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Embracing Creativity and Stargazing: Grand Canyon Conservancy's Artist and Astronomer-in-Residence Programs

By Katie Cavanaugh-Smith posted 2 days ago
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The Grand Canyon, with its awe-inspiring landscapes and celestial wonders, has captivated countless individuals for generations. Recognizing the power of art and science in conveying the beauty and significance of this natural wonder, the Grand Canyon Conservancy (GCC) is now accepting applications until July 31 st , 2023 for two exceptional residency programs—the Artist in Residence and Astronomer-in-Residence programs. These initiatives not only foster creativity and exploration but also contribute to the preservation and appreciation of the Grand Canyon's rich cultural and natural heritage.  Grand Canyon Conservancy's Artist in Residence Program ...
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Summer 2023 Brings American Indian Guest Artist Program & Speaker Series to Grand Teton National Park

By Katie Cavanaugh-Smith posted 16 days ago
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Since 1937, the Grand Teton Association (GTA) has supported the education, interpretation, and research initiatives of agency partners. This summer, that history of support will be carried on through the return of Grand Teton National Park’s annual American Indian Guest Artist Program at Colter Bay. Running from May 23 to October 2 , visitors to the park will have the opportunity to witness the traditional and contemporary art of American Indian tribes from all over the country. The program is sponsored by the Grand Teton Association and will be held at the Colter Bay Visitor Center. Participating artists will demonstrate their craft, which includes ...
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Hawaiʻi Pacific Parks Association Welcomes Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail to Partnership ʻOhana

By Katie Cavanaugh-Smith posted 22 days ago
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We would like to spotlight the recent work of Public Lands Alliance member Hawaiʻi Pacific Parks Association (HPPA). HPPA i s a nonprofit cooperating association working in partnership with the National Park Service in Hawaiʻi and American Samoa. Proceeds from their park stores support interpretation, educational programs, research projects, publications, and cultural activities.  Hawaiʻi Pacific Parks Association has recently shared the newest addition to its partnership ʻohana - the Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail.  The Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail, which spans 175 miles along the Big Island of Hawaii's coastline, is a significant site for ...
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Smokies Hikes for Healing: Great Smoky Mountains Association

By Janine Doyle posted 08-11-2020
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In June 2020, Great Smoky Mountains Association teamed up with their park's Superintendent Cassius Cash to create Smokies Hikes for Healing. Additionally supported through aid-to-park funding from Friends of the Smokies , this collaborative program aims to connect strangers to have difficult conversations about racism and social justice in a natural setting. Read on to learn more about their efforts (originally posted in Smokies LIVE and written by Frances Figart, GSMA Creative Services Director): In late May, as the park began to resume operations after being fully closed for 46 days, a shock wave rang out around the world when George Floyd was tragically ...
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Creating Refuges in Your Own Backyard

By Janine Doyle posted 04-16-2020
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The Friends of Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge is dedicated to helping shape and support the development of Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge. They foster a community conservation ethic by promoting environmental and cultural awareness through public educational programs and recreational opportunities. One of the Friends of Valle de Oro's newest endeavors is their ABQ Backyard Refuge (ABQBYR) program, which allows public land management agencies and community members to work together to restore and maintain robust habitats for wildlife and people to seek refuge. Read on for more about this program from the Friends of Valle de Oro Executive Director ...
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Composing in the Wilderness: Alaska Geographic

By Janine Doyle posted 12-17-2019
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Alaska Geographic (AG) has been creating deeper connections to Alaska's wild lands for over 60 years as the nonprofit education partner of the state's spectacular national parks, forests and refuges. In partnership with the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival, the National Park Service (NPS) and the U.S. Forest Service (USDAFS), AG supports Composing in the Wilderness , a shared wilderness experience for adventurous composers at all levels. Below is our interview with AG executive director Andy Hall about this program. When did the Composing in the Wilderness program begin, and what was the motivation behind starting the program? Hall: The Composing ...
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Overdue Renovations Become a Reality for 40-Year-Old Fish Ladder

By Janine Doyle posted 11-18-2019
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Ballard Locks Fish Ladder Renovations Concept The Fish Ladder Viewing Gallery at the Hiram M. Chittenden (Ballard) Locks in Seattle has not been renovated in over 40 years, despite being the site of approximately 2 million visitors per year. Seeing the great potential of one of the Locks' most popular educational attractions, PLA member Discover Your Northwest (DYNW) decided to team up with the Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and The Corps Foundation in order to raise the capital funds needed to renovate the structure. Below is our interview with DYNW Executive Director Jim Adams about this project. What prompted the Fish Ladder renovations project? ...
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Wulfert Bayous Acquisition Protects Key Wildlife Habitats - Ding Darling Wildlife Society

