National Park Service and Partners Celebrate Wilderness 50th Anniversary

Date: August 25, 2014
Contact: Kris Fister, [phone]

DENALI PARK, Alaska: Byits nature, every day is a celebration of wilderness at Denali National Park and Preserve, but 2014 is special because it marks the 50^th Anniversary of the Wilderness Act.The Wilderness Act protects the 2 million acre Denali Wilderness, protecting this
special wild place in perpetuity.

Please join the National Park Service (NPS) and park partners Alaska Geographic, Doyon/ARAMARK Joint Venture, and the Denali Education Center (DEC) for these culminating events for Denali National Park and Preserve's Wilderness 50^th celebration:

Friday, August 29 at 7:00 pm, Murie Science and Learning Center (Mile 1.3 on Denali Park Road):

Call of the Wild: The Wilderness ActTurns 50

Alaskan author Frank Keim will provide an in-depth look at the Wilderness Act, the intent of its founders, their aspirations for the future,
and their consideration of the recreational, artistic, ecological and symbolic values of Wilderness.

Monday, September 1 at 9:00 am, Denali Visitor Center Theater Program:

Celebrate Your Wilderness

Join NPS Interpretive Ranger Kathy Gross for a thoughtful talk about federally designated wilderness and the Wilderness Act.

September 1-16 at the Denali Visitor Center:

Create Your Own Wilderness Inspired Art

Get artistic while exploring Denali National Park! Sign out art kits to take on the bus or a hike. Use the watercolor pencils, postcard paper, and sketching
materials to creatively reflect on Denali Wilderness. The NPS invites participants to share their artwork or creative writing with the park. It may become part of the Wilderness Quilt, which will be displayed at the Denali Visitor Center and the Denali Education Center.

Wednesday, September 3 from 10:00 am - 3:00 pm, Denali Visitor Center:

Celebrate the Wilderness Act 50^th Anniversary Day with Art!

This is the date the Wilderness Act was signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson.Bring your curiosity and creativity, and join NPS employees who work to help preserve the wild traits that make Denali special in creating wilderness inspired art. Any artwork you wish to donate may be featured in the Wilderness Quilt.

Friday, September 5 at 7:30pm, Murie Science and Learning Center:

Denali Wilderness Character Map Presentation

In 2012 Denali National Park and Preserve staff embarked upon an effort to summarize collective institutional and personal
knowledge about the park, and use that information to map impacts and threats to Denali's wildlands and wilderness character. Denali Wilderness Resources Specialist Rob Burrows will speak about what went into creating the map and how it will be used. The effort was under the guidance of Peter Landres and James Tricker of the Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute in Missoula, Montana, who helped create maps for Death Valley, Olympic, Saguaro, and Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.

Saturday, September 6 at 8:30pm in the Ptarmigan Room of the Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge:

"Wild in Wilderness" Presentation

NPS interpretive volunteer Mike Connolly will do a digital slideshow presentation about the 50^th anniversary of the Wilderness Act.

Sunday, September 7 at 7:00 pm, Denali Education Center (Mile 231 Parks Highway):

Your Wilderness Stories Live: An Open Mic Night

NPS and DEC staff will host a lively evening of storytelling. Share your story,poem, song, or thoughts, see the winning entries from the DEC's 2nd annual
photo contest, and help celebrate this special Denali Wilderness. Courtesy shuttles between DEC and the park will be provided. Not nearby? You can also
share your story through Your Wilderness Stories online at https://go.nps.gov/MyWilderness.

Ongoing: Your Wilderness Stories online

Have a poem, story, video, photo, or piece of art to share? Help Denali celebrate 50 years of Wilderness by submitting your
wilderness stories at https://go.nps.gov/MyWilderness. Your story will be posted in the park's digital community of submissions and may be
featured on our social media sites.

Additional park information is available on the web at www.nps.gov/dena or by calling 907-683-9532 from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm daily. Stay
connected with "DenaliNPS" on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, and iTunes –links to these social media sites are available at www.nps.gov/dena/connect.htm.

                                                                                                     www.nps.gov