IN YOUR BACKYARD

Learn more about upcoming National Park and National Park Foundation events and activities near you! Check back often for the latest updates.

NATIONWIDE

September 27 through October 2: The National Parks: America's Best Idea The National Park Foundation is proud to be a core partner and funder of the new Ken Burns documentary series. The film chronicles a century of giving that created national parks from southern Florida to the frozen tundra of Alaska, from the rocky coast of Maine to the volcanic Hawaiian islands. Premiering on PBS, the 12-hour, six-part documentary series is both a biography of compelling characters and of the American landscape. Learn more.

Through September 14: "Your Parks" Video Challenge The National Park Foundation and Olympus invite you to film your summer experiences in our national parks and share them in the "Your Parks" Video Challenge. What do national parks mean to you? Why do you want to protect them? A winning entry could win you an exclusive, all-expense paid trip for two to the national park of your choice, an Olympus PEN camera kit, a Merrell gift card and more! Enter Today.

Through December 31: Share The Experience Photo Contest The Share the Experience Photo Contest is an annual photography competition encouraging amateur shutterbugs to explore our nation’s federal lands and share the experience with all Americans by submitting their favorite lands photos. Through December 31st, you can submit up to three photos for the chance to earn national recognition for your picture. Enter by visiting www.sharetheexperience.org.

THE WEST

August 9, 2009: Bicycle pathway opens at Grand Teton National Park Bring your friends and family to celebrate the new Grand Teton National Park Pathway on August 9 with keynote speaker Senator John Barraso of Wyoming. Following the ceremony the 10th Gabriella Axelrad Celebration Ride will take place on the new pathway to remember and honor the young woman who was killed in 1999 when she was hit by a vehicle while riding her bike along the road. 

Through October: Tour Historic ‘Ainahou Ranch House and Gardens Join park staff and Friends of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park on a walking tour of ‘Ainahou Ranch House and Gardens. Scheduled at 11 am and 2 pm on August 4 and 18, September 1, 15, and 29, and October 6, these free tours explore the rich history and geology of the ‘Ainahou. Tours take place rain or shine, but may be cancelled on short notice due to poor air quality, severe weather, or volcanic activity.

ALASKA

Through October 31: Denali Seeks Artists Denali National Park and Preserve is seeking applications from visual artists for the 2010 Artist-in-Residence Program. The program allows artists to reside in the historic East Fork cabin, located 43 miles into the park, for a ten day period between June and mid-September. In return, each artist donates to the park a piece of artwork that was inspired by their stay. Artists also offer a public presentation for visitors at the end of their residency. 

THE MIDWEST

August 21-22, 2009: Badlands Star Party See the stars in the dark skies of the North Dakota Badlands at Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Telescope viewing will be available at the Oxbow Overlook in the North Unit on Friday and Saturday nights and a sun telescope will be set up at the North Unit Visitor Center on Saturday afternoon. 

Weekends in August: Campfire Talks on Lake Michigan On Saturday evenings from 7:30 to 8:30 pm at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, rangers present campfire talks at the Dunewood Campground amphitheater about the diversity of resources and activities at the National Lakeshore. Kids can take in an afternoon of nature activities and stories from 1 to 4 pm on Saturdays and Sundays in the Visitor Center’s activity room. 

Beginning September 2009: A New Look at Mount Rushmore At Mount Rushmore National Memorial preservationists will be using leading edge technology to digitally document the monument in three dimensions. Through a groundbreaking partnership with CyArk, a US-based non-profit pioneering in digital preservation, and the Culture Minister of the Scottish Government, Mount Rushmore will become the first international World Heritage site outside of Scotland to be rendered in 3D. The final three-dimensional, digital model will reveal sculpted surfaces with an accuracy of less than one centimeter. 

THE SOUTHEAST

Ongoing: Biscayne Volunteers Restore Coral Reefs Volunteers at Biscayne National Park are working year round to help with the park’s Coral Nursery Project, turning some negative events into highly positive results, and they’re having a lot of fun in the process. For the past 15 years, the park has been salvaging pieces of damaged coral and reintroducing them into coral nurseries located throughout the park with the intention of using these slow-growing colonies to restore damaged reef areas. New volunteers are always welcome and should contact the park for details.

THE NORTHEAST

August 6, 2009: An Evening of Encampment Stories Take part in a history buffet at this campfire program starting at 7 pm Thursday, August 6 at the Wick House in Jockey Hollow. The park historian at Morristown National Historical Park will offer a variety of historical topics to choose from. Hear stories about the American Revolution and Morristown's role in the war or the tale of the man who was hanged twice and the time that Washington lied. In addition, every Tuesday morning through September 29, visitors are invited to meet the volunteers from the Herb Society of America who maintain the historic Wick Garden. 

August 15, 2009: From the shores of Fire Island to Central America Park Flight Program international volunteer Pilar Velasquez Jofre, from Guatemala, will present a program at the Fire Island Lighthouse that examines the incredible journey that birds make along the Atlantic Flyway. Get a brief history of ornithology, and learn about bird research and conservation actions taken in Central America that affect bird populations on Long Island. 

Tuesdays in August: Explore 18th-Century Life at Acadia Every Tuesday in August between 10 am and 1 pm, park staff will hold an open house at the Carroll Homestead, an 1800s-era farm home on Mount Desert Island in Acadia National Park. Visitors can walk the grounds and imagine what life was like for the families that lived on the subsistence farm. Historic games are available for children.

WASHINGTON D.C. AREA

Saturdays in August: Concerts at Fort Dupont Park Fort Dupont Park will host free concerts starting at 8 pm every Saturday in August. The park encourages music lovers to come out, bring lawn chairs and blankets, and enjoy some of the finest rhythm & blues music in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Performers will include Julia Nixon, Derek McKeith, Alyson Williams and Jazzy Blu.

For more tips and ideas for getting involved in your national parks, click here.