Northeast Region's Centennial Year in Review

Rangers welcome the next generation during Fort Stanwix National Monument's Cultural Day event.

NPS Photo

One National Park System. One century of stewardship. One extraordinary year.

You get one shot to make the most of a major milestone like the National Park Service Centennial and you helped us knock it out of the park. Much more than a year of celebrations, our centennial was an invitation and a Call to Action to every American.

In 2016, we invited you to Find Your Park: to discover the places and stories that have special meaning for you. In the Northeast Region, the stories grew more inclusive of all Americans with the designation of Stonewall National Monument in New York City and the addition of Werowocomoco in Virginia to the National Park System. We protected the iconic landscapes of northern Maine for future generations with the creation of Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument.

We invited fourth graders to see history come alive at a national park and receive their Every Kid in a Park pass. We invited you to create films, music, and artwork inspired by national parks and you blew us away with your creativity and passion. And we asked you to share your stories and experiences in national parks on social media...and did you ever! You tweeted the ranger emoji, shared your photos on Instagram, and joined us live for sunrises and special events.

And we’re just getting started. Join us for the second century of caring for and enjoying America’s treasures. Hike a new trail, participate in a volunteer project, or grab a friend and Find Your Park together! With your help, the National Park Service will be here to “preserve unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the national park system for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations.”

Find Your Park!

Mike Caldwell
2016 Northeast Regional Director

Looking Back and Looking Forward

In 2016, we celebrated our centennial with millions of visitors, supporters, and advocates. We went on adventures, we shared our stories, and we ate a lot of birthday cake! Enjoy this video collage of our many adventures, opportunities, special events...and smiles!

The requested video is no longer available.

Graph displays amount of congressional appropriations and matching funds from partners awarded to Northeast Region parks in 2015 and 2016.

Centennial Challenge: 2015-2016

In 2015 and 2016, the National Park Service selected over 150 projects to receive $25 million in congressional appropriations, which were matched by more than $45 million from partner organizations across the country. These projects have a focus on improved visitor services and promote outreach to new audiences.

In the Northeast Region, $1.5 million in congressional appropriations and $1.9 million in partner match funds were awarded for 18 projects in 26 parks in 2015. And then in 2016, another 12 projects in 12 parks were awarded a total of $2.9 million in congressional appropriations and $3.2 million in partner matches.

Graph displays 2015 visitor spending and its effects on the local economy.

Visitor Spending Impact: 2015

Spending by a record number of national park visitors in 2015 provided a $32 billion total economic output to the nation’s economy and supported 295,000 jobs.

In 2015, visitors to parks in the Northeast Region* spent an estimated $3.2 billion in local gateway regions while visiting NPS lands across the country. These expenditures supported a total of 47,451 jobs, $2.5 million in labor income, $2.6 million in value added, and $4.2 million in economic output in the regional economy.

View the entire 2015 National Visitor Spending Report and press release. Details about each of the statistics in the graph can be found on the NPS Social Science Program's website.

*Totals are derived from calendar year 2015 state totals. Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia totals include economic impact and visitation in National Capital Region Parks.

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Kicking Off Our Second Century

The Celebration Continues! NPS Centennial Final Report