It’s National Park Week!
National Park Week 2013, Courtesy of the National Park Service
National Park Week is April 20-28, 2013 — So walk, meander, run, bike, or trail-ride your way to your nearest one! Admission to every national park is FREE Monday through Friday.
Love your national parks, national wildlife refuges, and national forests — numbering more than 2,000 — and continue to support them by your mere presence (especially now). And above all else, bask in the beauty of these wondrous spaces!
A Great blue heron rests in the Everglades of the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge
Heading into the dappled cypress swamp along the boardwalk in the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge
The cypress swamp in winter of the Big Cypress National Preserve
The remaining entrance fee-free dates for 2013 are:
- August 25 (National Park Service Birthday, or Pre-FeyGirl Birthday)
- September 28 (National Public Lands Day)
- November 9-11 (Veterans Day weekend)
FeyGirl
Serenity Spell 
Reblogged this on Ann Novek–With the Sky as the Ceiling and the Heart Outdoors.
Thanks so much for sharing this wonderful event! 🙂
[Marking my calendar – gotta get down to the Lox NWR this week]
Exactly! Take advantage! 🙂
Aug 25–hee hee!
Heeee! Mine’s actually the next day (the first Women’s Lib Day!!)… They’re just ramping up! 🙂
your plans are the reason I refer to birthdays as “birthday SEASON”!
ALWAYS!!! Love it! 🙂
I like that in a person! hee hee!
Really nice capture of the heron
Thanks so much! It was a lovely dusk, and surprisingly he wasn’t frightened….
Thanks for the tip, FeyGirl! ❤
Absolutely! It’s always a good reminder for myself, too, hee. 🙂
Reblogged this on LivingWithHealthyOutlook and commented:
It’s National Park Week visit your local park!
Thanks so much for sharing! 🙂
This is a great reminder. You might want to also mention that there our senior discounts for the park system that are quite significant http://seattletrekker.com/outdoor-seattle/10-lifetime-senior-pass-to-u-s-national-parks.
It’s always a good reminder for me as well! And, I didn’t realize this…! Thanks so much for the info, I’ll try to include them next time around (for the next round of events)! 🙂
The lovely quietude oozes out of the swamp with this magnificant Heron over seeing.
Ah, what a wonderful description!! It really was a WONDERFUL, beautiful dusk… And I was just thrilled he wasn’t frightened of my presence. It was incredibly peaceful.
Your photos take me there! Thank you.
Ah, I’m so happy! It’s hard to capture the beauty of these places, but I’m glad to get snippets of it. Thanks so very much for your kind words… 🙂
Thanks for the heads up! If the weather gets nicer, I may just visit one.
Absolutely!! It’s always a wonderful reminder to me, as well…. 🙂
National parks are a real treasure in any country! Loved the heron photo.
Absolutely, no doubt….
Thanks so much. It was a beautiful dusk in the ‘glades, and I was thrilled this guy didn’t take off when I approached. They’re usually a bit skittish out there! But it’s incredibly peaceful (save the bugs).
Hah! I’ve found a way to access your blog – at last. 🙂 Not sure why I didn’t realise you can actually look at a whole blog in the reader…duh! ANYWAY I really like the look of that cyprus swamp. And what a great way to encourage people to use the parks. I’m reading Prairie Erth at the moment – fascinating.
Hoorah!!! Hahahah! You know, I don’t usually GO to the Reader. That’s how lame / bad I am with some of this WP stuff. I usually count on emails!
Ooooh…. I don’t think I’ve read that. I’m going to have to research that book!
It’s great that there are National parks all over the place, myself though, I prefer the open spaces where we live – no parks, just fields, pastures, river and woods. 🙂 Oh – and plenty of its own wildlife!
Ditto…. I definitely prefer the truly wild spaces. Sadly, without the saved / preserved spaces in our area — the parks, the natural areas — there wouldn’t be much left, thanks to the stupid developers and ignorance of politicians.
Very true.
Lovely photo of the blue Heron !
I agree with Val, it´s really great that we have our National Parks all around the world … But it´s sad that we must have these places to understand that we have to be careful of mother nature …. // Maria
Ah, thanks so much!
I’m with you both on that point…. I’ve always loved the wild spaces. Sadly, without the saved / preserved spaces in our area — the parks, the natural areas — there wouldn’t be much left, thanks to the out-of-control developers and ignorance of politicians. So you’re right… It’s unfortunate that we must highlight these spaces to understand the earth better. Backwards, if you ask me! 🙂
Thank you for a wonderful post to remind us all to support our natural world through visiting our parks and refuges. It’s nice to want to be able to visit open spaces and view wildlife outside a park, but the harsh reality is that those places are rapidly becoming fewer and fewer.
Great photos!
You’re ABSOLUTELY right…. I adore those truly wild places. But sadly, especially in our area — and throughout the States and world, really — wayward development and a general ignorance is devastating them. It’s unfortunate that we must use events such as this to highlight the land and its beauty… A bit backwards. But whatever it takes!!
Thanks so much. 🙂
Beautiful. The last photo, it looks like a special place to be.
Thanks so much!! It really, truly is. Pure magic, these spaces.
Would love to comment but the parks around me are calling my name 🙂
Hahah! Ditto…. It was a good reminder for me, for sure. I hiked a bit yesterday, and will be sure to visit a national park this week. 🙂
Great Blue Heron shot! Thanks for all the info!
Thanks so much! It was such a lovely dusk in the Everglades, and I was thrilled that I didn’t frighten him…. 🙂 Hope you get to make it to a park this week!!
Great pictures and event. Would such acknowledgement allow us to preserve our biodiversity heritage/ Or are we too late?
Shakti
Thanks so much…. I completely agree. We need to be MUCH more proactive in our respect for this planet of ours — instead, habitat loss and destruction are occurring at unprecedented rates throughout the world.
EVERYONE must bring attention, education, and love to these spaces for the sake of the earth’s creatures — as well as for our sakes.
Such beautiful images of our natural world. Oh to explore the protected lands that our leaders had the forethought to create. True treasures.
VERY good point…. Thank goodness for these people and their foresight; THANK goodness!!!
America’s National Parks are the greatest value in the world FeyGirl… Peggy and I set out a few years ago to visit all of them. I can’t think of a better decision I have made in my life… other than marrying Peggy, of course. 🙂 Thanks for the reminder.
SO incredibly wonderful…. Both endeavors!! Love it. So very sweet and what a beautiful, amazing goal.
🙂
Lacking a horse, I’m going to have to go by car – I didn’t know how many national parks there are in Texas, but most of them are some distance away. The closest one is the Big Thicket in East Texas. I’ve been through it while traveling but never have explored over there. I’ll have to make it a priority!
Big Thicket…. That just SOUNDS up for exploring!! I’ll be visiting a nearby preserve / Natl park this week for sure — it’s a standby for me, but with work I won’t be able to drive the hour north to get to my preferred places. I’ll have to save it for the weekend, perhaps! 🙂
Fabulous photos!