We all have our favorite National Park as well as a special moment in a Park that will stay with you forever.  Our National Parks are places were we can explore, relax, be amazed, check off bucket-list items and simply stand there and just take it all in.

There is nothing better than watching a child and yes, an adult, witnessing Old Faithful erupting for the first time.  Or the time-stopping moment when visitors first see the Grand Teton or the Grand Canyon.   Squeals of delight and laughter are endless at Niagra Falls and the jaw dropping beauty of Yosemite or the Smokey Mountains can take your breath away. National Parks are where many people experience wildlife for the first time.  Be it a bison, bear, big horn sheep or an eagle. Open spaces, wildlife, nature and wildness are all key elements to our National Parks.

On this day 100 years ago, President Woodrow Wilson signed the act creating the National Park Service within the Department of Interior.  At that time there were 35 parks. Today there are 412, including Grand Teton and Yellowstone.

Our forefathers like Presidents Ulysses Grant and Theodore Roosevelt, conservation pioneers John Muir, Olaus, Adolf and Mardy Murie and Aldo Leopold all contributed to ensuring the wild places and unique vistas were protected for future generations to enjoy.

We are also thankful for the tireless work of the thousands of National Park employees who protect our Parks, educate the public and answer the endless questions from the broad range of visitors.

Here in Jackson Hole we are blessed to be at the foothills of Grand Teton National Park and the south entrance to Yellowstone National Park.  Our daily lives are continually influenced by the wildness surrounding us, the beauty of nature’s canvas and the respect for the magnificent wildlife that reside in the Parks.

We encourage you to take the time to visit your local National Park as well as those across the country.  The Parks create lasting memories you can share with family and friends and by visiting them, you can also assure their ongoing protection and preservation.

Many of our National Parks have their own foundations to assist with funding special projects.  We hope you will consider contributing to the Grand Teton National Park Foundation, the Yellowstone Park Foundation or the National Park Foundation.  Your support will benefit the future of the Parks and the enjoyment of all.

“National Parks are the best idea we ever had.  Absolutely American, absolutely democratic, they reflect us at our best rather than our worst.”  Wallace Stegner, 1983.