Category Archives: National Parks

Austin Adventures Facilitates Vacations in America’s Over-Popular National Parks

Hiking up the Mist Trail alongside Vernal Falls in Yosemite National Park. National parks are ideal for summer family vacations, so much so, they are overrun. Tour operator like Austin Adventures not only has hotel space, but can facilitate the visit to minimize crowds © 2017 Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Last year, a record setting 331 million people visited a national park in the U.S.  2015 had earlier set the record at 307 million visitors. Over the last two years there has been a 13 percent visitor increase overall. This is a trend that experts say is here to stay.

The good news is that more and more people are enjoying America’s “best idea.” The downside is that roads, pull-overs and entrance stations are more crowded than ever, parking is hard to find, campgrounds are booked full by noon, restaurant reservations are difficult to secure and for those waiting too long to book lodging, there’s no room left at the inn.

Because vacation time is too precious for such factors as frustration and anxiety, advance vacation planning that includes putting a professional tour operator in charge of the logistics can help buy peace of mind and a better overall experience.

“When a national park is in the equation, a good tour company can give you the kind of quality park vacation that just might not be possible on your own,” said Dan Austin, President of Austin Adventures, a leader in family-focused, multisport vacations here and abroad.

Austin’s company offers a good reason of why one should consider a tour operator for a national park vacation. “We have stayed ahead of the growth curve by adding capacity and trip departures. We also work hard to block the best rooms inside a park, a year or more in advance.” This is an investment (and risk) to the tour operator, having to secure everything so far into the future. But in Austin Adventures’ case, it has been a winning strategy.

Where an individual or family may find frustration going it on their own, booking through an operator can make the process pain-free. A tour operator has the rooms, the restaurant reservations and sightseeing logistics all worked out. They alleviate parking woes by dropping guests off at a trailhead and picking them up at a different spot later. They can also avoid the masses because they know where the crowds aren’t as well as the best times to be there (on Austin’s Yellowstone Park trips they often avoid the crowds at Old Faithful by visiting at sunrise – a short walk from their lodge).

“Guests benefit from our expertise, ‘insider’s knowledge and long-standing park connections,” Austin said.

Tour operators know the area, inside and outside the park, as well as the best places to stay, eat, view wildlife, etc. They have highly trained guides who are focused on customer service, safety and security, as well as having fun, said Rick Hoeninghausen, Director of Sales & Marketing for Yellowstone National Park Lodges.

Quality tour operators often build in special touches that enhance the experience for their guests. For example, Austin Adventures will surprise their guests with fresh made ice cream and fruit parfaits served along the hiking trail.

Some of Austin Adventures’ most popular National Park family itineraries include Yellowstone Family Adventure, Yosemite National Park Multisport, Grand Canyon Family Vacation & Tour, and the Bryce and Zion National Park Tour in Utah. For information on all of the company’s National Park adventures, see: http://www.austinadventures.com/national-park-vacations/

Based in Billings, MT, Austin Adventures has spent more than 40 years building an international reputation as a top provider of luxury, pre-set and custom-designed small group tours for adults and families to the world’s most captivating destinations. In 2013, Austin Adventures joined the Xanterra Parks & Resorts® portfolio of experiential leisure offerings that includes operations in Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Zion, Crater Lake, Glacier, Rocky Mountain and Petrified Forest National Parks; Mount Rushmore National Memorial; Furnace Creek Resort in Death Valley National Park; and five Ohio State Park Lodges as well as the Geneva Marina at Ohio’s Geneva State Park. Xanterra Parks & Resorts also owns and operates Kingsmill Resort in Williamsburg, Va., the Grand Canyon Railway and Hotel in Williams, Ariz., the Grand Hotel in Tusayan, Ariz., Windstar Cruises, VBT Bicycling and Walking Vacations, Country Walkers and Austin Adventures.

For information on Austin Adventures, www.austinadventures.com, call 800-575-1540 or email [email protected].

 

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Natural Habitat Adventures Introduces New Polar Bear Photo Expedition to Alaska’s High Arctic

Natural Habitat Adventures has a new trip to photograph polar bears in the remote Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in northeast Alaska, where they roam the shoreline along the Beaufort Sea.

BOULDER, CO– Natural Habitat Adventures, the world’s leader in sustainable travel and ecotourism since 1985, is introducing an exclusive new seven-day opportunity to photograph polar bears in the remote Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in northeast Alaska, where they roam the shoreline along the Beaufort Sea.
The expedition, Photographing Polar Bears in Alaska’s High Arctic, debuts in August 2017 with three departures for eight guests each: Aug. 21-27, Aug. 24-30 and Aug. 27-Sept. 2. Similar dates are tentatively set for 2018. The per-person double rate from $10,895 includes private chartered roundtrip air from Fairbanks (gateway city) across the Arctic Circle to Kaktovik, flying over the vast Yukon River Valley and glaciated Brooks Range; six private 3-hour boat excursions (limited to just four passengers per vessel) to photograph polar bears and other Arctic wildlife at eye level; accommodations; all meals; and more.

Kaktovik, an Inupiat village of 250 people located on Barter Island in the Beaufort Sea on the edge of the coastal plain, is Alaska’s premier location to view polar bears. Sightings have been increasing in the region over the past few years as bears spend more time on land due to waning sea ice. Nat Hab has operated popular polar bear adventures in Churchill, Manitoba, since the 1980s; this new trip is the company’s first polar-bear-focused trip in Alaska.