By Janine Doyle posted 10-14-2019
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Wulfert Bayous, Sanibel Island, Florida “Land, water and vegetation are just that dependent on one another. Without these three primary elements in natural balance, we can have neither fish nor game, wild flowers nor trees, labor nor capital, nor sustaining habitat for humans.” - Jay Norwood "Ding" Darling Jay Norwood "Ding" Darling, a Pulitzer prize-winning political cartoonist, often focused on the theme of conservation and wildlife preservation in his work. In addition to his artistic endeavors, "Ding" headed the U.S. Biological Survey, a predecessor of the Fish and Wildlife Service, initiated the Federal Duck Stamp Program, and pioneered leadership ...
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Preservation Through Conservation: Mojave Desert Land Trust

By Janine Doyle posted 08-19-2019
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Photo by Brandy Dyess/Mojave Desert Land Trust A champion of conservation, the Mojave Desert Land Trust (MDLT) protects over 24.5 million acres of land within the entire California portion of the eastern Mojave and Colorado deserts. In fact, MDLT has donated more tracts of land to the national park system nationwide than any other non-profit since 2006. PLA had the opportunity to interview MDLT's Executive Director, Geary Hund, who has worked as a conservation professional for more than 40 years, beginning as a ranger and then as an ecologist with California State Parks. What does “conservation” mean to MDLT, and why is it so important? Hund: ...
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Protecting Safe Spaces - Friends of Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens

By Janine Doyle posted 07-12-2019
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Photo credit: Tim Ervin Engaging Communities Through Education and Recreation Summer is in full swing, and there is no better time to visit the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens as their signature lotuses and water lilies are in magnificent bloom. One of the gardens' supporting partners is PLA member Friends of Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens (FoKAG). Founded in 2001 by a small but mighty team of 10 volunteers, FoKAG has now grown to utilize more than 900 volunteers and bolster its impact on the park as well as the surrounding community through stewardship, engagement and educational programs. One of the ways FoKAG engages those who live near the park is through ...
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Eastern Sierra Interpretive Association - A Champion of Supportive Partnerships

By Janine Doyle posted 06-14-2019
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Eastern Sierra Interpretive Association works to educate students about the wildlife and natural landscapes of their communities. Continued Learning to Strengthen Partnerships Established in 1970 to help the U.S. Forest Service provide interpretive education about the surrounding environments, the Eastern Sierra Interpretive Association (ESIA) is one of the longest serving nonprofit agency partners. Today, in addition to their work with USFS, they have grown to partner with the National Park Service and Bureau of Land Management at the following sites: Inyo National Forest Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest Tahoe National Forest Death ...
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Supporting Teachers Through Place-Based Education in the Flathead Watershed

By Janine Doyle posted 04-12-2019
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Glacier National Park (GNP) Education Specialist, Laura Law, and teachers reflecting on how science and culture are inter-twined (at Two Medicine Lake). In 2013, the Glacier National Park Fund and the Glacier Association merged into the Glacier National Park Conservancy (GNPC) in order to better serve the Park by providing support for preservation, education and research through philanthropy and outreach. One component of their educational support is to help Glacier National Park staff provide high quality, professional development opportunities for teachers about park resources. The Park's education staff works with researchers and community partners ...
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Friends of the Smokies Supports Youth Environmental Leadership

By Janine Doyle posted 03-19-2019
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Youth Environmental Leadership Program (YELP) is a paid internship program for youth of color that focuses on experience in Science, Technology, Math and Engineering (STEM) careers, particularly in the park service and conservation fields. Since 1993, Friends of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park has raised more than $68 million to fund historic preservation, wildlife management, environmental education and more in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP). This partnership has flourished over the years, building up a list of accomplishments such as the reconstruction of the historic Mt. Cammerer Fire Tower, the reintroduction of elk to the Smokies ...
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Rocky Mountain Conservancy Engages Youth to Become Life-Long Stewards

