Summit On National Parks Held In Washington

On January 25th and 26th, 2012, over 350 national park enthusiasts and advocates assembled in Washington, D.C., for an unprecedented gathering entitled America’s Summit on National Parks.

Convened by the National Park Foundation (NPF), the National Park Conservation Association (NPCA) and the National Park Hospitality Association (NPHA), the summit was a look ahead to the upcoming National Park Service centennial and represented an historic first in its collaboration among members of the conservation community, the concession and travel industry, the philanthropic community, and many others.

The two-day event featured a packed agenda. Secretary Ken Salazar’s keynote address encouraged all of the participants, including the 44 National Park Service employees in attendance, to be bold, thoughtful, and inclusive in their deliberations regarding the future of the National Park Service. Greetings and well wishes were also delivered via video by First Ladies Michelle Obama and Laura Bush. Click here to see all summit videos.

Discussion in working sessions focused on the need for the National Park Service to make use of the best available technology to reach out to broader audiences and to help tell the stories of the parks, heritage areas, trails, and other affiliated sites.

One of the most talked about sessions was “Youth and Our National Parks.” Ranger Nick Clemons from Assateague Island National Seashore led a discussion of youth involved in national parks, ranging from high school Youth Conservation Corps employees to a college student participating in the U.S. Park Police Explorers program. Audience members were emboldened and encouraged by the suggestions the panelists gave to help the Service do a better job of engaging, retaining, and hiring youth.

Another recurring idea, articulated by Director Jarvis in his opening plenary session remarks, was that in our second century we must proactively take the parks to the people, including the entirety of what the NPS offers. The best way to do this is to integrate parks and programs, whose potential to promote heritage tourism, economic development, recreation, affordable housing, and jobs, is largely untapped. Parks and programs complement one another, and we shouldn’t overlook the programs’ contributions and their potential to unify communities, connect them to nature, improve the quality of life, and serve as an introduction to the NPS. Summit participants acknowledged the necessity of NPS programs to our future.

Although not every NPS employee could be at the summit, every employee was represented. Everyone can participate in the spirit of the summit by embracing A Call to Action and reaching out to our partners and stakeholders.