The expedition, which takes place at 70 degrees north latitude, is also Nat Hab’s most northerly adventure. Guests fly over the Arctic Circle before landing on Alaska’s North Slope on the edge of the Beaufort Sea. This immersion in the far north provides an unusual chance to witness the impacts of climate change while learning about changing polar bear behavior and how local people face challenges to their age-old subsistence lifestyle.

Guests travel with a Nat Hab Expedition Leader who is an Arctic naturalist and polar bear expert as well an accomplished wildlife photographer offering guidance for all ability levels. Boats are skippered by local resident guides who are intimately familiar with polar bears and their behavior, ensuring a thorough interpretive experience.

The itinerary, exclusive to Nat Hab and its conservation partner World Wildlife Fund, also includes a full day of exploration in Fairbanks, including a visit to the University of Alaska’s Museum of the North and the university’s Large Animal Research Station.

“No other major travel company offers an all-encompassing Alaska polar bear experience like this one, with such an immersive focus,” explains Ben Bressler, Nat Hab founder and president. “Along with multiple extended excursions to view and photograph the bears, we include all the elements to safely and comfortably get you there and home—including internal chartered flights. Once you arrive in Fairbanks, we’ve got your every need covered.”

For information on all of Nat Hab’s trips, descriptive itineraries, date availability and reservations, call 800.543.8917 or visit http://www.nathab.com/. Click HERE to order a copy of the 2017 catalog.

Natural Habitat Adventures is a world leader in responsible adventure travel and nature-based ecotourism. Since its founding in 1985, the company has offered eco-conscious expeditions and wildlife-focused small-group tours to the planet’s most remarkable nature destinations. Inspired and created from years of scouring the planet for the singular and extraordinary, Nat Hab’s itineraries are artfully crafted experiences that are far from “typical.” Trips are guided by professional naturalist Expedition Leaders, and Nat Hab enjoys a longstanding reputation for hiring some of the world’s best guides. Conservation is at the forefront of everything NHA does, and its philosophy is simple: tourism must work with and benefit local communities, which will in turn find value in protecting natural resources and wildlife. NHA is the travel partner of World Wildlife Fund, sharing a mutual commitment to travel as a means of helping to protect the world’s wondrous natural places. Nat Hab has donated more than $2 million to WWF and will continue to donate 1 percent of gross sales plus $100,000 annual through 2018 in support of WWF’s mission.

Follow Natural Habitat Adventures:
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Moab Adventure Center Offers Active Itineraries to Explore Region’s Red Rock Wonders

Moab Adventure Center offers active itineraries to explore to explore the Region’s Red Rock wonders
Moab Adventure Center offers active itineraries to explore to explore the Region’s Red Rock wonders

MOAB, UT– The red rock playground better known as Moab, UT, has scaled the heights to become one of the country’s most sought-after destinations for active vacations.

When first-time visitors to the region choose to experience all that Moab has to offer, more bang for the buck comes with advance planning and using local guides who know the territory best, suggests Jamie Pearce, Manager of the award-winning Moab Adventure Center (http://www.moabadventurecenter.com/).

Pearce and her staff highly recommend choosing one of their three time-driven, guide-assisted adventure packages to fully enjoy this small town surrounded by two national parks, Arches and Canyonlands, and the mystique of the Colorado River.

Moab Signature Multisport Package is a short escape offering the most popular Moab adventures over two days: a Colorado River rafting trip, a two-hour Hummer Safari into the adjacent backcountry plus an exploration of Arches National Park on a professionally guided hike. The rate is $212 for adults and $154 for ages 5-15. Moab lodging (on your own) is available at a variety of motels, campgrounds and lodges.  See: http://www.moabadventurecenter.com/trips/packages/hummer-raft-hike.php. This package can be upgraded to include a full-day rafting trip with lunch and a special sunset Hummer safari for just $35 more per person. Offered Mar. 15 through Oct. 21.

Southwest Sampler spans four days and three nights. Guests spend two nights at Moab’s quirky and stylish Gonzo Inn near shopping and restaurants, just a short walk from the Moab Adventure Center while hiking and touring Arches National Park capped by an off-road sunset Hummer Safari.  Two days of rafting the Colorado River follow, including one night of star gazing while camping riverside. The rate (including all-inclusive camping) is $625 for adults and $525 for ages 5-15. Offered May-September.
See: http://www.moabadventurecenter.com/trips/packages/southwest.php

Westwater Multi-Sport Moab Package engages guests over four days and three nights as they raft legendary Westwater Canyon on the Colorado River that National Geographic named “The West’s Best Short Whitewater Trip.” On this Utah rafting and multi-sport adventure guests experience different thrills every day with all the comforts of home each night. Included is Moab’s breathtaking backcountry on an exhilarating Hummer Safari; an optional horseback ride in Utah’s famous Castle Valley brings to life scenes from countless movies and commercials filmed in the Moab area. The overnight host is Red Cliffs Lodge on the banks of the Colorado. Offered May-September the rate is $685 for adults and $635 for youth ages 12-15. See: http://www.moabadventurecenter.com/trips/packages/westwater.php

Recognized nationally as a mecca for outdoor recreation and spectacular scenery, National Geographic named Moab #1 among America’s 10 Best Mountain Bike Towns. http://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/trips/best-mountain-biking-towns/. Moab was included in Matador Network’s Top 10 in a 2016 ranking of “America’s 20 Coolest Outdoor Towns for Adventure.” https://matadornetwork.com/trips/americas-20-coolest-towns-outdoor-adventure/. Smarter Travel’s 2016 ranking of the “10 Best Outdoor Towns in America” slotted Moab in its honored Top 10.
https://www.smartertravel.com/2016/05/10/10-best-outdoor-towns-in-america/

To speed things up so people can slow themselves down, the region now has scheduled daily air service from Denver, CO, and Salt Lake City, UT.

