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• Park Booker T. Washington National Monument This monument commemorates the tobacco farm where one of America's most prominent African-American leaders of the late 19th and early 20th centuries was born into slavery in 1856. Washington spent his boyhood at the 207-acre estate until the Union victory in the Civil War freed his family. After the Civil War, Washington became the founder and first principal of Tuskegee Normal and Industrial School. Later as an adviser, author and orator, he spoke to the new disenfranchisement of former slaves who suffered under discriminatory Jim Crow laws enacted in the post-Reconstruction period, and he helped to fight for educational and economic advancement in the African-American community.
• Park Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail Designated as the first national water trail, the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail follows the historic routes of the English explorer’s voyages between 1607 and 1609 on the Chesapeake Bay, as well as the York, James and other rivers. Following Smith’s original maps and journals, the trail spans 3,000 miles in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New York, Pennsylvania and the District of Columbia.
• Park Bluestone National Scenic River This scenic river is named after the rugged blue limestone that lines its bed at its origin in Virginia. The park begins approximately 5 miles south of the New River Gorge National River and is managed by the same park staff. The Bluestone offers hiking, biking, hunting, fishing and camping, and bobcats, otters, bears and a variety of birds thrive in the wild area. Visitors can explore a 10.5-mile trail between the adjacent Bluestone and Pipestem Resort State Parks to enjoy portions of the river. Visitors can also see more of the river by riding an aerial tramway in Pipestem State Park.
• Park Boston African American National Historic Site In the early 1800s, the Beacon Hill neighborhood of Boston was home to one of the largest communities of free African Americans in the country. Unlike other U.S. states, Massachusetts effectively outlawed slavery in its constitution in 1783, decades before the 13th Amendment abolished slavery nationwide. Boston became a thriving center for the abolitionist movement and a critical link in the Underground Railroad. The historic site interprets 15 different structures in this storied neighborhood, including two important buildings, the Abiel Smith School and the African Meeting House, which combine to make up the Museum of African American History. Other historic buildings include a school, the homes of several prominent Boston African Americans and a memorial honoring the first regiment of African American troops to serve in the Civil War.
• NPCA at Work Protect Gates of the Arctic National Park & Preserve A proposed 211-mile industrial mining access road would disrupt caribou migration, the subsistence lifestyles of rural Alaskans, and the integrity of Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve.
• NPCA at Work California's National Parks: Struggling for Clean Air It might come as a surprise that California’s crown jewel national parks — Sequoia, Kings Canyon, Joshua Tree and Yosemite — struggle with some of the dirtiest air of any parks in the nation.
• Blog Post Love National Parks? Support This Lego Project So You Can Build One Yourself Mar 2015 | By Kevin Dahl How cool would it be, after coming home from a great national park vacation, to sit down and build your own national park?
• Policy Update Infrastructure needs in our National Parks Mar 2021 NPCA sent the following letter to the House Transportation Infrastructure Committee and the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee outling infrastructure needs in our parks and park landscapes. 
• Press Release President's Budget Proposes Needed Investment in National Parks, Preparing Them for Historic Centennial in 2016 Mar 2014 Statement by NPCA Chief Operating Officer Theresa Pierno
• Blog Post The Top Six Ways to Discover New Places in the National Park System Jul 2012 Enjoy history, culture, natural beauty, and scientific exploration at our national parks this vacation season. National parks not only protect some of America’s most iconic treasures, but they also tell diverse stories and teach valuable lessons about our shared heritage.
• Press Release New Bill in Congress Would Create First National Park Site Dedicated to LGBT History Dec 2015 Legislation Would Preserve Historic Site and Stories of the 1969 Stonewall Rebellion
• Press Release National Park Climate Change Scientist Honored with Stephen T. Mather Award Sep 2020 “I have stood strongly and publicly for scientific integrity to communicate the science of human-caused climate change and solutions for the future." - Dr. Patrick Gonzalez
• Press Release Proposed Manhattan Project National Historical Park Would Help U.S. Remember and Learn From History Aug 2011 Three sites are proposed for park to interpret and facilitate discussion surrounding the complex stories of the Manhattan Project and the resulting impacts of atomic power and nuclear technology
• Press Release President Trump’s Proposed Budget Cuts Target National Parks Feb 2020 This budget is yet another example of the lack of understanding and respect this administration has for the significance of our parks.
