The National Parks Conservation Association will launch National Parks Week NYC, September 19-27, 2009, a series of public events which will celebrate the rich history of our national parks and launch a national dialogue about the future of the parks as they enter their second century.  National Parks Week NYC will provide countless opportunities to entertain and educate the whole family, from a Lantern Tour of Fort Wadsworth to Grant’s Tomb after Dark to an Evening Tour of Liberty Island.

The signature event of the week, “Feel Free: A National Parks Celebration in Central Park,” will feature highlights from Ken Burns’s documentary, “THE NATIONAL PARKS: AMERICA’S BEST IDEA” and musical acts by an array of talented performers.  The live show from East Meadow in Central Park will be shared via satellite to PBS affiliates and other partners around the country.

All events listed are open to the public. For more information on National Parks Week NYC and the “Feel Free” event, go to www.FeelFree.org.    

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19

Obata’s Yosemite Exhibition  

Saturday, September 9 through Friday, September 25
Location: Federal Hall National Memorial
Hosted by the National Parks Conservation Association and the National Park Service

Obata’s Yosemite is organized by the Smithsonian American Art Museum. The exhibition’s tour is supported in part by the C.F. Foundation, Atlanta and the William R. Kenan Jr. Endowment Fund.

Chiura Obata (1885-1975), born in Okayama-ken, Japan, was one of the earliest Japanese artists to live and work in the United States. In 1927, he visited Yosemite National Park and the Sierra Nevada, where he made approximately 100 drawings in pencil, watercolor and sumi ink. The following year, he returned to Japan for a visit and brought 35 of the drawings to be translated into color woodcuts. Between 1928 and 1930, while Obata was in Tokyo, he transformed these California landscape watercolors and sketches into a limited-edition portfolio titled “World Landscape Series.”

The final intricate woodblock prints resemble Obata’s watercolors, with lines like brush strokes and areas of delicately layered color. They are characterized by a distinctive merging of Japanese and Western printmaking styles and techniques. Obata’s Yosemite features 27 prints and watercolors and a series of 20 progressive proofs all depicting Yosemite National Park.

International Coastal Clean-up Day
 
Saturday, September 19 through Saturday, September 26; 10:00am – 1:00pm
Location: Gateway National Recreation Area/ Jamaica Bay Unit/ Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge and the North Channel Bridge Parking Lot
Hosted by the American Littoral Society

The American Littoral Society is coordinating cleanups and plantings at many Gateway NRA sites in NYC.  At Plum Beach, Brooklyn on Saturday, September 26, we will collect and document floatable debris on the beach as well as plant native grasses and trees along the marsh, dunes and uplands. Contact Don Riepe to register (718) 318-9344.

Nature’s Air Show at the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Bronx Zoo 

Saturday, September 19, Sunday, September 20; 10:00am – 5:30pm
Location: Bronx Zoo
Hosted by the Wildlife Conservation Association and the National Park Service

Bring the family for a fascinating experience with eagles, hawks, falcons and vultures during the Bronx Zoo’s Nature’s Air Show. Watch these raptors of the wild soar and dive overhead and visit with them up close after the show. The National Parks of New York Harbor will participate in the Nature's Air Show event with a special kiosk, and National Park Service staff will be present to speak to visitors and distribute literature about the parks. Get 50% off one child’s admission with one paid adult. For more information, visit Bronxzoo.com/Airshow.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 20

Bears in National Parks 

Sunday, September 20; 1:00pm 
Location: Brooklyn Children’s Museum; 145 Brooklyn Ave; Brooklyn, NY 11213-1900
Hosted by the Brooklyn Children’s Museum

Join Yosemite National Park Ranger Shelton Johnson for an interactive talk about these furry omnivores. Find out what they eat and where they live, hear some legends people tell about them and see some ursine objects from the Museum’s collection. Everyone who brings a teddy bear (children and adults) will receive $1 off Museum admission on Sunday, September 20.

Film Screenings: “Red Gold” and Other Short Documentaries
   
Sunday, September 20 and Monday, September 21; 7:30pm
Location: Picnic House, Prospect Park, Brooklyn, NY
Hosted by the National Parks Conservation Association

“Red Gold” follows the subsistence and commercial salmon fishermen of Bristol Bay, Alaska, as they work tirelessly to make their living off the land and water, and combat the proposed open pit gold and copper Pebble Mine. This stunning, award winning documentary film captures these local subsistence, sport and commercial fishing families hard at work and sharing their thoughts and fears about how the proposed Pebble Mine may transform the region and one of the world’s last remaining intact wild salmon fisheries. Event is free of charge. Visit www.prospectpark.org for more information.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22

Grant’s Tomb after Dark
 
Tuesday, September 22, 2009; 8:00pm
Location: General Grant National Memorial
Hosted by the National Park Service

Meet a Park Ranger in the outdoor plaza in front of the memorial for an afterhours visit by candlelight deep into the mausoleum’s underground crypt. See the great granite sarcophagi of Ulysses S. Grant and his wife Julia. There, you might also find yourself exchanging glances with the busts of the five notable generals who watch over Grant’s final rest. This is not an ordinary tour of the memorial, but a unique opportunity to experience the essence of the building. For additional information, call 212-666-1640.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23

Lantern Tour of Fort Wadsworth
 
Wednesday, September 23 and Friday, September 25; 6:30pm
Location: Gateway National Recreation Area/ Staten Island Unit/ Fort Wadsworth Visitor Center
Hosted by the National Park Service

Enjoy our most popular tour as you explore the historic sites of the fort on this ranger-led lantern tour. Bring a flashlight. Reservations required. Call 718-354-4500 or visit www.nps.gov/gate.

