 130 National Parks that charge for entry. Mark your calendar for these entrance fee-free dates in 2017:
- January 16: Martin Luther King Jr. Day
- April 15 through 23: National Park Week
- September 24: National Public Lands Day
- November 11: Veterans Day
Preserving treasures above and below ground
- There are more than 200 limestone caves in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.
- This spring Great Basin National Park was added to the list of Dark Sky Parks by the International Dark Sky Association.
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Name for the Newsletter
Help us find a name for the Fund newsletter. Bring your suggestions to the holiday gathering or send us an email whenever inspiration strikes.
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Thank you for your support for
The Fund for People in Parks!
Our mission is to provide private funding and professional services to complete inspirational projects that enhance the visitor experience in western National Parks
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