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THE GREAT OUTDOORS — America’s national parks have been called our “best idea.”
What began with the designation of Yellowstone National Park has grown into a worldwide heritage of preservation. National parks now include not only natural beauty and scenery, but historical sites, cemeteries, battlegrounds and much more.
As the park system began to grow following the establishment of Yellowstone on March 1, 1872, oversight of the nation's few national parks fell to the army. But as the nation and the national park idea grew, a more specialized organization was created.
On Aug. 25, 1916, exactly 100 years ago Thursday, stewardship of the national parks was handed over to the newly formed National Park Service. Charged for a century with preserving “the natural and historic objects and the wildlife” within national park boundaries, the National Park Service has also been reaching out to communities across the country, inviting each of us to reconnect with the land and history of the nation we call home.
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Which begs the question — have you found your park yet?
Take a moment to watch this short tribute video to the National Park Service and ponder your connection to the historic and natural heritage contained within our national parks.
In honor of the centennial celebration, the National Park service has waived all entrance fees to any site within the national park system from Thursday to Sunday, offering everyone an opportunity to benefit from and enjoy the nation's most treasured sites.
Please remember that the national parks are more popular and have more visitors than ever before. The men and women of the park service cannot fulfill their purpose to preserve these special places without help from visitors like you. Do your part to help ensure our parks are preserved for current and future generations, and consider getting out and exploring the unique American heritage that are preserved within our national parks.