National Park Service Announces Public Engagement Campaign As Centerpiece Of 2016 Centennial

WASHINGTON, March 24, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Park Service today announced that the centerpiece of its 2016 Centennial will be a broad public engagement campaign to reintroduce the national parks and the work of the National Park Service to a new generation of Americans, inviting them to visit and get involved. The two-year effort will begin in 2015 and run throughout the National Park Service's 100th anniversary year in 2016. Plans for the campaign, entitled "Find Your Park," are underway in collaboration with the National Park Foundation, the official nonprofit partner of the National Park Service.

The National Park Service and the National Park Foundation will team up with partners to produce programs, events, and activities that will drive broad awareness, deepen engagement, and increase support for America's national parks, the work of the National Park Service, and its partners. In addition to making all 401 national parks go-to destinations, the campaign will highlight the historic preservation and outdoor recreation work the National Park Service does with communities across the country and the value it brings to Americans every day.

"We are excited to use the Centennial to invite every American to get to know their national parks and to understand how our one hundred years of conservation experience translates into on-the-ground revitalization projects in their neighborhoods," said National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis. "Our campaign will encourage Americans to 'Find Your Park' – to discover a personal connection to a place or a story that provides inspiration or enjoyment, and to then join us in our second century of stewardship of America's most treasured places."

"We are proud to support the National Park Service in this historic milestone," said Neil Mulholland, President and CEO of the National Park Foundation. "Together, and in concert with many partners around the country, we will set the course for the next hundred years with an engaged citizenry who love their national parks and proudly show their support through visitation, volunteerism and philanthropy."

Marking the first phase of the campaign, the National Park Service and the National Park Foundation unveiled two new additions to the National Park Service brand family. Building off of the National Park Service's iconic arrowhead, the new graphic identities highlight the partnership between the National Park Service and its Congressionally-chartered nonprofit partner, the National Park Foundation. The arrowhead will continue to serve as the official seal of the National Park Service. Learn more about the History of NPS Visual Identity.

In addition, the National Park Service and National Park Foundation both launched Centennial web pages today, the start of a robust communications effort that will kick into high gear in early 2015 across all digital platforms to invite engagement in Centennial activities.

The National Park Foundation has retained Grey New York to develop the multi-channel public engagement campaign which includes the creation of strategic partnerships with media, corporations and talent. 

To help guide Centennial efforts, Jarvis asked the National Park System Advisory Board to create a Centennial Advisory Committee made up of 31 members representing the broad spectrum of National Park Service partners and stakeholders. The committee is chaired by Gretchen Long.

For more information about the National Park Service's Centennial, visit www.nps.gov/centennial or www.nationalparks.org/centennial.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 401 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at: www.nps.gov.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION
The National Park Foundation is the official charity of America's national parks and nonprofit partner to the National Park Service.  Chartered by Congress in 1967, the National Park Foundation raises private funds to help PROTECT more than 84 million acres of national parks through critical conservation and preservation efforts, CONNECT all Americans with their incomparable natural landscapes, vibrant culture and rich history, and INSPIRE the next generation of park stewards.  Find out more and become a part of the national park community at www.nationalparks.org

MEDIA CONTACTS:  Marjorie Hall
202-354-6480
[email protected]

April Slayton
202-208-6843
[email protected] 

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SOURCE National Park Foundation