BOULDER CITY, Nevada -As the National Park Service turns 100 years old Aug. 25, Lake Mead National Recreation Area and Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument, two of the service's 413 parks, will celebrate with multiple events across Southern Nevada and Northern Arizona.
"August -our birthday month -will be a nationwide celebration of national parks, and we're inviting everyone to the party," said National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis."We like to think that we look pretty good for 100, and with so many events and activities to commemorate this milestone, we hope all Americans will join us to celebrate the breathtaking landscapes and inspiring history in our nation's parks and public lands. Whether it is in a distant state or in your own community, there are hundreds of ways and places to find your park."
Park entrance fees will be waived nationwide Aug. 25-28 to encourage everyone to celebrate the NPS 100th birthday. The entrance fee waiver does not cover amenity or user fees for activities such as camping, boat launches or special tours.
Local Centennial Events
9-10 a.m. -Katherine Landing Access Road Ribbon Cutting &Birthday Celebration
Lake Mead National Recreation Area will celebrate the grand opening of Katherine Landing Access Road and Davis Dam Road with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 9 a.m. Aug. 25 at the intersection of the two roads. More than $11 million in enhancements were made to the Katherine Landing area of Lake Mead National Recreation Area to improve roadways, parking lots and drainage at this very popular area of the park. Join the park service as it officially marks the end of construction with a ceremonial ribbon cutting. Following the ribbon cutting, the Mohave County Board of Supervisors will present a Founders Day resolution. Then, attendees will join the National Park Service's 413 parks in celebrating the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service with birthday cake. Parking is available at Davis Dam. For more information, call 702-293-8691.
10 a.m. to 2 p.m. -Founders Day Celebration at the Lake Mead Visitor Center
Join rangers at the Lake Mead Visitor Center from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aug. 25 to celebrate the 100th birthday of the National Park Service. Make your own colorful nature journal and learn about outdoor naturalist John Muir one of the early "fathers" of national parks. Rangers will also have live desert animals on display where visitors can sketch and learn more about their survival in the Mojave Desert. Birthday cake will be served at 1 p.m. For more information, call 702-293-8990.
11 a.m. -City of Las Vegas Proclamation at Tule Springs
Mayor Pro Tem Steve Ross and the City of Las Vegas will present a centennial proclamation to the National Park Service at 11 a.m. Aug. 25 at the end of Durango Road at Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument.
7-11 p.m.-Find Your Park from Vegas at the Fremont Street Experience
Park rangers and volunteers will celebrate the National Park Service centennial at the Fremont Street Experience from 7-11 p.m. Aug. 25. Visit the park service booth to learn more about Tule Springs, Lake Mead and other public lands in Southern Nevada. Throughout the evening, a special Find Your Park from Vegas film, featuring Las Vegas City Mayor Carolyn Goodman, a showgirl and an Elvis impersonator, will air at the Fremont Street Experience. Meet under the canopy to follow Elvis and the showgirl as they journey to different parks around Las Vegas.
Aug. 25, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed the act that created the National Park Service "to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wild life therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for future generations."
To celebrate the 100th anniversary of that moment and to look ahead to the next 100 years, in early 2015 the National Park Service and the National Park Foundation launched the Find Your Park / Encuentra Tu Parque movement. Inspiring people from all backgrounds to celebrate and support America's national parks and community-based programs, #FindYourPark / #EncuentraTuParque invites people to discover and share their own unique connections to our nation's natural landscapes, vibrant culture and rich history.
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Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
