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Contact: MaryEllen Snyder, 724-329-8131
National Parks of Western Pennsylvania Join National Find Your Park Movement National Park Week 2015 Encourages Everyone To Find Your Park
Farmington, PA – The five Western Pennsylvania National Parks: Flight 93 National Memorial, Fort Necessity National Battlefield, Friendship Hill National Historic Site, Johnstown Flood National Memorial and Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site join parks, programs and partners across the country to encourage everyone to find their park and share their stories online at FindYourPark.com. Launched on March 29 by the National Park Service and the National Park Foundation, Find Your Park is a public awareness and education campaign celebrating the milestone centennial anniversary of the National Park Service in 2016 and setting the stage for its second century of service. Find Your Park invites the public to see 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. Beyond vast landscapes, the campaign highlights historical, urban, and cultural parks, as well as the National Park Service programs that protect, preserve and share nature, culture, and history in communities nationwide. Find Your Park is also the theme for this year's National Park Week, April 18 –26. Western PA Parks Superintendent Stephen M. Clark encourages local residents and those traveling through the region to visit the five National Parks located in Western PA. "We have five beautiful historical National Parks here in Western PA and we hope that you, your friends and family members will visit the five Parks during National Park Week. Come Find Your Park in Western PA." During National Park Week kickoff weekend April 18 and 19, entrance fees will be waived at Fort Necessity National Battlefield, Johnstown Flood National Memorial and Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site. Friendship Hill NHS and Flight 93 National Memorial have no entrance fee year round. Park visitors are encouraged to help spread the word by sharing your National Park Week experiences through social media using #findyourpark and #nationalparks. Every year during National Park Week, America's 407 national parks host public events and coordinate volunteer opportunities to celebrate the special occasion. For a fourth year, Flight 93 National Memorial will honor National Park Week with "Plant a Tree at Flight 93." This event is one of the many activities the National Park Service will offer as part of the Centennial celebration. On April 17 and 18 Park Rangers will be offering the Discovery Table program. Visitors will be encouraged to explore the hands-on Reforestation Discovery Table and learn the connections between the stories of Flight 93 and the changing Memorial landscape. The program will be offered at the Memorial Plaza area. Visit www.nps.gov/flni for more information about Plant a Tree at Flight 93 and Ranger programs. Rangers at Friendship Hill National Historic Site will provide a guided Spring Wildflower Walk on Saturday, April 18 at 10 a.m. For more information visit www.nps.gov/frhi or call 724-329-5811. The goal of the National Park Service Centennial is to connect with and create the next generation of park visitors, supporters, and advocates. About the Western PA National Parks: Visit the parks websites, Facebook pages, emailWEPAinformation@NPS.gov or call MaryEllen Snyder at 724-329-8131 for more information on special events planned in 2015 in the five National Parks in Western PA. About the National Park Service: More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 407 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. ###
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Last updated: April 12, 2015