Park Service marks centennial
Washington, D.C., will have giant, living version of its emblem
The National Park Service is celebrating its 100th birthday on Thursday with events across the U.S. including the creation of 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.
Living emblem
More than 1,000 kids 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 above. 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 Hikers pose for a picture at Grand View Point in the Island in the Sky District at Canyonlands National Park near Moab, Utah. and recreation and the arrowhead shape represents history and archaeology.
New monument
The park service’s newest national monument, Katahdin Woods and Waters in Maine, was being readied to welcome its first visitors since President Barack Obama used his executive authority to create it.
Donated by Burt’s Bees co-founder Roxanne Quimby, the expanse features views of Mount Katahdin, the tallest mountain in Maine.
Visitors are already allowed into the woods, which was open to the public before the designation. There currently is no fee.
The monument’s creation was opposed by state lawmakers and critics who fear that it will hinder efforts to rebuild a forest-based economy in the region. Quimby’s son said many parks in the service’s system have been criticized upon creation but “when we look to the future, we see huge amounts of success.”
Nature intrudes
For a time, both fire and ice hindered travel into Yellowstone National Park on the park service’s centennial anniversary.
Authorities closed a portion of the popular Beartooth Highway to the park’s northeast entrance Wednesday night because of snow and ice from a summer snowstorm, but the road reopened Thursday morning.
At the other end of the park, a portion of the road leading to Yellowstone’s South Entrance remained closed because of a wildfire.
Climate change
Interior Secretary Sally Jewell hiked to see the stunning view from the Hidden Lake Overlook in Montana’s Glacier National Park and met with scientists to learn more about how climate change could cause the glaciers to disappear there as soon as 2030. Jewell told The Associated Press that climate change is a concern for the future of other national parks from Alaska to the Florida Everglades.
Free admission
The park service is offering free admission to all its sites through Sunday. They’re among 16 free days scheduled throughout the year. Some parks are serving birthday cake and offering ranger talks for the occasion. The Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park in Maryland is offering free mule-drawn boat rides on Thursday.