The Moab Adventure Center website suggests other activities and info on lodging and where to eat in Moab. The Center recommends, due to its popularity over spring and summer weekends, to have lodging reservations in hand before coming to the region. Pocket Guide Moab: Last Minute Itineraries for the Undecided Traveler is also a good resource to the area.

For more details see:
What to See: http://www.moabadventurecenter.com/sightseeing/
What to Do: http://www.moabadventurecenter.com/activities/
Where to Stay: http://www.moabadventurecenter.com/lodging/

Moab Adventure Center is a division of Western River Expeditions (www.westernriver.com) an adventure travel company headquartered in Salt Lake City, with operations and offices in Moab and Fredonia, AZ. The company is the largest single tour provider in Moab. The Moab Adventure Center is located at 225 South Main St., Moab, UT 84532. For information and reservations call (435) 259-7019 or (866) 904-1163 or send an email from http://www.moabadventurecenter.com/contact/. The center also has a 2,000-square-foot retail space selling adventure related gear, clothing and souvenirs.

 

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Obama Designates New National Monuments Honoring Civil Rights History; Expands Monuments in Oregon, California; Promotes Diversity

President Obama is taking action to expand the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, in Oregon and California © 2017 Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com
President Obama is taking action to expand the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, in Oregon and California © 2017 Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

In celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, today, President Obama is designating three new national monuments honoring our country’s civil rights history and taking new steps to promote diversity in our national parks and other public lands. Building on the Administration’s commitment to protecting places that are culturally and historically significant and that reflect the story of all Americans, today’s designations will protect historic sites in Alabama and South Carolina that played an important role in American history stretching from the Civil War to the civil rights movement.

In addition, President Obama is taking new steps to promote diversity and inclusivity in our nation’s system of national parks, national forests, monuments and other public lands and waters, directing agencies including the Department of the Interior, the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration  to work to ensure that all Americans have the opportunity to experience our great outdoors and engage in decisions about how our public lands and waters are managed, and to prioritize building a more inclusive Federal workforce that is reflective of the diversity of our Nation.

Also, President Obama took action to expand two national monuments: expanding the existing California Coastal National Monument by 6,230 acres; and expanding the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument in California and Oregon.

New Civil Rights Monuments

The new monuments are the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument, Freedom Riders National Monument and Reconstruction Era National Monument.

  • Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument: The Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument will protect the historic A.G. Gaston Motel in Birmingham, Alabama, which served at one point as the headquarters for the civil rights campaign led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. that helped lead to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.  The monument will also tell the stories associated with other nearby Birmingham historic sites, including the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church– which was the site of a bombing in 1963; and Kelly Ingram Park, where Birmingham Public Safety Commissioner Bull Connor turned hoses and dogs on young civil rights protesters.
  • Freedom Riders National Monument: The Freedom Riders National Monument is located in Anniston, Alabama and contains two sites that help underscore the Freedom Riders’ importance to the civil rights movement.  The monument includes the Greyhound Bus Station where a racially integrated bus of Freedom Riders attempting to test desegregation was attacked in the spring of 1961, and the site where the same bus was firebombed and burned some minutes later.
  • Reconstruction Era National Monument: Located in coastal South Carolina, the new Reconstruction Era National Monument encompasses four sites throughout Beaufort County that tell the vibrant story of the robust community developed by freed former African American slaves in the Reconstruction Era South.  This designation includes the Brick Baptist Church and Darrah Hall at the existing Penn Center on St. Helena Island as well as the Old Firehouse in downtown Beaufort and parts of Camp Saxton in Port Royal where the Emancipation Proclamation was read on New Year’s Day in 1863. These sites establish the first unit of the National Park System focused on telling the story of Reconstruction.

Protection for these sites is strongly supported by the local communities, elected officials, and a wide variety of stakeholders including civil rights organizations, environmental justice groups and historic preservation groups. Each designation was also supported by legislation introduced by members of the Alabama and South Carolina delegations.

“These monuments preserve the vibrant history of the Reconstruction Era and its role in redefining freedom,” President Obama stated. “They tell the important stories of the citizens who helped launch the civil rights movement in Birmingham and the Freedom Riders whose bravery raised national awareness of segregation and violence. These stories are part of our shared history. From designating Stonewall National Monument, our country’s first national monument honoring the LGBT movement, to recognizing the movement for women’s equality through the Belmont-Paul Women’s Equality National Monument, I have sought to build a more inclusive National Park System and ensure that our national parks, monuments and public lands are fully reflective of our nation’s diverse history and culture.”

