October 2020 Monthly Theme: Telling Stories Around the Campfire...and in Other Park Places

Ranger lighting a campfire

NPS/Neal Herbert

The National Park Service is America's storyteller. With so many stories in parks and our communities, there are endless possibilities for creative expression.

Gather folks 'round the (literal or figurative) campfire to tell a story. In the proud tradition of rangering, share your favorite stories or “ranger lore” from the park or what your NPS program and partnership help tell. Invite people to tell their own favorite stories from parks or of past park memories.

  • Promote the #RecreateResponsibly campaign on social media and use messaging and resources on the Recreate Responsibly webpage, such as infographics and safety articles.
  • Host a campfire, living history, or storytime event and share some ranger favorites.

  • Invite traditional storytellers from the community, including from your own staff, to share stories with visitors and staff.

  • Ask staff, partners, and visitors to tell their own favorite tales and adventures about the park (or from working in the park).

  • Host writing and art events, such as plein air painting, Instameets, writing workshops, or poetry slams for visitors to participate in various forms of storytelling. (See the information below about the National Write Out!)

  • Interpret natural, cultural, or recreational resources in story form.

  • Highlight objects in your museum collection connected with compelling stories or lore.

  • Tell a story using an online gallery or articles.

  • Highlight staff, careers, and partnerships that preserve, collect, or interpret stories, such as through neighborhood trails, scientific research, or oral history projects.

Participate in the National Write Out

Write Out is a free two-week event, organized as a series of online activities where educators, students, and the public are invited to explore national parks and other public spaces to connect and learn through place-based writing and sharing.

Write Out is in its third year and is sponsored by the National Writing Project and the National Park Service. The theme of this year's event is “Stories Around the Campfire” which connects to the Servicewide Messaging Theme for October, "Telling Stories Around the Campfire...and in Other Park Places." Write Out will run from October 11-25, 2020, and bookends the National Day of Writing on October 20.

Bat Week 2020

Bat Week is October 24 – 31. We hope to see you celebrating these amazing mammals all week on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Here are some ideas about how you can join Bat Week 2020.

  • Use #BatWeek on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for all of your bat-friendly posts. Link to a bat-specific page on your website or link to nps.gov/bats.
  • Join the Tweet Storm on Tuesday, October 27, 2020 at 1 pm ET. Let’s get #BatWeek trending. Share all of your favorite bat facts and photos during this hour.
  • Follow @BatWeek on Facebook and @Bat_Week on Twitter for special events.
  • For daily themes, let’s tap into established, popular hashtags. We want to incorporate Bat Week messages into conversations that are already happening.
    • Monday, 10/26 – #MotivationMonday
      Bats face many threats and need our help, and they’re unique and worthy of our care and protection. Use Monday to motivate your fans and followers to care about bats or to take an action to help bats.
    • Tuesday, 10/27 – #TriviaTuesday or #TuesdayThoughts
      What’s the coolest thing about bats? That they’re the only mammal that flies? That they only have one or two pups a year? That vampire bats actually exist? That insectivorous bats prove $3.2 Billion dollars worth of pest control to agriculture industry every year? During the Tweet Storm at 1, share your favorite fact about bats.
    • Wednesday 10/28 – #WildlifeWednesday or #WednesdayWisdom
      Post a photo of a bat in the wild or share some wisdom about how the health of bats, humans, and the environment are linked. #OneHealth
    • Thursday 10/29 – #ThursdayThoughts or #ThrowbackThursday
      Offer some thoughts on how people can get involved in bat conservation or how devastating white-nose syndrome (WNS) is to some species of bats in the United States. Do you have an old photo of a bat or can you write a post about bats before WNS was first detected in 2006?
    • Friday 10/30 – #FridayFeeling or #FridayFun
      Make bat conservation fun by sharing games, videos, activities, that people can do to learn more about bats.

Resources

Check NPS.gov for information or resources about the monthly theme to share, such as stories, related parks, kids and educational material, photos, videos, and more.

Social Media

The National Park Service, National Park Foundation, and all of our partners are encouraged to use #FindYourPark or #EncuentraTuParque hashtags on park- and NPS program-related social media posts to continue to inspire everyone to find their personal connections to national parks.

When sharing posts related to this month's messaging on social media, also use the hashtag #TellingStories.

More October Themes & Activities

Every month, the National Park Service celebrates different national holidays and initiatives that provide opportunities to share our mission through websites, social media, and other platforms. Find information on a related topic on NPS.gov, hashtags that national parks are using, and other messaging tools to use on these special days.

Fall Foliage

  • Social media hashtag: #FallColors

September 15–October 15: National Hispanic Heritage Month

October 1–31: LGBT History Month

October 1–31: National Arts and Humanities Month

October 1–31: National Community Planning Month

October 1–31: National Disability Employment Awareness Month

October 1–31: National Energy Action Month

October 1–31: Polish American Heritage Month

October 1: International Day of Older Persons

  • Social media hashtag: #ParksForAll
  • Resources

October 2: Anniversaries of the Wild & Scenic Rivers Act and National Trails Act

October 4–10: National Fire Prevention Week

  • Social media hashtag: #Fire Safety, #FirePreventionWeek
  • Resources

October 4: World Animal Day

October 5: World Teachers Day

October 5: World Habitat Day

  • Social media hashtag: #ParkHabitats

October 9-15: Earth Science Week

  • Social media hashtag: #EarthScience
  • Resources

October 10: World Mental Health Day

  • Social media hashtag: #HealthyParkHealthyPeople
  • Resources

October 11: National Coming Out Day

October 11: International Day of the Girl Child

October 12: Columbus Day / Indigenous Peoples Day

October 15: Anniversary of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966

October 14: National Fossil Day

MORE MONTHLY THEMES

Last updated: October 19, 2020