NPS Photo

Sailing at Lake Meredith

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 and to come experience 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. The National Park Service asked citizens, park partners, experts and other stakeholders what they envision 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 the American people on May 31st in a report called The Future of America's National Parks.

National park staff took their lead from this report and created local centennial initiatives to describe their vision and desired accomplishments by 2016.  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.