Promoting Diversity and Inclusivity in Managing Our Public Lands and Water

In addition, President Obama is taking new steps to promote diversity and inclusivity in our nation’s system of national parks, national forests, monuments and other public lands and waters. Today, President Obama issued a Presidential Memorandum directing the agencies charged with managing the vast majority of America’s public lands and waters – the Department of the Interior, the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration – to work to ensure that all Americans have the opportunity to experience our great outdoors and engage in decisions about how our public lands and waters are managed. The Memorandum also directs agencies to prioritize building a more inclusive Federal workforce that is reflective of the diversity of our Nation.

Expansion of National Monuments Protecting Natural Resources in California and Oregon

In addition to the new designations honoring African American history, today, President Obama is expanding two existing national monuments to protect critical biodiversity, important historic and natural resources and vital wildlife habitat in California and Oregon.

  • Expansion of California Coastal National Monument: Today, President Obama is expanding the existing California Coastal National Monument by 6,230 acres to include six additional coastal sites proposed for protection in legislation introduced by members of the California Congressional delegation in 2015. The monument was originally designated in 2000 by President Bill Clinton and expanded by President Obama in 2014 to include Point-Arena-Stornetta in Mendocino County. Today’s expansion will protect incredible coastal natural resources, scenic views, and areas of cultural and historical significance, including sites that provide insight into the Native peoples who first lived along California’s coast and places still important to local tribes today.
  • Expansion of Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument: Located in southwest Oregon and northern California, the current Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument protects the significant biodiversity at the intersection of three distinct bioregions, including wildlife habitat for nearly 200 species of birds. Drawing from two different reports compiled by the scientific community as well as a legislation introduced in the Senate in 2015, today’s expansion will protect more than 42,000 additional acres of public land in Oregon and approximately 5,000 acres in California to increase vital habitat connectivity, watershed protection, and landscape-scale resilience for the area’s unique biological values, particularly in the face of growing impacts from climate change.

“Over the last 8 years, I have sought to work with local communities, Tribal governments, businesses, sportsmen, members of Congress and others to protect the most important public lands for the benefit of future generations,” President Obama stated. “Today’s actions will help ensure that more of our country’s history will be preserved and celebrated, and that more of our outdoors will be protected for all to experience and enjoy.”

Obama Quadruples Size of Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, Now Largest Marine Protected Area

Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument (photo by James Watt).

President Obama bestowed a gigantic gift on the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service: using his powers under the Antiquities Act, he quadrupled the size of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument off the coast of Hawaii, creating the world’s largest marine protected area.

 

“Building on the United States’ global leadership in marine conservation, today’s designation will more than quadruple the size of the existing marine monument, permanently protecting pristine coral reefs, deep sea marine habitats, and important ecological resources in the waters of the Northwest Hawaiian Islands,” the White House stated.

 

Following this historic conservation action, the President planned to travel to Hawaii where, on August 31, he will address leaders from the Pacific Island Conference of Leaders and the IUCN World Conservation Congress, which is being hosted in the United States for the first time. On Thursday, he will travel to Midway Atoll, located within the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, to mark the significance of this monument designation and highlight first-hand how the threat of climate change makes protecting our public lands and waters more important than ever. 

 

The monument was originally created in 2006 by President George W. Bush and designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2010.  Since that time, new scientific exploration and research has revealed new species and deep sea habitats as well as important ecological connections between the existing monument and the adjacent waters. Obama’s designation will expand the existing Marine National Monument by 442,781 square miles, bringing the total protected area of the expanded monument to 582,578 square miles.

 

The expansion provides critical protections for more than 7,000 marine species, including whales and sea turtles listed under the Endangered Species Act and the longest-living marine species in the world — black coral, which have been found to live longer than 4,500 years. Additionally, as ocean acidification, warming, and other impacts of climate change threaten marine ecosystems, expanding the monument will improve ocean resilience, help the region’s distinct physical and biological resources adapt, and create a natural laboratory that will allow scientists to monitor and explore the impacts of climate change on these fragile ecosystems.

 

The expanded monument area also contains resources of great historical and cultural significance. The expanded area, including the archipelago and its adjacent waters, is considered a sacred place for the Native Hawaiian community. It plays a significant role in Native Hawaiian creation and settlement stories, and is used to practice important activities like traditional long-distance voyaging and wayfinding. Additionally, within the monument expansion area, there are shipwrecks and downed aircraft from the Battle of Midway in World War II, a battle that marked a major shift in the progress of the war in favor of the Allies.

 

All commercial resource extraction activities, including commercial fishing and any future mineral extraction, are prohibited in the expansion area, as they are within the boundaries of the existing monument. Noncommercial fishing, such as recreational fishing and the removal of fish and other resources for Native Hawaiian cultural practices, is allowed in the expansion area by permit, as is scientific research.

 

In recognition of the value of Papahānaumokuākea to Native Hawaiians, and in keeping with President Obama’s commitment to elevating the voices of Native peoples in management of our resources, Secretary of the Interior Jewell and Secretary of Commerce Pritzker also announced that the Departments will soon sign an agreement with Hawaii’s Department of Natural Resources and Office of Hawaiian Affairs providing for a greater management role as a trustee in the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument.  This arrangement has been previously requested by Senator Brian Schatz and Governor Ige.

