Centennial Vision
In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service in 2016, America invites the world to discover the meaning of national parks to their lives and inspires people to both experience and become devoted to these special places.

On August 25, 2006 – the 90th anniversary of the National Park Service – Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne launched the National Park Centennial Initiative to prepare national parks for another century of conservation, preservation and enjoyment. Since then the National Park Service asked citizens, park partners, experts and other stakeholders what they envisioned for a second century of national parks.

A nationwide series of more than 40 listening sessions produced more than 6,000 comments that helped to shape five centennial goals. The goals and vision were presented to President Bush and to the American people on May 31st in a report called The Future of America’s National Parks.

Every national park staff took their lead from this report and created local centennial strategies to describe their vision and desired accomplishments by 2016. This is just the first year, and there are many great things to come as the National Park Service prepares to celebrate 100 years!

To keep up with the Centennial Initiative and to experience the interactive version of The Future of America’s National Parks and special features please visit the centennial website at www.nps.gov/2016.

Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks Centennial Initiative

August 23 - Centennial Initiative News Release

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks - Centennial Eligible Project

Project Title: Rangers in the Classroom

Partner: Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park Foundation

Amount: $100,000.00

Description: Rangers in the Classroom is an educational outreach program targeting the diverse and underserved student population of the San Joaquin Valley. The standards based program’s main goals are to:

·        Introduce students to the great outdoor resources of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.

·        Teach students how to be environmental stewards in their community.

·        And how taking care of the environment in their own community will also benefit the parks’ resources.

These parks will be partnering with other educational groups well established in the community: the Sequoia Natural History Association, Sequoia Riverland Trust, and the Tulare County Office of Education to achieve these goals.