The Children’s Museum of the Arts
 
Wednesday, September 23 to Sunday, September 27; 12:00pm – 5:00pm
Thursday, September 24; 12:00pm – 6:00pm
Location: The Children’s Museum of the Arts, 182 Lafayette St., New York, NY
Hosted by the Children’s Museum of the Arts NY

Join CMA Wednesday through Sunday, during our general hours, for our park themed guided workshops.  CMA teaching artist will work with visitors to use a variety of art medium to create park art! Admission $10/person (1 to 65 years). Pay as You Wish Thursday 4-6pm. For more information visit www.cmany.org.

Feel Free: A National Parks Celebration in Central Park  

Wednesday, September 23; 7:00pm
Location: Central Park; East Meadow
Hosted by the National Parks Conservation Association and PBS

Event will include clips from Ken Burns’s “THE NATIONAL PARKS: AMERICA’S BEST IDEA” and musical performances from Eric Benet, Gavin DeGraw, Jose Feliciano, Carole King, Alison Krauss and Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas and Peter Yarrow. The live show from East Meadow in Central Park will be shared via satellite to PBS affiliates and other partners around the country.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24

Federal Hall National Memorial September 1776
 
Thursday, September 24; 10:00am – 4:00pm
Location: Federal Hall National Memorial
Hosted by the National Park Service

Federal Hall National Memorial will conduct a special program on the American Revolution and its impact on New York City. The program will consist of NPS staff and volunteers in period uniforms and civilian clothing interpreting the time period concentrating on military operations, but also the day-to-day life of the city residents. Fife and drum music will be provided as well as a lecture conducted by Barnett Schecter, author of the Battle for New York. Programs will also be conducted by NPS Staff as well as the staff of the Van Cortlandt House Museum. Programs will cover the military operations of both the Crown and Continental Forces as well as the contribution of African Americans and women to the war effort on both sides.

Spotlight Tour: The National Parks at the American Museum of Natural History
 
Saturday, September 26; 11:30am, 1:30pm and 3:30pm
Location: American Museum of Natural History (meet at entrance to The Akeley Hall of African Mammals, just off the main entrance rotunda)
Hosted by the American Museum of Natural History

On each hour-long tour, 25 visitors will discover the landscapes and legacy of National Parks at the American Museum of Natural History. This tour, free with suggested Museum admission, will explore a variety of park environments through the Museum’s stunning dioramas, and learn how the history of the parks and the Museum are closely intertwined.

Natural Hysteria Scavenger Hunt: National Parks Edition
 
Saturday, September 26; 3:00pm
Location: American Museum of Natural History
Hosted by Watson Adventures

Go on a national park-themed version of one of Watson Adventures most popular hunts—a whirlwind tour of everything American about the American Museum of Natural History. Highlights include an angry otter, a tree trunk with more square footage than most New York apartments, the Grand Canyon and a critter you’d hate to kiss. $31 to participate. Advance purchase required via WatsonAdventures.com.

An Evening on Ellis Island
 
Thursday, September 24; 6:30pm – 9:30pm
Location: Ellis Island Immigration Museum
Hosted by the National Park Service

A special opportunity to visit Ellis Island and see the skyline of Manhattan and Lady Liberty from a whole new perspective.  By reservation:  tickets include ferry ride, tour of the museum and island, snacks and beverages.  Call 212-363-3200 x100.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25

An Evening On Liberty Island
 
Friday, September 25;  6:30pm – 9:30pm
Location: Statue of Liberty National Monument
Hosted by the National Park Service

A special opportunity to visit Liberty Island and experience the majesty of Lady Liberty and New York Harbor at night.  By reservation:  tickets include ferry ride, tour of the Island, snacks and beverages.  Call 212-363-3200 x100.

Sandy Hook Beach Campfire
 
Friday, September 25; 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Location: Gateway National Recreation Area/ Jamaica Bay Unit/ Jacob Riis Park, Bay 14
Hosted by the National Park Service

Park rangers and volunteers will give talks on the natural and historic treasures found at the park, all in a beautiful beach setting. A sing along will follow.  Bring a chair or blanket. Reservations required. Call 718.318.4300 or visit www.nps.gov/gate.   

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26

National Public Lands Day 

Saturday, September 26, 10:00am – 1:00pm
Location: Gateway National Recreation Area/ Jamaica Bay Unit/ Various Gateway sites in Brooklyn and Queens
Hosted by National Park Service

National Public Lands Day, a program of the National Environmental Education Foundation, is the nation’s largest single-day service event for public lands. This September 26, over 130,000 volunteers will gather at over 2,000 projects and lend a hand to our public lands. To sign up for these events, call 718-338-3799. Visit www.publiclandsday.org for more information and to find additional work projects in the New York City area.

Jamaica Bay Sunset Cruise
 
Saturday, September 26; 4:00pm – 7:00pm
Location: Gateway National Recreation Area/ Jamaica Bay Unit/ Sheepshead Bay Pier
Hosted by the American Littoral Society

Enjoy a three-hour boat tour of Jamaica Bay with the American Littoral Society.  Learn about the history, ecology, and wildlife of the bay, and see many migrating species.  Cost: $45 includes narrated tour and onboard snacks.  Reservations required.  Call 718-318-9344 or visit www.nps.gov/gate.

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