Park Service marks 100 years

The National Park Service celebrated its 100th birthday Thursday with events across the U.S. including the a giant, living version of its emblem in Washington, D.C., a naturalization ceremony on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon and an outdoor concert at Yellowstone National Park.

The centennial comes as the agency that manages national parks as well as historic places welcomes a new national monument and nature disrupted the party in the West.

Living emblem

More than 1,000 children and adults used brown, green and white umbrellas to create a living version of the park service emblem on the National Mall, which the agency photographed from a helicopter. The emblem contains elements symbolizing the major facets of the national park system. A Sequoia tree and bison represent vegetation and wildlife, mountains and water represent scenery and recreation and the arrowhead shape represents history and archaeology. The first 1,000 participants were allowed to keep their umbrellas and got T-shirts.

New monument

The park service’s newest national monument, Katahdin Woods and Waters in Maine, was being readied to welcome its first visitors after President Barack Obama used his executive authority to create it Wednesday. Donated by Burt’s Bees co-founder Roxanne Quimby, the expanse features views of Mount Katahdin, the tallest mountain in Maine.