 

President Obama’s action responds to a proposal put forward by Senator Schatz and prominent Native Hawaiian leaders, in addition to significant input and local support from Hawaii elected officials, cultural groups, conservation organizations, scientists and fishermen.  This step also builds on a rich tradition of marine protection in Hawaiian waters and world-class, well managed fisheries, including a longline fishing fleet that is a global leader in sustainable practices. 

 

Among the underlying rationales for his action, Obama, in his proclamation, stated, “The ocean will always be seen as an integral part of cultural identity for the Native Hawaiian community. The deep sea, the ocean surface, the sky, and all the living things in the area adjacent to the Monument are important to this culture and are deeply rooted in creation and settlement stories. Native Hawaiian culture considers the Monument and the adjacent area a sacred place. This place contains the boundary between Ao, the world of light and the living, and Pō, the world of the gods and spirits from which all life is born and to which ancestors return after death. Long-distance voyaging and wayfinding is one of the most unique and valuable traditional practices that the Native Hawaiian community has developed and continues to advance. Once on the verge of cultural extinction, new double-hulled sailing canoes, beginning with the Hōkūle’a in the 1970s, are bringing voyaging and wayfinding to new generations. This traditional practice relies on celestial, biological, and natural signs, such as winds, waves, currents and the presence of birds and marine life. The open ocean ecosystem and its natural resources in the adjacent area play an important role within the cultural voyaging seascape within the Hawaiian Archipelago.”

 

In addition to protecting more land and water than any Administration in history, President Obama has sought to lead the world in marine conservation by combating illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing, revitalizing the process for establishing new marine sanctuaries, establishing the National Ocean Policy, and promoting ocean stewardship through the use of science- based decision making.

Moab Adventure Center Gears Up for Families During National Parks Centennial Celebration

Moab Adventure Center just 4.5 miles from Arches National Park and 30 miles from Canyonlands National Park, is gearing up for a rush of families who have marked 2016, the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service, as the “it” year for visiting “America’s Best Idea.”
Moab Adventure Center just 4.5 miles from Arches National Park and 30 miles from Canyonlands National Park, is gearing up for a rush of families who have marked 2016, the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service, as the “it” year for visiting “America’s Best Idea.”

MOAB, UT– Moab Adventure Center, just 4.5 miles from Arches National Park and 30 miles from Canyonlands National Park, is gearing up for a rush of families who have marked 2016, the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service, as the “it” year for visiting “America’s Best Idea.”

Creating a family vacation in Moab is easy enough once the family has decided how many days they can be in the region. Then it’s a matter of getting everyone up and out early so that at least two activities can be scheduled each day.

Families with children ages 5 and up can discover some of the most scenic canyons in the Southwest from the unique perspective – and excitement – of rafting through rushing but playful whitewater. Half and full-day as well as two day programs inclusive of overnight camping and meals can be arranged. Half-day rates start at $60 for adults and $40 for youth. See: http://www.moabadventurecenter.com/trips/rafting/

A Two-Day Raft & Camp package at $265 for adults and $195 for youth places families on an overnight adventure along the Colorado River. Come dinner the first evening the food miraculously surfaces from a dutch oven before bedding down in tents under the stars. All food, gear, guide fees and equipment are provided. http://www.moabadventurecenter.com/trips/rafting/twoday.php

Off-road 4×4 excursions make a wonderful family experience for all ages. Professional guides operate custom Hummer® vehicles with raised seating in the rear for optimum passenger viewing while climbing to the top of seldom-seen, awe-inspiring Moab overlooks. Scenic outings are for two or four hours and at sunset. Rates are from $83 for adults and $51 for youth ages 3-15. http://www.moabadventurecenter.com/trips/hummer/

Families can extend their budget by purchasing a pre-set activities and lodging package such as the Rock & River Package that includes a two-hour Hummer Safari in the morning and a five-hour river rafting trip in the afternoon. The rate is $149 per adult and $107 per youth for this guide-enhanced immersion in Nature. http://www.moabadventurecenter.com/trips/packages/

Older youth may want to do some slick-rock mountain biking and zip lining; everyone can partake of hiking, guided or not; and just possibly Mom and Dad can get away for a romantic hot air balloon ride over the mysteries this landscape holds.

Families may also opt to hire a private tour guide for a day or longer. The guide can also take over much of the decision-making and provide that other-person-buffer families sometimes appreciate to keep things running smoothly. The best hiking trails, views, discoveries of petroglyphs and Indian lore, and hidden places for stand up paddle boarding all play into the many activities and experiences that a guide can arrange. http://www.moabadventurecenter.com/trips/private-tours/

To make it easier to get to Moab there’s a new air service from Salt Lake City and Denver into the region. San Francisco-based Boutique Air provides passenger airline service to Canyonlands Field Airport. It provides two flights daily to Salt Lake City at $59 per flight and one flight daily to Denver at $79. The airline will provide five flights per day during Moab’s busy tourist season.

Moab Adventure Center is at the epicenter of nature-themed rather than theme park-style adventure, promising activities that include rafting, jet boating, stand up paddle boarding, hiking, mountain biking and hot air ballooning. Hummer safaris, rock climbing, canyoneering and horseback riding are also popular. Many of these activities are conducted with guides, an arrangement that helps preclude the kind of impact to the land that can happen when uneducated visitors venture into areas where they perhaps shouldn’t be. Guides help people understand how and where they can move through back country areas with the least trace possible.

