Happy 100Th Birthday to America's National Parks!
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Northeast Region • Spring/Summer 2016 An Intimate Happy 100th Birthday to Journey Through America’s National Parks! The Delaware n August 25th, 2016 the National NPCA will host three signature events at Park Service will turn 100 years old. Gateway National Recreation Area and on River Region The National Park Service Centennial the Appalachian Trail. One of the events, O The Epic Ride After Party is described in is a once-in-a-lifetime event, and NPCA’s By Oliver Spellman Northeast office has been taking full the article below. advantage of this moment in history. Since have worked at Northeast Regional last year we have been working in New Office of NPCA for years helping to York City and in the region to celebrate this expand the range of our programs anniversary, include America’s veterans, and while staying close to our mission. grow the number of advocates for parks in I have found that one of the best ways to the Northeast region, encouraging people to gauge the impact and importance of our “Find Your Voice” for their national parks. programmatic work is to actually spend time in areas adjacent to our national To kick it off, the Northeast office launched parks and meet local stakeholders. its Centennial celebration with a summer 2015 event for veterans at the Jamaica Bay unit of Recently, I had an opportunity, Gateway National Recreation Area. Veterans along with Jim Dion and John Beljean, and their families enjoyed a day of on-water (of National Geographic and NPCA’s paddling, nature hikes, arts and crafts, and Mid-Atlantic region, respectively) to critter tanks. Many of the families had never visit the nine counties that border the paddled on the water and had never been NPCA will host nearly 100 students this Delaware River Region in New Jersey to Jamaica Bay before. Not only did we spring from the areas of Brooklyn and Queens and Pennsylvania. This area has been encourage people at this event to “Find Your that surround Jamaica Bay on a first-time- chosen as a destination by NPCA’s Voice” for Gateway National Recreation ever hike on the Appalachian Trail. Leading partner, National Geographic’s Geo- Area, this event is also an example of the up to this event, the Northeast office has been tourism Project, because it is ecologically Northeast office’s commitment to engaging working with its partners and the National Park Service to help orient participants to and culturally important. This winter, veterans. With more than 21 million Jim, John, and I drove through mild veterans in the Unites States, the majority continued on page 3 winter weather to explore the region’s of whom are post 9/11 veterans, there exists Top: Veteran Mark Fox paddles the Mississippi River character, local communities, and significant opportunity to inspire veterans to become advocates for our national parks. ©Warrior Paddle Expeditions Above: Jamaica natural resources. Bay Advocates, local Veterans and military families celebrate Flag Day by spending a day paddling the This Centennial year our engagement and waters of Jamaica Bay at Gateway National continued on page 8 advocacy with new audiences continues. Recreation Area. ©Ian Douglas Photography Meet an Advocate | John Donovan III ohn was first introduced to NPCA last FIELD February, when NPCA’s Northeast JRegion teamed up with the Student REPORT Conservation Association (SCA) to recruit park advocates at community service events around NYC. He officially joined Jamaica Spring/Summer 2016 Bay Advocates in April 2015 when he attended NPCA’s first Civic Voice Lessons advocacy training in New York City. Northeast Regional Office 256 West 36th Street As SCA’s New York-New Jersey Program Floor 12 Coordinator, John has held many roles New York, NY 10018 throughout the region, most of which lead [email protected] back to Gateway National Recreation Area (NRA). His passion for Gateway NRA and Cortney Worrall enthusiasm for protecting Jamaica Bay grew tremendously after Hurricane Sandy ravaged In August 2015, John helped NPCA reach SENIOR REGIONAL DIRECTOR the coasts of New York and New Jersey. new advocates by coordinating a private Civic Voice Lessons training for the SCA Oliver Spellman The SCA, under John’s management, has crews stationed at Gateway NRA. Since DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMS, NY & NJ deployed teams of interns, volunteers and then, he has worked with SCA to host a Sandy Recovery Crews to remove trash, Find Your Park Day of Service at Jamaica Molly Galvin tackle maintenance projects, disperse sand Bay and continues to play an integral role REGIONAL DIRECTOR and build protective dunes – all of which for NPCA’s Jamaica Bay Advocates. OF DEVELOPMENT are ongoing battles for Jamaica Bay. Join John and the many SCA members For area residents like John Donovan, helping who are making a difference at Gateway by Lauren Cosgrove Gateway