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Hikers in Yellowstone National Park (NPS Photo)
In This Issue
Sustainable Tourism
Photo Tours
A Tip of the Hat...
Fee Free
Keep Connected
Get Involved
Events

Let's Work Together
Links

Sidebar-1Fee Free Weekend
Entrance fees will be waived on August 14 and 15 at the 146 sites that usually charge an entrance fee. Visit a national park near you!

Sidebar-2Keep Connected
ASLA Annual Meeting: Landscape architecture professionals will gather in Washington, DC, September 10-13. See what ASLA and NPS have been accomplishing together.

Sidebar-GetInvolvedGet Involved
Tourists can see the sites by bike-sharing! Successful programs already in place:
- Denver
- Washington DC
And coming soon:
- Miami
- Boston
And, check out the NPS demo program.
 
Submit your ideas & join the conversation: Upcoming America's Great Outdoors Listening Sessions

EventsEvents
Land Trust Alliance Rally
Hartford, CT, Oct. 2-5. (Early Registration ends August 9th)
Conservation + Recreation: August 2010
Above: Hikers in Yellowstone National Park (NPS Photo)
FeatureArticle Sustainable Tourism is a Team Effort 
Yellowstone tourists
The residents and businesses in the communities near Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks understand how important the parks are to their lives and livelihoods. They benefit from access to public lands, recreational opportunities, and from the tourists who come to visit. "This region is defined by our relationship with the park," says Jan Brown, Executive Director of the Yellowstone Business Partnership. "Even communities that aren't right up against park boundaries still feel they are gateways to the parks."
 
The Yellowstone Business Partnership is a group of businesses interested in sustainable practices and caring for the park and the region for the long-term. "It's a triple bottom line," says Brown, "We are working with businesses and communities across multiple state boundaries to enhance the economic, social, and environmental well-being of the region."
 
So when invited, YBP got involved in the National Geographic Society Center for Sustainable Destinations to help preserve the uniqueness of the area and help businesses focus on a sense of place and contribute to a sustainable future.  YBP has joined over 20 local, state, federal agencies, tourism agencies, and economic development organization partners, in the Greater Yellowstone GeoTourism MapGuide project.
 
These partners all understand that healthy parks, forests, and public lands benefit everyone; that good stewardship now means that future generations will be able to enjoy the park and the region as well. Geotourism means tapping the power of visitors to protect what they've come to enjoy rather than "loving the park to death".  It's about economic benefits, respect for local culture and traditions, conservation, and the character of the place. To achieve success as a region, all parties must be involved--even across jurisdictional boundaries--and the regional business community must make decisions based on long-term goals.
 
In the case of Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks, everyone--the parks, nearby public lands, and the residents and businesses of the gateway communities--need to be working together. This means responsible tourism marketing, cooperative transportation initiatives, helping each other learn how to operate more sustainably, and making a collective investment in the region's future.
ArticleAPicture This Photo walk at Tonto National Monument
Never underestimate the power of dedicated volunteers. In January 2009 at Tonto National Monument, two volunteers saw a need and helped bring about a program to fill it. Peg and Rex Lavoie took a tour of the upper cliff dwellings -- a ranger guided tour that takes place only on the weekends in season. As retired professional photographers, they were inspired by the site, but frustrated with the lack of time available to take pictures. They noticed that other photographers had the same challenge -- they would either hang back or run ahead to get pictures. 
 
So the Lavoies presented a proposal to park management: photography hikes to the upper dwellings that would give amateur and serious photographers the time they needed to take photos. On these hikes, visitors get the full experience of the tour as well as time to focus on photographing the ruins, the local flora, and the grand vistas. These popular tours will be offered again this fall, for the third season in a row.

Click to watch video of a photo walk
Tonto National Monument--cliff dwelling

The Lavoies worked closely with park management to design tours that do not stress the resources. They respect all the restrictions and rules that protect the site. They conduct the tours on different days than the ranger-led tours and keep the number of visitors to the site within the number allowed by visitor impact studies.
 
Partnering played an important role in the success of these hikes. In addition to the partnership with the park that makes these tours possible, to publicize the tours the Lavoies partnered with tourism bureaus, photography organizations, local businesses and artists, and journalists. 
 
A few steps for potential volunteers with a new idea for a park:
1.    Become familiar with the park.
2.    Volunteer to help with the park's priority needs.
3.    Take your expertise and create a proposal.
4.    Present it to the volunteer coordinator or chief ranger.

Images courtesy Peg and Rex Lavoie. Video by David Sunfellow
ArticleBA Tip of the Hat to... 
Conservation+Recreation Summer 2010 Interns
 
2010 Summer C+R Interns

From Alaska to New York City, our Recreation+Conservation programs are getting a huge creative boost from a cast of sharp young colleagues this summer.  Meanwhile these young people are gaining work experience and a sense of the NPS mission.  We can only hope that they liked working with us and will consider a career with NPS, but we also will be very happy to recommend any of them to readers who are looking for great new staff -- references will be provided enthusiastically!  Thanks, and best wishes, to all these fine young people:
 
Matt McDermott (George Washington University, BA candidate) and Brett Wiley (Truman State University alumnus) - Based in Washington, DC as part of a four-person team, provided outstanding assistance for a hugely successful inaugural Outdoor Nation Youth Summit and career fair.  As a two-person team, helped enliven youth participation in the America's Great Outdoors listening session series.
 
Sunny Ng (Middlebury College undergraduate) and Christina Pustulka (SUNY-Geneseo alumna) - Based in New York City as part of a four-person team, provided crucial on-location support for the Outdoor Nation Youth Summit and career fair in Central Park.  As a two-person team, supported the National Parks of New York Harbor in a variety of programs and projects.
 
Stephanie Tepperberg (AK) (Duke University alumna) - Just beginning a 6-month appointment with the Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance program, Stephanie will help develop trail alternatives and policy for the Denali State Park Trails Plan; engage the public in the Willow Community Trail Plan; do website and GIS work, and help prepare presentations for the AK Forum for the Environment.
 
Catherine Burtness-Adams (DC) (Drexel University, BS candidate) - As an intern with the Office of Sustainable Tourism, Catherine performed the preliminary situational, competitive and marketing analyses for partnership development projects with the gateway communities of selected lesser known parks.
 
Jocelyn Cole (DC) (Howard University, PhD candidate) - Interning with the Office of Policy and Office of Sustainable Tourism, Jocelyn works primarily on two projects, the Sesquicentinniel of the Civil War and an update of the Management Policies used by NPS.  
 
Alex Andrus (DC) (University of Michigan, MPP candidate) - As a DOI Fellow, Alex works with the Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance program  to research and draft e-newsletters geared toward recreation planning professionals, NPS project partners, policymakers, and NPS staff. He is also creating an introductory presentation about the program.
LetsWorkLet's Work Together
Could your project benefit from collaboration with a National Park Service specialist?
 
If you're restoring a river, building a community trail, or making an urban park flourish, we'd love to talk with you about ways we could work together.
 
Call or email your regional representative today.
Like what you read?  Please copy or forward this newsletter.
Have a story idea?  We're happy to consider story ideas or news items for future publication.
Want to use a story for your own publication?  We would be pleased to help you. To submit an idea or request information about adapting a story, please contact Alan Turnbull: 202-354-6930 or [email protected]

Conservation + Recreation
is written to support and inform our organizational partners, friends of the program, potential partners, and Department of the Interior staff. It's our chance to share activities and successes and those of our partners. For details on specific projects, please contact the staff person involved with each project.

Images courtesy National Park Service