By Amanda Keith posted 01-24-2019
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Corps member helps local youth plant native wildflowers in Rocky Mountain National Park. Since 1931, Rocky Mountain Conservancy has provided education and interpretation to visitors of Rocky Mountain National Park as a nonprofit partner. Since then, they have expanded their education programs through their Field Institute and Conservation programs and have identified a variety of ways to engage youth and young adults. This year, the Conservancy is leading programs that engage young people from ages four to twenty-five to learn about the park and become lifelong stewards. Through elementary school programs, fellowship programs and a Corps program, they ...
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Redwood Parks Conservancy Teams up with Partners to Save the Grove of Titans in Northern California

By Amanda Keith posted 12-17-2018
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California State Parks Acting Sector Superintendent Brett Silver points to the damaged duff layer at the base of a redwood tree in the Grove of Titans. Increased foot traffic has caused the ferns to die and has exposed the roots of the tree. Photo Credit: Max Forster. In Jebediah Smith Redwoods State Park in northern California stands some of the world’s largest and oldest redwood trees. The majestic Grove of Titans was discovered by researchers in the 1990s and was relatively hidden from the public for several years. Recently, however, the location of these redwoods has been popularized online and through social media and hundreds of visitors per week ...
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Festival of the Cranes Celebrates Birds, Partnerships and Communities in the Middle Rio Grande Valley

By Amanda Keith posted 11-27-2018
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Snow Geese and Ross’s Geese at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge; Photo Credit: Beverly Sinclair. You will hear the rumble of snow geese before you see them. At the first light of dawn, they cover the water of Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge and there they rest as a blanket of snow. As the sun rises, they begin to stir. You hear a low, roaring thunder and you look out. The water is moving, the birds are flapping their wings and then, they ascend above you in thousands. Their screaming calls fill the sky and block your view of the lingering stars. The geese fly overheard en masse and a moment later they are gone; a snow patch in a distant ...
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Hawai‘i Pacific Parks Association Faces Challenges and Responds to Park Needs in Wake of Volcanic Events

By Amanda Keith posted 10-29-2018
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Fissure 8 of the Kīlauea Volcano effusing voluminous lava on the Island of Hawai’i. Photo taken June 22, 2018. Photo Credit: USGS. On April 30, 2018, Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō , the main vent of an eruption on the East Rift Zone of Kīlauea Volcano, emptied and collapsed. In early May, an eruption commenced on the Lower East Rift Zone and then a 6.9 magnitude earthquake shook the Island of Hawai‘i. Explosive events at the summit of Kīlauea began a few days afterward and the majority of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park (HAVO) closed. Ash plumes, some ascending up to 30,000 ft. deposited ash at the summit and in communities downwind. Most destructively, a series of over ...
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Sierra State Parks Foundation Works Collaboratively to Fund and Enhance Parks in Northern California

By Amanda Keith posted 09-26-2018
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Sugar Pine Point State Park along the western shores of Lake Tahoe, CA. In California, there are more than 280 state parks managed by the California Department of Parks and Recreation. These parks contain diverse natural, cultural and recreational resources and many of them are supported by nonprofit partners who raise funds and manage operations to ensure that the parks are open and enjoyed by park visitors. In northern California, Sierra State Parks Foundation (SSPF) supports seven of these parks in the western shores of Lake Tahoe and Donner Lake area. SSPF is one of 89 cooperating associations that partner with the state parks system and, while many ...
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San Juan Mountains Association Responds to Wildfires and Provides Visitor Services in Southwest Colorado

By Amanda Keith posted 08-15-2018
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The 416 Fire in the San Juan National Forest in early June 2018. Photo Credit: Jim Mackensen; Source: San Juan National Forest Facebook Page. On June 11, 2018, a rapidly growing wildfire in Southwest Colorado forced the U.S. Forest Service (Forest Service) to close visitor access to the entirety of the San Juan National Forest for the first time in history. What later became known as the 416 & Burro Fire Complex burned approximately 55,000 acres and shut down entry to the forest for ten days. While the Forest Service acted swiftly to respond to the fire, the nonprofit, San Juan Mountains Association (SJMA) also stepped up to help visitors and the local ...
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The Corps Foundation Promotes Recreation, Visitor Safety and Visitor Education at USACE Sites

By Amanda Keith posted 07-18-2018
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The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers manages 5,000 recreation areas at 403 lakes and rivers across the country. In September 2006, a group of retired U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) employees and leaders from the private sector came together to create a nonprofit that would support lakes and waterways across the country. An official nonprofit partner of the USACE, The Corps Foundation (Foundation) developed out of a growing concern for decreases in federal funds for USACE sites and with an interest in supporting these programs and facilities to keep these treasured resources vibrant. The nonprofit now operates as a volunteer-run organization with a ...
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