Year-round occupancy for the area’s 3,500 beds runs between 74 and 80 percent, primarily from March through November. While availability on Moab Adventure Center’s rafting, hot air balloon and other activities can usually be accommodated, lodging may be an issue and people should book accommodations well in advance.

For pre-trip-planning and reservations,visit the Moab Adventure Center website where a catalogs, trip guides and the Moab Insider’s Guide can be ordered. See http://secure.moabadventurecenter.com/express/inquiry/ or call 866-904-1163.

 

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Stonewall, in NYC’s Greenwich Village, is First National Monument to Honor Story of LGBT Americans

U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell applauded President Obama’s historic designation of the Stonewall National Monument, the first national monument that honors the history of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community in the United States. The designation permanently protects the site that played a pivotal role in the nation’s LGBT civil rights movement.

Secretary Jewell joined members of the New York Congressional delegation and other federal, state and local officials and LGBT community members at the monument site for a public dedication ceremony.

“This designation ensures that the story of the courageous individuals who stood up for basic rights for LGBT Americans will be forever told, honoring their sacrifice and inspiring our Nation towards greater tolerance and understanding,” said Secretary Jewell. “The tragic events in Orlando are a sad and stark reminder that the struggle for civil rights and equality continues – where who we love is respected and honored – on our march toward a more perfect union.”

The new monument is located at Christopher Park, a historic community park at the intersection of Christopher Street, West 4th Street and Grove Street directly across from the Stonewall Inn in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village. The monument’s boundary encompasses approximately 7.7 acres of land, including Christopher Park, the Stonewall Inn, and the surrounding streets and sidewalks that were the site of the 1969 Stonewall Uprising, an event that inspired the modern LGBT civil rights movement.

The monument designation today is the result of a year-long effort led by U.S. Representative Jerrold Nadler and U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Charles Schumer, who introduced legislative proposals in Congress to establish a Stonewall National Historic Site as a unit of the National Park System. Separately, in a letter to President Obama, Representative Nadler, Senators Gillibrand and Schumer, and other members of the New York congressional delegation requested that the President use his authority under the Antiquities Act to designate Stonewall a national monument. State Senator Brad Hoylman and State Assemblymember Deborah Glick, along with Mayor Bill de Blasio and Governor Andrew Cuomo, worked together to donate the land to the federal government and make the designation possible.

“The National Park Service is marking its centennial anniversary this year with a renewed commitment to tell a more complete story of our nation, and we are incredibly proud to be entrusted with the responsibility to share the story of LGBT Americans through this historic new national park site at Stonewall National Monument,” said National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis. “We will work closely with the community to ensure that the history we share at this site is inclusive and gives a complete perspective of the historic events that happened there.”

Immediately following President Obama’s designation, the National Park Foundation announced that it will conduct a fundraising campaign to support the effort to prepare the National Park Service’s 412th site to welcome visitors.

The Stonewall Inn, located across from the newly designated national park site, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in June 1999 and subsequently, with Christopher Park and the surrounding streets and sidewalks, designated as a National Historic Landmark in 2000, recognizing the significance of the events that took place in the late 1960s. The Stonewall Inn was the first LGBT site to ever be designated a National Historic Landmark.

In February of this year, the National Park Service finalized a reconnaissance study that concluded that additional evaluation would likely find that the Stonewall site meets the new unit criteria for inclusion in the National Park System.

In April, the Governor of New York signed state legislation that authorized the City of New York to transfer Christopher Park to the Federal Government, and the City then approved that transfer, paving the way for the site’s designation as a national monument.

In May, nearly 250 people gathered at PS 41 Greenwich Village School to express their views about designating Christopher Park as a national monument. The two and half hour public meeting attracted state and local elected officials, veterans of the Stonewall Uprising, as well as modern-day LGBT advocates, neighbors and preservationists. The majority of speakers enthusiastically expressed support for a Stonewall monument designation.

New additions to the National Park System can be accomplished by an act of Congress or by presidential designation. In Congress, a bill can be introduced to designate an area as a national park unit. That bill must then be approved by both the House of Representatives and the Senate, and then signed into law by the president.

A unit of the National Park System can also be created through the use of the Antiquities Act, which allows the president to designate a site as a national monument. Since the enactment of the Antiquities Act by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906, 16 presidents have used the authority to protect unique natural and historic features in America, such as the Grand Canyon, the Statue of Liberty, Colorado’s Canyons of the Ancients and more than 140 national monuments. Almost half of the national parks in the National Park System today were first protected as national monuments under the Antiquities Act.

With today’s designation, President Obama will have used the Antiquities Act to establish or expand 24 national monuments. Altogether, he has protected more than 265 million acres of public lands and waters – more than any other President – as well as preserved sites that help tell the story of significant people or extraordinary events in American history, such as Cèsar E. Chàvez National Monument in California, Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Monument in Maryland (now a National Historical Park in Maryland and New York), and Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument in Ohio.

