Summit Highlights

Connecting People to Parks

Launch a constituency-building/public awareness campaign around the 2016 centennial that is relevant, tangible, has a singular message, offers an emotional experience, and motivates people to take action on behalf of parks. Design a campaign that is easily customized/serves as a platform for local and regional efforts .
The next generation provides a new point of entry for parks; create their interest in being stewards by developing some apps that allow you to experience the parks before you get there.
Build relationships between rangers and students to make the parks more welcoming. Have a Teacher-Ranger-Teacher in every school in the country.
The parks are a FANTASTIC product, we need to better sell it based upon what people want to buy. More research needs to be done on why people come to the parks. Are they coming for fun? The sites aren’t necessarily set up for that. “Selling the experience” is about being with people you care about, in addition to being in a park.’
Learn from successful communications campaigns, including Go RVing, which has succeeded in reaching nontraditional publics by focusing on values. For example, it now uses a theme of AWAY!—about an emotional as well as physical place. “Selling the experience” is about being with people you care about, in addition to being in a park.
More than 80 percent of people live in cities. Most of these people aren’t near nature and don’t access nature regularly. Use urban parks as a gateway to the more remote parks. Cross promote and market to different audiences.
Embrace the healthcare community to help get more people out into the parks, especially through existing avenues such as National Park Lands Day. The parks provide a respite—they ARE medicine. Sell that message.
Relationships and People are key. Need to support grassroots organizations, partnerships, to foster connections.
The parks continue to enjoy high approval ratings. What has made those core values stick? What has been done right over the years? Identify and build on that success.
The Park Service must do a much better job of telling people what it is the Park Service does, instead of telling a park by park story.
Leverage technology to better connect. See it as a means to engage people outside and with parks rather than a threat that disconnects.
Develop a sitcom of dramatic series around the National Park Service. Make a movie that takes place IN a national park. Give it cache, broad visibility, and reach.
Parks and park partners must do a better job of telling Americans what they can do and enjoy at national park sites.

What Do You Think?

Help us shape an action plan for the national parks’ second century. Please let us know whether we captured the right actions from the summit discussions and whether any are missing. Also please indicate which actions are of the highest priority and which actions the group you represent is willing to take on as a priority.

Deb Equine Land Conservation Resource

March 17, 2012

The community of equestrians seems under-represented. horse back riding is a healthy, family activity. It is a heritage activity that was instrumental in the activity that occured historically in most parks. And, due to liability issues, sprawl and development of open spaces, we are losing places to ride, raise and feed horses. Public lands will be essential for recreational riding and for training future Olympic equestrians. Deb Equine Land Conservation Resource www.ELCR.org

Queen

February 23, 2012

Partnerships with many of the grassroots leaders that attended the summit will forward the visibility of the national park system within many communities including those in rural areas that are not currently well engaged in going to national parks or participating in the continuation of them in the future.

RK

February 22, 2012

Connecting people with a disability or age related difficulty to the parks is an untapped market due to lack of detailed information. People with a disability do not travel for fear of the unknown, in other words, what awaits them upon arrival? Accessible information needs to be in the general flow of all information instead of separating it. Many more people will see this information that do not consider themselves “disabled” but they follow accessible areas for the easiness they offer. Other people will see it and know of someone who could use this information on accessibility. Disability and age related difficulties are now a foundation of life and is intertwined throughout all areas of life. Therefore, this information should not be isolated but needs to be mainstreamed so it is available for everyone (for one day they may not have a disability but the next day they may be disabled).

John

February 19, 2012

Ultimately, support for the national parks and the community assistance programs of the National Park Service must be supported by a majority of the members of the Congress. It is therefore essential that every Congressman and Senator understand the value of the parks and the community services programs. Constituency building efforts must extend to every rural Congressional district, both urban and rural. Though essential to reach urban dwellers, it is even more essential to reach people everywhere, and in ways that their Congressional delegation knows is beneficial.

mjkellett

February 17, 2012

Yes, we need to make existing national parks more accessible, welcoming, and connected to the people. But most of our largest population centers have little, if any, access to major National Park System units. This point was raised repeatedly. The expansion of the National Park System to include new units near major population centers to increase connections with the American people should be included in this list.

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