• Press Release Lawmakers Introduce Bill to Jump Start Overdue Maintenance Projects in National Parks May 2017 Bipartisan legislation from Kilmer, Hurd, Hanabusa, and Reichert would help reduce the more than $11 billion park maintenance backlog.
• Press Release Parks Group Champions Bill to Establish National Park Site Dedicated to Latino History Sep 2020 The Blackwell School houses the collective memory of the segregated school experience that existed everywhere across the Texas borderlands.
• Press Release New Poll Finds National Parks Are Unifying, Bipartisan Issue in West Virginia Mar 2022 Across party lines, West Virginians support their representatives in Congress taking a strong stand in supporting policies to protect and strengthen national parks.
• Press Release Senate Moves to Protect More than 2 Million Acres of National Parks and Public Lands Feb 2019 NPCA and Allies Worked for Years on Many of the Key Provisions in the Public Lands Package
• Press Release Congress Increases National Park Funding for Staffing and Recent Natural Disasters, Misses Opportunity to Pass Popular Bipartisan Park Bills Dec 2022 "This funding will help our parks bring back hundreds of staff to safely welcome the millions of people who visit them and keep gateway communities up and running.”  - Theresa Pierno, NPCA's President and CEO
• Press Release President-Elect Biden to Prioritize Conservation and Climate Change, Benefitting National Parks Across the Country Nov 2020 "Together, we can make a real difference for our communities, our parks and our environment." - Theresa Pierno
• Press Release Senate Passes Momentous Bill to Fix National Parks and Public Lands Jun 2020 For five years, NPCA, park advocates and communities across the country have urged Congress to fix our parks. Today, those efforts paid off. 
• Press Release Seattle City Council Passes Resolution Asking Congress to Restore, Fund National Parks Feb 2017 Statement recognizes Washington’s parks as pillars of our region’s heritage, culture and economy
• Press Release National Parks Conservation Association and Allies File Brief to Support Clean Water in the Chesapeake and Across the Country Apr 2014 NPCA, the West Virginia Rivers Coalition, and 26 additional organizations are urging the U.S. Court of Appeals in the Third Circuit to uphold a federal district court’s September 2013 ruling in support of the Clean Water Blueprint
• Press Release Subaru to Share Zero Landfill Expertise with National Park Service to Reduce Park Waste Jun 2015 Pilot Program Planned For Yosemite, Grand Teton and Denali National Parks
• Press Release Groups Challenge Federal Loophole That Exempts Polluters from Cleaning Air at National Parks and Wilderness Areas Nov 2017 Legal arguments heard in U.S. Federal Court of Appeals in Washington, DC.
• Press Release National Parks Conservation Association Welcomes New Director to Head New York City Office Feb 2014 Cortney Worrall to serve as Northeast senior regional director
• Policy Update Threats to America's National Parks from Oil and Gas and What Congress Can Do About It Mar 2020 NPCA released the following report that details the numerous threats that our park lands face from oil and & gas development and further outlines the various federal protections that can be established to ensure these public lands can be enjoyed for generations to come. 
• Blog Post National Poetry Month Trivia Challenge Apr 2016 | By Jennifer Errick Q: The former homes of four prolific American poets are preserved in the National Park System. Can you name these four beloved writers?
• Press Release National Parks, People Once Again at Risk as Trump Administration Moves Forward with Partial Government Shutdown Dec 2018 It’s unrealistic and dangerous to think that parks can remain open with only a skeleton crew and continue with business as usual. 
• Press Release Parks Group Celebrates Deb Haaland’s Historic Confirmation as Interior Secretary, Marking a New Era for National Parks and Public Lands Mar 2021 "Now, more than ever, we need bold leaders like Secretary Haaland, who are ready to take on the challenges facing our public lands with a commitment to climate solutions and environmental justice." - Theresa Pierno 
• Blog Post Call Me Ranger … National Park Ranger Nov 2012 | By Sean Smith With the recent release of Skyfall, the new James Bond adventure, I’m reminded of how my love of the secret agent’s adventures and my passion for national parks led to writing a Bond-style thriller, set in Yellowstone National Park.
• Blog Post The Only National Park Planetarium Nov 2015 | By Jennifer Errick National parks are some of the last, best places in the country to experience naturally dark night skies. Only one U.S. national park site features a planetarium to help visitors learn about the cosmos.