Last year the Obama Administration recognized the Henry Gerber House in Chicago as a National Historic Landmark and since 2011 eight other LGBT sites have been named to the National Register of Historic Places including:

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Family Adventure Tour Operator Invites Kids to Join April 16 Webinar on National Parks

Austin Adventures will engage youngsters and parents in a 45-minute webinar on Saturday, April 16, on the wonders of our National Parks and why they are so important to our national spirit and identity.
Austin Adventures will engage youngsters and parents in a 45-minute webinar on Saturday, April 16, on the wonders of our National Parks and why they are so important to our national spirit and identity.

Billings, MT– In honor of National Parks Week April 16-24, award-winning tour operator Austin Adventures will engage youngsters and parents in a 45-minute webinar on Saturday, April 16, 2016 at Noon EDT. The wonders of our National Parks will be discussed along with why they are so important to our national spirit and identity.

Kasey Austin, Outside Magazine’s Family Guide of the Year (2014) and V.P. of Operations, will be leading this informative, interactive webinar. Kids can whet their adventure appetites learning about incredible park wildlife, ecosystems, and some unusual history of some of our most iconic National Parks.

The purpose of the webinar is, said Dan Austin, Austin Adventures’ founding director, “to make visiting our National Parks a fun and enticing learning experience. We’ll share our insights on how families can make the most of a park vacation allowing plenty of time for questions and comments.”

Austin Adventures, an active travel company offering family adventure vacations  on seven continents, is inviting both kids and parents to join this free webinar on Saturday, April 16 at Noon EST. The first 25 attendees to sign up will be awarded with an Austin Adventures’ goody bag plus their family will also receive a $250 trip voucher good for any 2016 Austin Adventure.

In addition, for families with a 4th grade student aboard, as advocates of the National Park Foundation’s Every Kid in the Park initiative, Austin Adventures is waiving trip fees for all 4th graders traveling on any National Park adventure with them in 2016. (See www.austinadventures.com/find-your-park/, offer subject to certain conditions)

To register for the online webinar, go to:  https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3197329609788822273.

Nearly a dozen National Park trips are on Austin Adventures’ current 2016 schedule. All adult rates are per person, double occupancy.

Grand Canyon National Park: 6-days/5-nights from $2,798; children from $2,238.
Kenai Fiords National Park: 6 days/5 nights from $3,498; children from $2,798.
Bryce Canyon & Zion National Parks:  6 days/5 nights from $2,498; children from $1,998.
Yellowstone National Park:  6 days/5 nights from $2,498; children from $1,998.
Grand Teton National Park: 6 days/5 nights from $2,998; children from $2,398.
Yosemite National Park: 6 days/5 nights from $3,298; children from $2,638.
Glacier National Park: 6 days/5 nights from $2,898.
Arches & Canyonlands National Parks: 6 days /5 nights from $2,698; children from $2,158.
South Dakota – Black Hills (Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse Monuments / Wind Cave NP): 6 days/5 nights from $2,498; children from $1,998.
California – Death Valley National Park: 5 days/4 nights from $2,598.
Oregon – Crater Lake National Park: 6 days/5 nights from $2,798.

To receive print and or digital copies of the 2016 Family Adventures and Adult Adventures catalogs, please go to: www/austinadventures.com/request-catalog/ . For more information about Austin Adventures programs in National Parks please see: http://www.austinadventures.com/national-park-vacations/. To inquire about destinations and trips or to make reservations please call (800) 575-1540 or email [email protected].

Based in Billings, MT, Austin Adventures (formerly Austin-Lehman Adventures) has spent more than 40 years building an international reputation as a provider of scheduled small group tours and customized trips to all seven continents. Austin Adventures is a proud member of the Xanterra Parks & Resorts® portfolio of experiential leisure offerings that includes operations in Grand CanyonYellowstoneZionCrater LakeGlacierRocky Mountain and Petrified Forest National Parks; Mount Rushmore National MemorialFurnace Creek Resort in Death Valley National Park; and five Ohio State Park Lodges as well as the Geneva Marina at Ohio’s Geneva State Park. Xanterra Parks & Resorts also owns and operates Kingsmill Resort in Williamsburg, Va., the Grand Canyon Railway and Hotel in Williams, Ariz., the Grand Hotel in Tusayan, Ariz., Windstar CruisesVBT Bicycling and Walking VacationsCountry Walkers and Austin Adventures.

 

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OARS Celebrates 100 Years of America’s National Parks with Donations, Sweepstakes

OARS Rim to River guided tour takes the South Kaibab trail down to the Colorado River, with spectacular views of the Grand Canyon © 2016 Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com
OARS Rim to River guided tour takes the South Kaibab trail down to the Colorado River, with spectacular views of the Grand Canyon © 2016 Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

Angels Camp, Calif. — In 2016, OARS is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service by teaming up with the National Park Foundation in support of their mission to protect America’s treasured places, connect all people with parks, and inspire the next generation of park stewards. As part of a 3-year agreement, OARS is donating one percent of company sales from most of its national park tours to the National Park Foundation for a minimum of $50,000 through the end of 2016.

Additionally, OARS has committed to an in-kind donation of $95,000 in national park trips to be used in support of National Park Foundation programs, like Open OutDoors for Kids (www.nationalparks.org/ook) to help get underserved youth into parks. This year, the company will take a group of Native American youth on a six-day rafting trip on the Colorado River through Canyonlands National Park and the outfitter has partnered with Grand Teton National Park to get multiple groups of Latino youth out on three-day sea kayaking trips on Jackson Lake.

