Mississippi National River and Recreation Area Announces Array of Events to Celebrate National Park Service Centennial and National Park Week

Via a March 31 News Release from the Mississippi National River & Recreation Area:

Mississippi National River & Recreation Area Joins Find Your Park Movement

National Park Service Kicks off Centennial Campaign, National Park Week

SAINT PAUL, MN – Writer Wallace Stegner called the National Park Service America’s best idea, and in 2016 that idea is turning 100. The Mississippi National River & Recreation Area – the greater Twin Cities own national park – is joining parks, programs and partners across the country in launching a campaign to celebrate the National Park Service’s Centennial and setting the stage for the agency’s second century.

Spearheaded by the National Park Service and the National Park Foundation, the centerpiece of the Centennial celebration is a public awareness and education campaign titled “Find Your Park.” With more than 400 national parks throughout the United States, including five in Minnesota, the campaign encourages everyone to explore, learn, discover, play and be inspired in all of our national parks (FindYourPark.com). Beyond vast landscapes, the campaign highlights historical, urban, and cultural parks, as well as the National Park Service programs that protect, preserve and share nature, culture, and history in communities nationwide.

The Mississippi National River & Recreation Area and its nonprofit partner the Mississippi River Fund will lead the Centennial campaign effort locally. Activities for all ages begin in 2015 and will continue throughout the National Park Service’s 100th anniversary year in 2016, including special events and opportunities for recreation, education, resource protection and enhancement, and volunteering.

“The Centennial and Find Your Park campaign represent a tremendous opportunity for the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area,” said John Anfinson, the park’s superintendent. “They will help us introduce this national park and all it has to offer those who don’t know us.”

“Find Your Park” is the theme for this year’s National Park Week, April 18 – 26. A schedule of local activities is available at nps.gov/miss or missfund.org. Here is a sample:

- Find Coldwater Spring. Walk the trials to Coldwater Spring and Reservoir, count how many migratory birds species you can see, or get your picture taken by a National Park entry monument, as individuals and families have done for generations. Address: 5601 Minnehaha Park Drive South, Minneapolis. Just south of Minnehaha Falls.

- Spring Flower Hunt (April 18, 9:00 a.m.). Join representatives from the Minnesota Native Plant Society and National Park Service at Coldwater Spring to discover spring ephemerals and other flowers at Coldwater Spring.

- Ranger on Call (anytime). A newly launched program in partnership with Nice Ride and the Mississippi River Fund. Whether you walk, ride your bike, or rent a Nice Ride, enjoy this audio tour that leads you along the pathways near the mighty Mississippi. Check out rangeroncall.com.

- Ranger River Talks (April 18, 19, 25, 26). Mississippi River Visitor Center at the Science Museum of Minnesota.

- Storytime with a Ranger (April 21, 11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.) Mississippi River Visitor Center at the Science Museum.

- National Junior Ranger Day (April 25, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.). Make your own fishing lure, talk with “Jacques le Voyageur” about paddling the Mississippi before Minnesota became a state, learn how to properly fit a personal floatation device, or try dressing up like a Park Ranger, and earn your own Mississippi Junior Ranger badge. Mississippi River Visitor Center at the Science Museum.

- Earth Day in the City: Minneapolis River Gorge Cleanup (April 25, 9:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., two locations). Hosted by Friends of the Mississippi River. See fmr.org/participate/events.

For more information on the local Centennial celebration and National Park Week and to get involved, visit nps.gov/miss or missriverfund.org.

About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America’s 407 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more

About the Mississippi National River & Recreation Area. The National Park’s 72-mile boundary stretches along the Mississippi River from Dayton and Ramsey, through Minneapolis and Saint Paul, to just south of Hastings. It includes a range resources, from historic sites like Fort Snelling and unique landmarks like St. Anthony Falls, to public parks, navigation structures and natural areas. While working to protect the river’s ecosystems and water quality, the park offers an array of educational activities. These include ranger-led canoe, biking and hiking programs and the school programs “Urban Wilderness Canoe Adventures” and “Big River Journey.” Find us at nps.gov/miss.

About the Mississippi River Fund. The mission of the Mississippi River Fund (MRF) is to strengthen the connection between people and the Mississippi River and to build support for the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area. Discover MRF at Missriverfund.org.