NRA recover from Hurricane Sandy becoming a Jamaica Bay Advocate! Sign up FIND YOUR VOICE COORDINATOR is a matter of pride. here: www.npca.org/jba. Thank you, John! Timothy Leonard NORTHEAST PROGRAM COORDINATOR “Being from this area myself—I’ve seen it—people wear pride tee shirts ‘Long Island Strong’ that kind of stuff. Hurricane Sandy really hit home for Headquarters National Parks Conservation Association a lot of people, which is why I think the work 777 6th Street, NW SCA and NPCA are doing is really important.” Suite 700 Washington, DC 20001-3723 —John Donovan III, NY-NJ Program Coordinator for the www.npca.org Student Conservation Association NPCA Membership Find out what else SCA is doing to Services Team celebrate the National Park Centennial across the country. 800.628.7275 Visit www.thesca.org/findyourpark. [email protected] • Design by kelleyalbertdesign.com Top: SCA’s John Donovan enjoys his Spring Break by helping others build a community garden. ©NPCA Above: Jamaica Bay National Wildlife Refuge ©Stubblefieldphoto | Dreamstime HAVE A PHOTO OR COMMENT TO SHARE? We welcome photos from members enjoying national parks, particularly those in the Northeast region. We also appreciate feedback on our Field npca.org Report. Share your digital photos, comments, and ideas with us via email: [email protected] A National Park for Stonewall t a press conference in front of this year. The campaign has grown to over additional support for the project. Join our Stonewall Inn on September 20, 2015, 18,000 supporters, along with widespread cause by signing the online petition here: ANPCA formally launched a campaign support from local and federal officials, www.npca.org/natlparkforstonewall. for a National Park for Stonewall, to create influential LGBT organizations, and celebrity Share the link with your friends and family endorsements. NPCA’s goal is to encourage members to create a #NatlParkForStonewall! a national monument in New York City for Stonewall Inn, in Greenwich Village. This President Obama to designate the park Below: US Senator, Kirstin Gillibrand of New York would be first national park site dedicated to through the use of the Antiquities Act by at NPCA’s Stonewall press conference ©Ian Douglas telling the story of LGBT history in America. June 2016, and we’re moving quickly to garner Photography Stonewall Inn was the site of the 1969 uprisings that catalyzed the modern movement for LGBT civil rights and human rights. NPCA’s Northeast office started the campaign in the summer of 2014 by meeting with local LGBT activists to build local, grassroots support. Once local support had grown to a strong movement for the park, NPCA formally launched the campaign at the September 2016 press conference. New York’s Senator Kristen Gillibrand and Congressman Jerold Nadler urged support of a national park for Stonewall at the event and introduced legislation in congress earlier Happy 100th Birthday to America’s National Parks! continued from page 1 Long after the Centennial we want everyone anniversary. Learn more at FindYourVoice. to get their hands dirty volunteering in a camp and join the conversation online park, participate in a Civic Voice Lessons #FindYourVoice. hiking basics such as what kind of shoes to advocacy training, or join the conversation wear, snacks to have handy, and what to online at #FindYourVoice. For more information about our expect in the event of rain. Everyone can do their part advocacy in Jamaica Bay and to to ensure our nation’s most receive monthly newsletters We will co-host the 3rd Annual Trail Day treasured parks are protected, about Jamaica Bay and our work with the Harlem Valley Appalachian Trail restored and funded well into in Gateway National Recreation Community (HVATC) this fall to recognize their second century. Area, please contact Lauren the growing success of the Veteran-led Cosgrove at [email protected]. organization, Warrior Hike, and commem- The Find Your Voice initiative orate the hiking veterans who used the will span over the next five years, Below: Acadia National Park at Bar Appalachian Trail to ‘walk off the war’ and reaching its peak in 2019 when Harbor, Maine United States transition back to civilian life after combat. NPCA celebrates its own 100th ©Luckydoor | Dreamstime Saving Jamaica Bay, Narrated by Susan Sarandon aving Jamaica Bay, the first ever struggling to preserve this priceless Palm Beach International Film Festival in feature documentary about the resource and their way of life. Florida this past April. battle to save one of New York City’s S The film debuted at the Queens World Film most remarkable and important natural Below: Members of the Saving Jamaica Bay resources—told through the stories of the Festival in New York City on March 17, at crew at Breezy Point, Queens, part of the people who call it home—premiered at the Environmental Film Festival in National Park Service’s Gateway National two major film festivals this Spring.