Join the National Park Service Centennial Celebrations

Date: February 13, 2016
Contact: Yvonne Menard, 805-658-5725

Download the Centennial Events Calendar: Centennial Events Calendar

Channel Islands National Park invites the public to celebrate the National Park Service's Centennial throughout 2016 at a wide range of local events and festivities.

The milestone centennial anniversary of the National Park Service (NPS) marks 100 years of national parks and sets the stage for a second century of service.

"The NPS has a presence in every community in the United States including ours," said Channel Islands National Park Superintendent Russell Galipeau. "The 409 national park sites preserve our country's most outstanding scenery, wildlife, and habitat, and honor our most important historic events and people."

A prime centennial event that highlights the human history of the Channel Islands is the upcoming premiere of a new documentary, West of the West: Tales from California's Channel Islands. The entire three-hour documentary will air as a series on PBS in April. A shorter version will premiere on March 6 at the Century 10 Theatre in downtown Ventura, with showings at 12:00, 2:30, 5:00, and 7:45 pm. Admission is free. You are encouraged to pick up your free tickets at the Channel Islands National Park Robert J. Lagomarsino Visitor Center between 8:30 am to 5:00 pm any day through March 4. To learn about the film, visit thecifilm.com.

The Museum of Ventura County has partnered with the NPS Centennial celebration by hosting a series of family-friendly educational events that will feature speakers and children's activities. An Island Chumash Traditions event on February 28 begins the series with an in-depth exposure to our native Chumash culture. On March 6, the Tales of Island Life event will feature the islands' human history, as part of a celebration of the 36^th anniversary of Channel Islands National Park. The Rappelling to Recovery event On May 1 highlights the successful recovery of bald eagles on the Channel Islands. The series concludes with a Secrets of the Sea celebration of World Oceans Day on June 5. These events are held at the Museum of Ventura County with some occurring on the museum's Free First Sundays.

On March 9, Channel Islands National Park will host a special live broadcast from Anacapa Island with researchers sharing the real story behind the book Island of the Blue Dolphins. The book is the sixth bestselling children's paperback of all time and isbased on the true story of an American Indian woman left alone for 18 years on San Nicolas Island in the mid-1800s.

On April 9, Channel Islands National Park will host a special opening event at the Robert J. Lagomarsino Visitor Center for the new native plant garden artwork and signs. There will be a native plant sale, artist presentations, and children's activities throughout the day.

Junior Ranger Day will be celebrated on April 16 and a Bioblitz and Kids to Parks Day event will be held on May 21. Both of these events will take place at the Channel Islands National Park Robert J. Lagomarsino Visitor Center. They will feature ranger-led programs, live broadcasts, and interactive science and art activities for children.

On August 25, Channel Islands National Park will host a special event in the Ventura Harbor Village to celebrate the official 100^th birthday of the National Park Service. This event will feature an outdoor screening of the new documentary, West of the West: Tales from California's Channel Islands, with live entertainment and food trucks. Surf Brewery will offer a special amber ale that they brewed to celebrate the NPS Centennial and Channel Islands National Park.

The park's From Shore to Sea centennial lecture series has been extended to feature special speakers the second Thursday of every month, January through December. For details, visit the lecture series schedule.

The National Park Service Centennial honors 100 years of sharing America's special places and

helping Americans make meaningful connections to nature, history and culture. To learn more about Channel Islands National Park's centennial efforts, visit www.nps.gov/chis.

The Find Your Park campaign celebrates the milestone centennial anniversary of the National Park Service in 2016. The campaign emphasizes that a national park can be more than a place -- it can be a feeling, a state of mind, or a sense of American pride. The public is encouraged to find their park and share their stories online at FindYourPark.com