Support Preservation for Generations in National Parks
National parks preserve natural landscapes, important histories, cultural experiences, ancestral homelands, and more. When you support national parks, you help protect these special places, honoring the efforts and experiences of past generations and preserving parks for future generations to learn from and enjoy. As the president and chief executive officer of Western National Parks Association (WNPA), I am grateful for supporters like you who can help preserve the more than 70 national parks we support.
Our partner parks are beautiful places where you can find personal joy and a profound connection as you support and experience outdoor recreation, cultural expression, wildlife and habitat protection, and historical preservation.
Your support of WNPA allows us to continue to help our partner parks preserve vital natural, cultural, and historical resources. When you donate to WNPA, you help us fund scientific research to sustain park ecosystems and cultural knowledge, community outreach and supplies that improve park accessibility for all, interactive exhibits that enhance the park experience, and so much more. Our critical work for national parks would not be possible without your generosity. Thank you.
Your donation of $75 or more will allow us to continue to help
protect our parks’ futures with projects like these.
Fostering the Next Generation of Park Stewards
With support from people like you, more than two hundred fourth graders were able to take the boat to Scorpion Island for a field trip to California’s Channel Islands National Park. Studies have shown that fourth graders are at an important developmental stage in their learning during which they are more receptive to engaging with nature and the environment. By helping young people access these beautiful lands, you are helping them establish a lifelong connection to our shared heritage and a sustainable future.
With your help, WNPA can continue to provide engaging activities for Junior Rangers, like the activity booklets and badges for many parks, including Arizona’s Casa Grande Ruins National Monument, Colorado’s Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, and Oklahoma’s Chickasaw National Recreation Area. The Junior Ranger program engages children of all ages, teaching them valuable lessons about each park. These supplies are provided free to visitors, helping to create strong connections to park stewardship for every young visitor. When you support WNPA, you are supporting parents and caregivers looking for a way to make parks just a little more exciting for their families and loved ones.
Connecting Cultures and Generations, Past and Present
You can help us continue to bring communities together. Sharing a meal is a significant part of relationship-building in many cultures. At Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail, WNPA provided a refreshing meal for a workshop with leaders from Hispanic and Indigenous communities, trail partners from the county and state, and local organizations. The Anza Trail has a complex history involving many cultures and peoples. With the help of supporters like you, WNPA helped these communities come together to preserve this historic path for future generations.
Many national parks help preserve the ancestral homelands of Indigenous peoples. With help from supporters like you, WNPA funds events that preserve, protect, and honor the voices of Indigenous peoples inside the parks. At New Mexico’s El Malpais National Monument, WNPA provided funding for San Carlos Apache and Yaqui storyteller Robert Torres to travel to and present night sky stories at the park. With your support, the parks can continue to preserve these important stories and create new connections with future generations.
Habitat Preservation and Education
Many national parks protect habitats that are vital to the health of the planet in the face of climate change and other environmental factors. With your help, WNPA can continue to fund scientific research on the impacts of climate change in parks like Great Basin National Park.
With a WNPA grant, researchers gained valuable insights into future responses to climate change to protect the land and water systems of the park. Great Basin supports an impressive diversity of plants and animals, from those adapted to the desert to those adapted to forest and alpine environments. Your support can help the park continue to monitor and preserve the habitats of at least 11 species of conifer trees, 73 species of mammals, 18 species of reptiles, 238 species of birds, 8 species of fish, and over eight hundred species of plants.
When you donate to WNPA, we can continue to help parks protect the night sky from harmful light pollution. Protecting dark skies offers spectacular stargazing opportunities and preserves the habitats of many forms of life that need a dark sky to feed, mate, and survive. With help from supporters like you, WNPA provides funding for important dark sky initiatives in many national parks. In New Mexico’s Carlsbad Caverns National Park, donor support allowed WNPA to provide equipment for special dark sky programs that educate visitors on the significance of preserving night skies.
When you donate to WNPA, your support helps parks
continue critical preservation work.
Your generous contribution of $75 or more offers you a tax-deductible opportunity to make a difference. It supports recreational activities, scientific research, community connections, and future generations of park stewards. You can get involved by exploring our partner parks, shopping at our park stores and online, attending our events, sharing your impact within national parks with your friends, or connecting with us on social media.
To make your contribution, you can visit www.wnpa.org/donate. Together, we can ensure park preservation for generations, including diverse cultural connections, significant histories, and vital natural habitats.
Thank you for your support, and if you have already contributed, please accept my deepest appreciation.
Sincerely,
Marie Buck
President and Chief Executive Officer
