Thanking Park Staff this Earth Month

Throughout Earth Month and supported by a $200,000 donation, Nature Valley and NPCA fostered awareness, appreciation and support for the heart of our national parks — park rangers and staff. We shared personal stories about the people who make our park experiences special and invited park lovers nationwide to join us in sharing their own stories and messages of appreciation for park staff.

But that’s not all. We then packaged your more than 750 notes of appreciation into thank-you books and shared them with National Park Service staff at three different national park sites across the country.

Joshua Tree National Park

A group of 29 veterans, military families and active-duty personnel joined NPCA and the Orange County Veterans and Military Families Collaborative (OCVMFC) for a weekend camping trip in California’s Joshua Tree National Park. Attendees participated in a dark sky program, hikes and educational talks about NPCA’s park protection work and ways to get involved. Attendees added their personal messages to our thank-you book and then delivered the book to park staff at the Joshua Tree National Park Visitor Center in Twentynine Palms.

San Antonio Missions National Historical Park

NPCA’s Texas Young Leaders Council members engaged attendees in national park protection at Fiesta San Antonio. A historic commemoration of the Alamo and the Battle of San Jacinto, the event is San Antonio’s largest celebration of culture, history and community. The event included a special Earth Day celebration highlighting nature and conservation, and NPCA’s booth connected attendees to national parks and opportunities to leave notes of gratitude for park staff.

After the day of community engagement, NPCA’s Young Leaders brought our thank-you book and gratitude messages to park staff at the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park Visitor Center at Mission San José.

Timucuan Ecological and Historical Preserve

Each year on April 10, Gopher Tortoise Day celebrates Florida’s only native tortoise. NPCA and Florida Young Leaders Council members joined park staff at Timucuan Ecological & Historic Preserve to engage 88 community members in scavenger hunts, informative displays and activities to learn more about this keystone species and its important role in sustaining the region’s ecosystem. At the end of the event, NPCA gifted a thank-you book of gratitude messages to the park staff who had spent the day working alongside the community members.

If you haven’t already shared your message of thanks to park staff, it’s not too late to add a digital note. You can also thank a ranger for their dedication and care next time you visit a park. And be sure to pack your patience — be gracious to park staff who are working hard to ensure you have a safe and memorable visit. Our national parks wouldn’t be the same without rangers and other park staff, and this Earth Month, we are proud to say “thank you” to National Park Service employees for the dedication they show for our parks every day.