Land Transfer Ceremony

National Park Trust symbolically hands over the key to the property to the National Park Service.

NPS Photo

On September 20, 2002 the National Park Trust donated 32.5 acres to the National Park Service. This area includes the core area of the Spring Hill Ranch headquarters including the 1881 limestone ranch house, three-story limestone barn and outbuildings, and one-room Lower Fox Creek School. As stated in Public Law 104-333 the National Park Service "shall acquire, by donation, not more than 180 acres of real property within the boundaries of the preserve."

The National Parks and Conservation Association (NPCA), created to protect national parklands, founded the National Park Trust (NPT) in 1983. While NPT maintains a close association with the NPCA, today NPT is an independent private nonprofit 501 (c) 3 land conservancy. It is the only conservancy exclusively dedicated to preserving and protecting America's national parks.

 

National Park Trust members and former superintendent Steve Miller pose with the Land Transfer Limestone Plaque created to mark the occasion.

NPS Photo

Not all national park lands are preserved and protected. In fact, more than 2 million acres are privately owned. The National Park Trust steps in and works with the National Park Service (NPS) to purchase lands from willing sellers in order to protect the integrity of our nation's natural, historic, and cultural resources. The NPT is the only land conservancy dedicated exclusively to preserving and protecting America's national parks.

The mission of the National Park Trust is to assist the National Park Service to:

• Secure from willing sellers privately held property within authorized national park boundaries.
• Secure privately held property adjacent to or in the immediate vicinity of national park units from willing sellers.
• Acquire land to create new national park.

 

Historic buildings officially donated to the National Park Service on September 20, 2002.

NPS Photo

To accomplish this, NPT purchases or helps others to purchase land for eventual sale or donation to the National Park Service. The NPT also arranges conservation easements and make loans to preservation organizations such as the Trust for Public Lands, and the Civil War Trust, seeking to enter into partnerships to protect lands; and they accept donations of lands associated with the National Park System.