National Park Service 99th Birthday

Date: August 20, 2015
Contact: David Elkowitz, 432-477-1108

Big Bend National Park will celebrate the 99th birthday of the National Park Service by waiving its normal entrance fee of $25 on August 25th, 2015. A special interpretive program for Founders Day will also be offered Tuesday, August 25, at 5:00 PM at the Chisos Mountains Lodge restaurant patio. The program will explain the National Park Service's upcoming Centennial and offer an Instameet with a ranger. Refreshments will be available, as well.

"Birthdays are a time to celebrate and we want everyone to join the party," said Big Bend National Park Superintendent Cindy Ott-Jones. "National parks belong to all Americans and offer something for everyone. So come visit Big Bend National Park and walk a trail, camp or backpack, and attend a park ranger presentation."

In 1872, Yellowstone National Park was established as the world's first national park. There were 37 national parks in the United States when President Woodrow Wilson signed legislation to create the National Park Service on August 25, 1916.

Today, there are 408 national park units throughout the country and each one tells an important part of the American story. Some commemorate notable people and achievements, others conserve magnificent landscapes and natural wonders, and all provide a place to have fun and learn. Plan your visit at www.nps.gov.

The mission of the National Park Service also extends beyond park boundaries. Community partnerships help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. To see what is happening in Texas, go to www.nps.gov/TX.

About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 408 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov and visit us on Facebook www.facebook.com/nationalparkservice, Twitter www.twitter.com/natlparkservice, and YouTube www.youtube.com/nationalparkservice.