National Park Service Founders Day - August 25

Date: August 19, 2014
Contact: Outer Banks Group, 252-475-9034

Monday, August 25, 2014 is National Park Service Founders Day and Acting Superintendent Kym Hall invites the public to experience their national parks here on the Outer Banks;Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, and Wright Brothers National Memorial.Special Founders Day programs will be offered at each site.Entrance to Wright Brothers National Memorial will be free for the day.

On August 25, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed the Organic Act, creating the National Park Service.Founders Day is celebrated each year on August 25 in all of America's national parks to honor the creation of the agency.

Special Founder Day programs being offered include:

·Meanings of the National Park Service –The parks of the Outer Banks Group are part of a vast network of sites protecting our natural and cultural heritage from coast to coast. Join a ranger to explore the meanings of the National Park Service as we look back nearly a century from its founding, and as we look forward into its future. At 10:30 a.m., Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, and 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. at Wright Brothers National Memorial. In Cape Hatteras National Seashore: 3:00 p.m. at the Ocracoke Island Visitor Center, 2:00 p.m. at the Bodie Island Lighthouse pond trail platform, and 12:15 and 4:00 p.m. at the Hatteras Island Visitor Center. (20 min)

·Build Your Own Arrowhead - The National Park Service arrowhead has unique symbolism related to the agency's mission. Kids are invited come and build their own arrowhead with special significance. 2:30 p.m. at the Hatteras Island Visitor Center Pavilion. (30 min)

Kids can also earn Junior Ranger badges by completing a workbook and attending programs at each of the three parks. Just go to the visitor center and pick up a Junior Ranger booklet to get started.Children who cannot visit a national park site in person are invited to take part in the national "WebRangers" activities at www.nps.gov/webrangers.

For a fun and free way to learn more about the National Park Service on Founders Day, you can take a free on-line course titled Introduction to the National Park Service: Its History and Mission.This 30-40 minute course is designed for anyone who has an interest in the agency and can be accessed at http://eppley.org/elearning/free.Completion of this course can provide teachers with 0.12 Continuing Education Unit (CEU) credits.

The National Park System has been described as "the best idea America ever had."National parks preserve majestic natural wonders.They keep watch over valued sites and artifacts of our American culture.National park sites offer recreation and discovery in some of the most unique areas of our country's landscape.

The National Park Service is preparing for its 100^th anniversary to take place in 2016, as the nation will celebrate a century of preservation of these special places and look towards another century of stewardship and relevance.