Also, starting this month, the company is giving away a trip for two each month to one of four national parks, including trips in Canyonlands, Grand Canyon, Yellowstone and Grand Teton, and Yosemite National Parks. The sweepstakes runs for six months leading up to the National Park Centennial on August 25th, 2016. Visit www.oars.com/sharethewonder for complete details.

“OARS believes that America’s national parks provide transformative, life-changing experiences that everyone deserves to have which is why OARS hopes everyone will have a chance to share the wonder of our National Parks and other public lands this year with someone they love.”

Since 1969, when company founder George Wendt established OARS as the first exclusively oar-powered rafting outfitter authorized to run trips in the Grand Canyon, the family-owned company has worked directly with the National Park Service to share the grandest canyon on Earth with tens of thousands of visitors. Since then, OARS has expanded to operate in eight national parks, including   Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, Crater Lake National Park, Dinosaur National MonumentGrand Teton National Park,Yellowstone National Park, Yosemite National Park and Grand Canyon National Park.

In a short video, OARS highlights the words of President Theodore Roosevelt: “There can be nothing in the world more beautiful than the Yosemite, the groves of the giant sequoias and redwoods, the Canyon of the Colorado, the Canyon of the Yellowstone, the Three Tetons; and our people should see to it that they are preserved for their children and their children’s children forever, with their majestic beauty all unmarred.” Watch the video here. 

OARS is an authorized concessioner of Arches, Canyonlands, Grand Canyon and Grand Teton National Parks, an authorized concessioner in Dinosaur National Monument and operates by special permit in Crater Lake, Yosemite and Yellowstone National Parks. See www.oars.com/national_park_adventures/ for more information.

See also:

OARS ‘Rim to River’ guided tour puts hike to bottom of Grand Canyon within reach and slideshow

OARS ‘Rim to River’ puts Grand Canyon in reach: Hiking Down South Kaibab Trail and slideshow

OARS ‘Rim to River’ puts Grand Canyon in reach: Night at historic Phantom Ranch and slideshow

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Obama Designates Belmont-Paul Women’s Equality National Monument in Washington DC

Women's Suffrage Rally at Alva Vanderbilt Belmont’s Marble House, Newport, Rhode Island, 1914 (credit: The Preservation Society of Newport County)
Women’s Suffrage Rally at Alva Vanderbilt Belmont’s Marble House, Newport, Rhode Island, 1914 (credit: The Preservation Society of Newport County)

On this year’s Equal Pay Day, April 12, President Obama is designating a new national monument at a historic location in Washington, D.C., to honor the movement for women’s equality. The new Belmont-Paul Women’s Equality National Monument will protect the iconic house that has served as the headquarters for the National Woman’s Party since 1929. From this house, known in recent years as the Sewall-Belmont House, members of the Party led the movement for women’s equality, authoring more than 600 pieces of federal, state and local legislation in support of equal rights.

The designation will permanently protect one of the oldest standing houses near the U.S. Capitol and help preserve an extensive archival collection that documents the history, strategies, tactics and accomplishments of the movement to secure women’s suffrage and equal rights in the United States and across the globe.

Alva Vanderbilt Belmont, seen in a portrait in Marble Hall, worked to pass the 19th Amendment. (credit: The Preservation Society of Newport County)
Alva Vanderbilt Belmont, seen in a portrait in Marble Hall, worked to pass the 19th Amendment.
(credit: The Preservation Society of Newport County)

The new monument is named for former Party president, activist and suffragist Alva Belmont (known also as Alva Vanderbilt), who was a major benefactor of the National Woman’s Party, and Alice Paul, who founded the Party and was the chief strategist and leader in the Party’s ongoing fight for women’s political, social, and economic equality.

After playing an instrumental role in the passage and ratification of the 19thAmendment guaranteeing women’s suffrage, Paul led the Party’s advocacy work from the house, including drafting updated Equal Rights Amendment text, writing provisions that were later included in the Civil Rights Act to prevent discrimination on the basis of gender, and working to get women’s equality language incorporated in the U.N. Charter. A fierce advocate for women’s equality her entire life, Paul died in 1977 at the age of ninety-two.

Efforts to protect the site date back to the early 1970s, and more recent proposals to include the site in the National Park System have garnered Congressional support – including bipartisan legislation introduced by Senator Mikulski – as well as strong support from local elected officials, community leaders, women’s organizations, conservation groups and historians. The National Park Foundation will announce that David Rubenstein is contributing $1 million dollars to support the site and address immediate restoration needs.

In 1997, the National Woman’s Party became an educational organization and today, seeks to educate the public about the ongoing women’s rights equality movement.

In addition to protecting more land and water than any President in history – more than 265 million acres – President Obama has sought to protect places that are diverse, culturally and historically significant, and that reflect the story of all Americans. By honoring the history and accomplishments of the movement for women’s equality, tomorrow’s designation will build on this effort towards a more inclusive National Park System and tell the story of women’s fight for equality for generations to come. Our national parks and other protected sites that represent America’s diverse history and culture will continue to be an important priority for the Administration as the country celebrates the National Park Service Centennial this year.

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