Around the World - Europe

The National Park Service has enjoyed years of cooperative activities with many European park agencies. The Service has signed several Memorandum of Understanding agreements with several park agencies in Europe and many of our parks have established "Sister Park" relationships with specific European parks. Here in brief are some of the more recent activities that are currently being undertaken.

ITALY

Accepting an invitation from the Parco Regionale del Po Delta, a National Park Service representative participated in a conference highlighting the park’s resource stewardship issues.  The park preserves some of Italy’s most productive and biologically diverse areas including its largest expanse of protected wetlands. The conference was attended by scientists undertaking park studies, regional naturalists, government representatives, and park partners. NPS gave a presentation on natural resource management activities in the US, highlighting the NPS inventory and monitoring of natural resources and international bird conservation activities, particularly the Park Flight Program.

ALSO:

The National Park Service's Northeast Regional Office has an official agreement with the Italian Nature Conservation Service (Servizio Conservazione della Natura) of the Ministry of the Environment (Ministero dell'Ambiente e della Tutela del Territorio) of the Republic of Italy, signed in 2000, authorizing professional exchange on a variety of landscape and park management issues common to both countries. More information on this cooperation can be found at the Conservation Study Institute's website.

GERMANY

Each year the NPS International Volunteers in Parks (IVIP) Program coordinates training for approximately 125 individuals in a variety of fields and settings, with a goal to equip them with skills they can bring home. It’s rewarding to hear from past IVIPs on how the seeds planted during their NPS volunteer programs are growing.

Following is a report from Katrin, a recent international volunteer from Germany:

My four month internship at the Branch of History, Architecture and Landscapes (a branch of the Resources Management and Science Division) in Yosemite National Park allowed me to work with many friendly people from all kinds of different disciplines, such as landscape architects, historical architects, preservationists and biologists. While working with this dedicated team consisting of both colleagues and friends, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to improve my skills, and work alongside people with a passion towards the goal of keeping Yosemite beautiful.

Within my Internship, I learned how to handle a GPS unit, and to collect field points. This gathered information was the base for GIS and Illustrator Maps which I created for two different projects.

I enjoyed living in this quiet, remote place, with the small market where everybody shops, because there isn’t another one within a 45 minutes drive, and where doors are open for anyone with a friendly knock. I could not believe that a taco truck showing up at the post office every other week could be the event everybody looks forward to, but by the time I became part of this diverse and friendly society of seasonal and permanent employees, I knew of the mystery of every second Thursday.

I am so impressed by Yosemite’s dramatic cliffs, the polished domes, the explosive waterfalls and the fact that there was snow falling down