September 2018
At this time of year--as we saw in 2017 and are seeing again now--a number of parks are vulnerable to the impacts of hurricanes and severe weather. Many of these park areas, especially along the ocean, were once commonly used by pirates and privateers.
And while pirates and privateers were known to seek out and protect their treasures, the places they frequented are treasures for the same natural and cultural features that were so appealing to pirates and privateers.
For this special mini-campaign, we will use this thematic connection between pirates and the natural world to draw public attention to the work we do to protect these special places, especially when they are impacted by severe weather and natural disasters.
Find Yer #PirateParks
Inspired by the resilience of the “pirate parks” as they work to repair and restore their national treasures, parks and our partners are encouraged to share their pirate/privateer connections and also how they protect both natural and historical “jewels.” This mini-campaign also ties into our September monthly messaging theme of Protecting Our Nation’s Treasures and connects to "National Talk Like a Pirate Day" on September 19.
Here are some possible #PirateParks connections that parks and our partners can share:
- Recovery stories: This is a good opportunity to focus on the ongoing response and eventual recovery of parks who experience storms this season. In addition, many parks affected by the damaging hurricanes of 2017 have recovered or have made substantial progress towards their goals with the amazing support of employees, volunteers, partners, and surrounding communities. Thinking further back, how have parks recovered, adapted, or changed as a result of past storms? What have we learned from those experiences that help us with this work today?
- People: Do you have curious or compelling stories of people associated with piracy and privateering?
- Famous--or infamous!--pirates or privateers, such as the legendary Blackbeard
- Pirates who came to the defense of the nation, such as Jean Lafitte, or became licensed privateers during the Revolutionary War
- Women in piracy and privateering
- People involved in combating piracy
- How did piracy or privateering influence life in communities and the seas?
- Do you have specific sites in your park or program connected to piracy or privateering in history? Or geological or landscape features that were helpful or hurtful to pirates and privateers, such as coves, caves, tides, inlets, etc.? How about museum collection items with a piracy or privateering story?
- Explore night skies and other navigation that would have been helpful to mariners.
- Teach with historic places where pirates and privateers made history.
- Share stories about how emergency planning has helped coastal (and other) parks protect the "treasures" in their care in the event of hurricanes and other severe weather.
- How have our partners assisted us in our recovery efforts? Consider doing some joint storytelling with your park partners.
Social Media
- Share your piracy and privateering connections on social media accounts using the hashtag #PirateParks. Link back to related pages or articles on your park or program’s website, or to any of these subject sites that align with this theme.
- Take the Talk Like a Pirate Day challenge and post your best park pirate pun on September 19—link it back to articles and other content on NPS.gov or your partner website.
Last updated: September 12, 2018