LiveGreen: Find your park

I love national parks.

When I need to go to my happy place in my mind, it’s always a national park. I love the views, the smells, the history, and the time spent at each park’s activities, which for me often includes hiking and a little quiet time. Of course, I love the fact that they are preserving these spaces for future generations and have developed a robust sustainability program to help.

LIVEGREEN

by Melanie Stewart

One of the greatest things about national parks is that they have something for everybody. Mountains, oceans, deserts, beaches, volcanos, rain forests, historical places, and whatever wildlife, landscape, and temperature interests you. You can be with groups of people, find solitude, totally rough it or stay in luxury. They offer kid’s activities, can educate you on anything from ancient to recent history, offer many portions that are ADA accessible and help you to find a new appreciation of nature — and there are so many (464) that you are always within driving distance.

So I was surprised to learn that park attendance is down. The baby boomer generation helped make national parks thrive, harkening back to the “see the USA in your Chevrolet” days. As that generation ages, new generations aren’t flocking to national parks the way they used to.

In anticipation of the national park’s 100th birthday, the National Park Service has started a “Find Your Park” promotion. You can find your favorite park, new park, or park that’s close by and visit. Your entry fee helps support the parks and keep them protected for future generations.

Getting ready to plan your summer vacation or a weekend trip? Stay local and save some gas money by visiting one of Nebraska’s six parks or one of the 43 parks in neighboring states.

Also, this year fourth-grade students and their families get in free.

Check out the Find Your Park page to see the map of all national parks, information on each park with specifics to help you plan your visit, special events going on throughout the year, and even information on being a citizen scientist! For more information you also can go to the National Parks Service.