• Blog Post How Zinke Is Undermining National Park Service Employees Jul 2018 | By John Garder A recent staffing shakeup at Yellowstone is the latest in a string of damaging actions and policies that could have a detrimental effect on people at the agency.
• Blog Post Masks Required at National Parks: What to Know Before You Go Feb 2021 | By Amy Hagovsky Staff and visitors must now wear masks in federal buildings and facilities, as well as at outdoor attractions where distancing isn't possible.
• Press Release Desert Landscape Plan Fails to Fully Protect Desert National Parks Nov 2015 NPCA finds only one of the three issues of particular concern to desert national parks is satisfactorily addressed
• Press Release Shameful: Interior Department Calls to Reopen Hunting Regulations on National Park Service Lands Jul 2017 On July 14, 2017, the Acting Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks issued a memo to the Acting Director of the National Park Service to reconsider the Alaska state-wide hunting regulations, which were finalized in 2015.
• NPCA at Work Working with Veterans to Protect National Parks NPCA’s veterans program meaningfully engages the military community — including veterans, active duty, reservists and military families — to support national parks through service projects and advocacy.
• NPCA at Work Our Southwestern National Parks Deserve Cleaner Air Clean air is still out of reach for our Southwestern national parks.
• Report Center for State of the Parks: Big Hole National Battlefield Current overall conditions of Big Hole National Battlefield’s known cultural and natural resources rated “fair” scores of 70 and 74, respectively. This report contains descriptions of park resources and summaries of resource conditions.
• Report Center for State of the Parks: Assateague Island National Seashore Current overall conditions of Assateague’s natural resources rated a “fair” score of 75 out of 100. Overall conditions of the park’s known cultural resources rated a score of 58 out of 100, indicating “poor” conditions.
• Report Center for State of the Parks: Gateway National Recreation Area Using NPCA’s Center for State of the Parks comprehensive methodology, current overall conditions of Gateway’s known natural resources scored 53 out of 100, which is a “poor” rating. Overall conditions of the park’s known cultural resources scored 46 out of a possible 100, indicating “poor” conditions.
• Report Best Practices in Friends Groups and National Parks As budgets have grown tighter in recent years, partnerships have become the way for parks to accomplish more with less. Most parks look to their Friends Group for access to resources that would otherwise be unavailable.
• Liz Ackley Former Associate Director of Foundation Relations As Associate Director of Foundation Relations, Liz Ackley writes and manages grants for NPCA’s regional and national programs. Her favorite national park is Yosemite.
• Park Blue Ridge Parkway Extending more than 450 miles between Shenandoah National Park in Virginia and Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee, the Blue Ridge Parkway is a trip through the history of the Blue Ridge Mountains and the people who have lived here for hundreds of years. This meandering road ties together diverse landscapes and conserves architecture, industry and cultural traditions associated with the mountain communities of southern Appalachia. Visitors can while away an afternoon listening to traditional music at the Blue Ridge Music Center, learn about the life of early settlers at Mabry Mill, or peruse traditional arts and crafts at the Folk Art Center, among other adventures.
• Valerie Naylor Valerie Naylor is the former superintendent of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. She currently serves as a consultant to NPCA’s Northern Rockies Region.
• Heather Lukacs and Scott Kirkwood Heather Lukacs is a program manager for NPCA’s West Virginia Field Office, and a founding member of the New River Clean Water Alliance; Lukacs has led white-water rafting excursions through the gorge since she was a high school senior. Scott Kirkwood is the editor in chief of National Parks magazine; his first white-water rafting trip was on the New River 20 years ago.
• Whitney Tome Former Director of Diversity and Inclusion Whitney Tome joined NPCA in 2014. She focused on enhancing NPCA's diversity and inclusion efforts, and she loves enjoying and visiting national parks.
• NPCA at Work Don't Pave Mid-Atlantic Parks An expensive highway-widening project would irreversibly harm more than a hundred acres of parklands, putting taxpayers at risk without solving the region's traffic problems.
• Report A History Timeline of Wolf Buffers from Denali Citizen's Council A history timeline of wolf buffers from Denali Citizen's Council
• Staff Rachel Mentzer Director of Events Rachel Mentzer joined NPCA in 2015 and serves as the organization’s Director of Special Events. Based in the headquarters office in Washington, D.C., Rachel focuses on creating and implementing an overall vision for NPCA’s largest events, including Salute to the Parks and New York Gala.

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