National Park Foundation Grants More Than $200,000 To Restore And Establish Trails And Promote Healthy Lives In America's National Parks

Thirteen National Parks Awarded National Park Foundation's 2012 "Active Trails"  Grants

WASHINGTON, May 24, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, the National Park Foundation, the official charity of America's national parks, announced over $200,000 in grants to be awarded to the thirteen national parks selected to participate in the 2012 Active Trails program.  Now in its fourth round of grants, the National Park Foundation's Active Trails program promotes national parks as a venue for community engagement and encourages healthy living through various forms of recreation and volunteer service on land and water trails.

(Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090630/DC40408LOGO)

"Maintaining over 18,000 miles of trails is no small task," said Neil Mulholland, President and CEO of the National Park Foundation. "The Active Trail funds help parks across the country create or expand vital trail related projects, improving the visitor experience and encouraging engagement opportunities with each parks' gateway community."

Since 2008, the National Park Foundation has granted over $1.2 million through its Active Trails program.  To date, Active Trails has engaged more than 3,100 volunteers and 86 project partners who combined have contributed over 13,000 hours to help promote, refurbish or build national park trails that were ultimately enjoyed by 291,000 visitors (and counting!).

The 2012 Active Trails Grantees include:

Antietam National Battlefield, Maryland

Catoctin Mountain Park, Maryland

Golden Gate National Recreation Area, California

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee

Gulf Islands National Seashore, Mississippi District, Florida

Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, West Virginia

Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve, Louisiana

Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, Georgia

Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, Alaska

Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado

New River Gorge National River, West Virginia

River Raisin National Battlefield Park, Michigan

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Michigan

A listing of these parks and their Active Trails project descriptions can be found on the National Park Foundation website.

The National Park Foundation wishes to thank the Coca-Cola Foundation for their generous support of the Active Trails program.

For more information on the National Park Foundation or how you can support and protect America's national parks, please visit www.nationalparks.org.

About the National Park Foundation. You are the owner of 84 million acres of the world's most treasured memorials, landscapes, ecosystems, and historic sites -- all protected in America's nearly 400 national parks.  Chartered by Congress, the National Park Foundation is the official charity of America's national parks.  We work hand in hand with the National Park Service to connect you and all Americans to the parks, and to make sure that they are preserved for the generations who will follow.  Join us in supporting your national parks -- this is your land. www.nationalparks.org

Media contact:
Marjorie Hall, [email protected],  202.354.6480

SOURCE National Park Foundation