“The Griswalds are off!” That’s what Russ says when we are finally backing out of the driveway headed to the airport or the open road for a family trip or excursion. I’m the last in the car because for some reason I need to sweep the kitchen real quick, fluff up the pillows and check the doors for the 4th time… Perhaps a small touch of OCD.
What is it about traveling that makes it so worthwhile? Is it the out-of-the-routine, out-of-the-boxiness adventure? The immersion into a new place and all the newness it brings with untasted flavors, unmet people and unexperienced experiences? For me, YES! (And I also like to buy souvenirs). We learn the story of a place and its people. We absorb the environment through our senses – the climate, the flora and fauna, the noise, the smell, the people. We connect and reconnect with ourselves and others.
If you share my midlife goal of furthering my knowledge about the incredible story of this country, our National Parks are the best teachers. So before I go any further, let’s watch this short video from the NPS:
http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ykvO8UN3g0
With the 100th birthday of our National Parks, The National Park Conservation Association has launched a complementary campaign called Find Your Voice. Find Your Voice is an initiative to educate, engage and empower new National Park advocates to ensure America’s favorite places continue to thrive into their next century.
http://https://youtu.be/kYYKcresB-4
My favorite quote from this video and in general is again my man T.R.~
Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.
I know I am very fortunate to get to travel and I love it. But we don’t have to go to a foreign country, or fly across the U.S. We have gems right under our noses that I know I take for granted. In our area. In our state. And it doesn’t have to be a big iconic park or monument that you see in magazines. It can be your favorite state park, the beach, or your favorite green space in your neighborhood. The point is, all boats rise together and awareness starts at home.
My home in the great state of Texas and the NPCA regional office has tailored a special campaign just for us ~ Find your voice YALL. That’s one of the things I love about NPCA. It’s not just a D.C. organization. They have regional offices all over the country ready to help you get involved. They are grassroots and listen to your local issues regarding the National Parks in YOUR area. Look them up and connect.
Well, y’all, on April 24 – 26th, NPCA kicked off our Lone Star campaign at the Dallas Earth Day event. Earth Day Texas (formerly Earth Day Dallas) is an annual outdoor festival seeking to elevate environmental awareness and influence the way Texans think, live and work. This family friendly and FREE admission event allowed leaders in the corporate, academic and non-profit worlds to unite and show Texans how green lifestyle choices can lower their cost of living, improve their health and help save the environment.
This 2015 Earth Day event took place at Fair Park in the heart of Dallas and hosted about 1000 exhibitors and 57,000 guests. Thank you to photographer Robert Cowan for the images and the Texas Regional staff.
Earth Day Texas was the NPCA Texas Find Your Voice Campaign kick-off for an 18 month campaign to educate, engage and empower Texans to care about their 15 national parks, to become more aware about what is in their back yard and thus, will hopefully become advocates.
Did you know the 15 Texas National Parks protect more than 1.2 million acres of land and preserve countless treasures from our state’s natural and cultural history? The story of these places began millions of years ago, and continues to develop today. Our Texas parks offer recreation, protection for unique ecosystems and threatened species, opportunities to learn while providing economic benefits for our communities. In fact, every dollar invested in our parks yields ten dollars to economic activity for the surrounding community.
To further promote our state treasures, NPCA and Earth Day Texas hosted a large (14,000+ square foot) public lands pavilion for the weekend. 13 of Texas’ 15 park units were represented and provided hands-on activities for participants and conducted Center Showcase Presentations where they had 15-20 minutes to talk about what makes their park special and give visitors a chance to ask questions.
Ranger Jason Ginder, Chief of Interpretation & Education for The Big Thickett National Preserve inducting a new Jr. Ranger. He offered this to say about the event:
Earth Day Texas was a wonderful opportunity to collaborate with other NPS units in Texas and to reintroduce our combined resources, recreational opportunities and education efforts to thousands of Texans who attended this event.
I most enjoyed the opportunity to assist people in finding the parks in their own backyard. I was pleasantly surprised by the youth who visited each interactive display. Their willingness to ask questions and talk with park rangers was a great experience for everyone.
Palo Alto Battlefield commemorates the 1846 battle between the US and Mexico and protects large ecosystems of acacia and mesquite trees, yuccas, and cactus.
Interactive Projects!
Representing Lyndon B. Johnson National Historial Park here’s Ranger Brian Vickers, aka “Cookie” ~
Earth Day Texas was a great opportunity for publicizing the national parks in Texas. The most common comment heard was ‘we had no idea there were national parks (or so many national parks) in Texas’.
The thing I personally enjoyed most was talking about and demonstrating chuck wagon cooking to visitors who actually took the time to stop and learn. They were amazed at what could be done with cast iron cookery over an open fire.
In the end, my favorite interactions with the public was sharing the fact that even if you live far inland, you can still have a positive impact on the life of a sea turtle by keeping plastic bottles and bags out of rivers. If we keep plastics out of rivers, then we can keep plastics our of sea turtles!
It was an incredible kick off – a great way to be aware of all the accessible excursion opportunities this summer and beyond as we celebrate the 100th birthday of our national parks. Oh, and did you hear about the every kid in a park initiative? To inspire the next generation to discover all that America’s public lands and waters have to offer, the Obama Administration will provide all 4th grade students and their families free admission to all National Parks and other federal lands and waters for a full year, starting with the 2015-2016 school year. For more information on this exciting way to celebrate the centennial with your family click here.
In closing, I was fortunate to be in San Antonio this past Friday as they celebrated the boundary expansion of The San Antonio Missions National Historic Park and their World Heritage Delegation headed to Germany for the vote in July. For more information on the exciting World Heritage Designation click here.
Pictured below is Suzanne Dixon, Texas Regional Director, along with Bexar County Judge Nelson Woff, Congressman Lloyd Doggett and other folks who have worked so hard on this! Suzanne presented Congressman Doggett with the National Parks Conservation Association’s National Park Heritage Award.
myordinaryvoice 