Betty Reid Soskin is the oldest active ranger in the National Park Service. Over the past decade and a half, Ranger Betty has shared her experiences as well as the efforts and sacrifices of women from diverse backgrounds living and working on the WWII home front at Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park.

Learn more about Betty’s inspiring work at: https://www.nps.gov/rori/learn/historyculture/betty-reid-soskin.htm

The National Park Service was officially established on August 25, 1916!

For 105 years, the National Park Service has been entrusted with the care of our national parks. With the help of volunteers and partners, we safeguard these special places and share their stories with millions of visitors every year.

Today, National parks across the country will be hosting in-park programs and virtual experiences. Entrance fees are also waived for everyone to come out to enjoy their national parks! =]:)

Learn more at https://www.nps.gov/subjects/npscelebrates/nps-birthday.htm

Happy birthday, Yellowstone!

 Human history in the region goes back more than 11,000 years

Happy birthday, Grand Teton National Park!

The naming of the mountains is credited to early 19th-century French-speaking trappers—les trois tétons (the three teats) was later shortened to Tetons. At 13,775 feet, the Grand Teton rises more than 7,000 feet above Jackson Hole, almost 850 feet higher than Mount Owen, the second-highest summit in the range.

The park has numerous lakes, including the 15-mile-long Jackson Lake and streams of varying length and the upper main stem of the Snake River. Though now in recession, a dozen small glaciers linger at the higher elevations near the highest peaks. Some of the rocks in the park are the oldest found in any U.S. National Park and have been dated at nearly 2.7 billion years!

The struggles to preserve this region as a national park began in the late 19th century, and in 1929 Grand Teton National Park was established, protecting the Teton Range's major peaks. The valley of Jackson Hole remained in private ownership until the 1930s, when some conservationists led by John D. Rockefeller, Jr. began purchasing land in Jackson Hole to be added to the existing national park. With repeated Congressional efforts to repeal the measures, much of Jackson Hole was set aside for protection as Jackson Hole National Monument in 1943. The monument was abolished in 1950 and most of the monument land was added to Grand Teton National Park.

Started in 1981 to celebrate the 75th birthday of Riverton, Wyoming and has continued every year since on the 3rd weekend of July.

Photo NPS/Tobiason

It's the Tetons birthday, and hopefully, there will be many more.

If you haven't been to the Tetons, they're a little difficult to describe, and even photos don't do them justice. And as you view them close or from a distance, even if you live here like I do, it's always like seeing them for the first time.

As you approach the Tetons, you will feel them. At least I do. It starts as a low hum in my ears, and then I can feel it in my chest. A kind of deep, vibrating thrum. I first noticed it as a child. It was almost like they were speaking to me in someway. It's calming and peaceful. I'm interested in hearing if anyone else experiences it too. I always have, but it's difficult to put into words, and I'll stop now so I don't scare you off!

The naming of the mountains is credited to early 19th-century French-speaking trappers—les trois tétons (the three teats) was later shortened to Tetons. At 13,775 feet, the Grand Teton rises more than 7,000 feet above Jackson Hole, almost 850 feet higher than Mount Owen, the second-highest summit in the range.

The park has numerous lakes, including the 15-mile-long Jackson Lake and streams of varying length and the upper main stem of the Snake River. Though now in recession, a dozen small glaciers linger at the higher elevations near the highest peaks. Some of the rocks in the park are the oldest found in any U.S. National Park and have been dated at nearly 2.7 billion years!

The struggles to preserve this region as a national park began in the late 19th century, and in 1929 Grand Teton National Park was established, protecting the Teton Range's major peaks. The valley of Jackson Hole remained in private ownership until the 1930s, when some conservationists led by John D. Rockefeller, Jr. began purchasing land in Jackson Hole to be added to the existing national park. With repeated Congressional efforts to repeal the measures, much of Jackson Hole was set aside for protection as Jackson Hole National Monument in 1943. The monument was abolished in 1950 and most of the monument land was added to Grand Teton National Park.

One of the things I love about the Grand Teton National Park is the almost pristine ecosystem and the same species of flora and fauna that have existed since prehistoric times can still be found here. That is so cool. More than 1,000 species of vascular plants, dozens of species of mammals, 300 species of birds, more than a dozen fish species and a few species of reptiles and amphibians exist.

Due to various changes in the ecosystem, some of them human-induced, efforts have been made to provide enhanced protection to some species of native fish and the increasingly threatened whitebark pine. Hopefully this will continue.

So, happy birthday Grand Teton National Park. You've been a special part of my life, and I know many other's feel the same way! =]:)

On this day, March 1st in 1872, Yellowstone National Park was born. Well, okay, not really born because it was already there, but the area was designated as a park and forever protected.

The U.S. Congress established the park and signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872. Yellowstone, widely held to be the first national park in the world, is known for its wildlife and its many geothermal features, especially Old Faithful Geyser, one of the most popular features in the park. It has many types of ecosystems, but the subalpine forest is most abundant. It is part of the South Central Rockies forests ecoregion.

Native Americans have lived in the Yellowstone region for at least 11,000 years. The region was bypassed during the Lewis and Clark Expedition in the early 19th century. Aside from visits by mountain men during the early-to-mid-19th century, organized exploration did not begin until the late 1860s. The U.S. Army was commissioned to oversee the park just after its establishment. In 1917, administration of the park was transferred to the National Park Service, which had been created the previous year. Hundreds of structures have been built and are protected for their architectural and historical significance, and researchers have examined more than 1,000 archaeological sites.

Yellowstone National Park spans an area of 3,468.4 square miles (8,983 km2), comprising lakes, is centered over the Yellowstone Caldera, the largest supervolcano on the continent. The caldera is considered an active volcano. It has erupted with tremendous force several times in the last two million years. Half of the world's geothermal features are in Yellowstone, fueled by this ongoing volcanism. Lava flows and rocks from volcanic eruptions cover most of the land area of Yellowstone. The park is the centerpiece of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, the largest remaining nearly-intact ecosystem in the Earth's northern temperate zone. http://goo.gl/1OQFVj
canyons, rivers and mountain ranges. Yellowstone Lake is one of the largest high-altitude lakes in North America and

And so, my hats off to you Yellowstone and happy birthday! Thank you for all the wonderful years I've spent with you and for all the memories. Here's to many, many more. Cheers! =]:)

Thomas Moran was born 180 years ago today in Bolton, Lancashire in England. At 7 years of age, he and his Mother and siblings immigrated to America to join his father in Philadelphia.

Stating when he was 16, and throughout his life, Moran established himself as a well respected painter, engraver and illustrator. He produced artwork for several publications, but it was when he was doing work for Scribner's Magazine that he heard of the Hayden Expedition in 1871 and he joined it at his own expense.

The expedition set out to survey the Missouri and Yellowstone Rivers, which was soon to become the first national park, Yellowstone. Thomas Moran was joined by a team of artists and they sketched, drew and painted many of Yellowstone's geological features and landscapes. In fact, their artwork was used to convince the United States Congress to establish Yellowstone as a national park.

Because of his many years sketching and working in this area, he became known as Thomas "Yellowstone" Moran. He and his artwork and William Henry Jackson's photographs, captured the nation's attention and forever linked him with the area.

Here is a link if you'd like to learn more. His diary from the Hayden Expedition has been photocopied so you can read it right on the website. Pretty cool! =]:)

https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/historyculture/thomasmoransdiary.htm

Photo and artwork from http://nps.gov