429
That’s number of National Parks in the United States. These include national seashores, historical
sites, and recreation areas. To celebrate
them, the National Parks Service, part of the Department of the Interior, is
devoting April 20th through April 28th as National Park Week.
To kick off the week of celebration, and to showcase the
variety and grandeur of our National Park system, April 20th is a
day of no entrance fee into any of the parks.
(The NPS offers six days in the year with no entrance fees.)
Each day of National Parks Week has a different theme:
Saturday, April 20: Discovery. What will you
discover? A new place, a new interesting fact, a new activity... To kick off
National Park Week and encourage you make that new discovery, entrance fees are
waived on April 20!
Sunday, April 21: Volunteers. Use your time and
talents as a volunteer in your national parks. Find opportunities to volunteer
for a single event or long term position.
Monday, April 22: Earth Day. Join the global celebration encouraging education and stewardship of the planet's natural
resources. Many parks are hosting volunteer events. You can also find ways to
practice conservation at home.
Tuesday, April 23: Innovation. History of our
nation's innovation is preserved in national parks. Also learn about the
innovative projects happening in parks or through our programs today.
Wednesday, April 24: Workforce Wednesday. Meet our
incredible workforce of employees, interns, fellows, volunteers, contractors,
partners, and more. Consider joining our team!
Thursday, April 25: Youth Engagement. Calling the
rising generation of stewards! Learn about the opportunities for youth and young adults to get involved and see what your peers are up to.
Friday, April 26: Community Connections. Learn about
the important work our programs and partners are doing in communities across
the country both within and outside of our park boundaries.
Saturday, April 27: Junior Ranger Day. For kids (and
kids at heart), become a Junior Ranger through in-person or online activities
to learn about special places or topics. You may even earn a Junior Ranger
badge!
Sunday, April 28: Arts in Parks. Home of many arts past and present, find your muse creating arts within parks. Also learn about
preserving and practicing arts in your communities through the work of our
programs and partners.
13 of these National Parks are in Texas. They are Alibates Flint Quarries National
Monument in Fritch, Amistad National Recreation Area in Del Rio, Big Bend National Park in the big bend of the Rio Grande near Alpine, Big Thicket National Preserve in Beaumont, Blackwell School National Historic
Site at Fort Davis, Butterfield Overland Historic Trail that covers Missouri,
Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California, Chamizal
National Memorial in El Paso, El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic
Trail in Texas and Louisiana, El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro National
Historic Trail in Texas and New Mexico, Fort Davis National Historic Site in Fort
Davis, Guadalupe Mountains National Park in Salt Flat, Lake Meredith
National Recreation Area in Fritch, Lyndon B Johnson National Historical
Park in Johnson City, Padre Island National Seashore in Corpus Christi, Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park in Brownsville, Rio Grande
Wild and Scenic River in Southwest Texas, San Antonio Missions National
Historical Park in San Antonio, and Waco Mammoth National Monument in Waco.
Big Bend National Park/Photo by Caleb Fisher on Unsplash
