The National Parks: America’s Best Idea is a six-episode series directed by Ken Burns and written and co-produced by Dayton Duncan. The series took more than six years to film at America’s most spectacular natural sites – from Acadia to Yosemite, Yellowstone to the Grand Canyon, the Everglades of Florida to the Gates of the Arctic in Alaska.
The story is not just about a couple of white men, like John Muir and Theodore Roosevelt, who of course were instrumental in saving these pristine lands. The series also chronicles important people from every conceivable background – rich and poor, famous and unknown, soldiers and scientists, natives and newcomers, idealists, artists and entrepreneurs. These people were willing to devote themselves to saving some precious portion of the land they loved, and in doing so reminded their fellow citizens of the full meaning of democracy.
Ken Burns talks with CNN about his new series:
Note the six episodes of “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea” are available to watch online one day after they air on PBS. But don’t wait too long, as the episodes will only be available to watch online through October 9.
U.S. National Parks will be featured in a line of “America the Beautiful” quarters starting next year that will feature a national park or other site from each state and U.S. territory. The quarters will be issued in the order that the parks and sites were established as national sites.
Hot Springs was the first park to receive a federal designation in 1832. The front of the quarters will still feature the head of our first president, George Washington.
The U.S. Mint will issue five quarters each year. It will also issue mint silver bullion quarter-dollar coins made of .999 fine silver. To place subscription orders for these products, visit the United States Mint website or call 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468).
“These new quarters will honor some of our most revered, treasured and beautiful national sites — majestic and historic places located throughout the United States and its territories that truly make us ‘America the Beautiful,’ ” said U.S. Mint Director Ed Moy. “The designs will help reinvigorate interest in our national parks, forests, fish and wildlife refuges, and other national sites, as well as educate the public about their importance to us and our history.”
The superintendent of Grand Teton National Park has invited the public to a special event to mark the unveiling of a new 98-cent international postage stamp that pays tribute to Grand Teton National Park. This new stamp is part of the Scenic American Landscape series. The stamp unveiling event will take place at 3 p.m. on Sunday, June 28, in the Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center at Moose, Wyoming.
This is the first time that Grand Teton National Park has been honored with a postage stamp specifically highlighting the park. To help celebrate this special recognition, Grand Teton National Park International Postage Stamps and commemorative cachet envelopes will be offered for purchase. The Moose Postmaster, Penny Maldonado, will also be available to cancel first day issue stamps for collection purposes.
The National Park Trust has awarded acclaimed director Ken Burns the first “American Park Experience” Award for his work on the new documentary series: The National Parks, America’s Best Idea. The Award was presented by NPT Board Chair, F. William Brownell.
In accepting the award, Burns said that “our film celebrates the beauty of these parks and the vision and foresight of the men and women who made sure that this land would be preserved.”
The six-part documentary will air in September and trace the birth of the national park idea in the mid-1800s and follows its evolution for nearly 150 years. Over six years in the making, Burns says, “the heart and soul of the film is not just a history of the parks but about our emotional connection to them.”
NPT Board Chair said, “I believe that Ken Burns’ work will touch and inspire many thousands of viewers about the importance not only of preserving and protecting our National Parks, but also the need for our generation and successive generations to witness and learn first-hand about these natural treasures.”
U.S. National Parks will be featured in a line of “America the Beautiful” quarters starting next year that will feature a national park or other site from each state and U.S. territory. The quarters will be issued in the order that the parks and sites were established as national sites.
The superintendent of Grand Teton National Park has invited the public to a special event to mark the unveiling of a new 98-cent international postage stamp that pays tribute to Grand Teton National Park. This new stamp is part of the Scenic American Landscape series. The stamp unveiling event will take place at 3 p.m. on Sunday, June 28, in the Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center at Moose, Wyoming.