News Release
NPS Photo by Brett Seymour, National Park Service Submerged Resources Center
News Release Date: July 25, 2016
Contact: Elizabeth Stern, 202-219-8933
Exhibition at National Museum of Natural History will highlight partnership work in parks
WASHINGTON – The National Park Service (NPS) and the Smithsonian are celebrating the NPS centennial with the opening of a new photography exhibit, "100 Years of America's National Park Service: Preserve, Enjoy, Inspire," at the National Museum of Natural History on August 4, 2016.
The exhibition includes more than 60 images from 53 national parks across the country, including national monuments, historic sites, battlefields, lakeshores, seashores, and others. The images were captured by 18 award-winning photographers, including Stan Jorstad and Carol M. Highsmith. National Museum of Natural History visitors will be able to view more than 60 park visitor-submitted photos displayed on a slideshow, 15 stunning nature panoramas, five National Park Service videos sharing how visitors explore parks year-round, as well as artifacts and specimens collected by Smithsonian researchers from park sites.
The 1,820-square-foot exhibition will also highlight how the Smithsonian has played a role in the history of the National Park Service, including the establishment of Yellowstone National Park.Research conducted by the Smithsonian has supported the conservation of America's heritage by the National Park Service.
"As the National Park Service celebrates its 100th anniversary, we want to recognize the important work of partner organizations like the Smithsonian that have been engaged with national parks since their establishment, and that continue to help the NPS study and support these extraordinary places," said National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis. "This exhibit brings that partnership to life for visitors to the National Museum of Natural History, and sets the stage for a second century of collaboration and engagement between these two iconic American institutions."
"America's national parks are a treasured asset, not only for the millions of visitors they host every year, but also for scholars who study the history of our species and planet," said Kirk Johnson Sant, Director of the National Museum of Natural History. "The long-lasting partnership between the National Park Service and the Smithsonian has yielded insights into everything from the fossils found in petrified forests, the lives sacrificed on Civil War battlefields, to the flow of wildlife in urban areas."
About the National Park Service
More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 412 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Visit the National Park Service at www.nps.gov, on Facebook www.facebook.com/nationalparkservice, Twitter www.twitter.com/natlparkservice, and YouTube www.youtube.com/nationalparkservice.
About the Smithsonian
The Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History welcomed approximately 7 million visitors in 2015, making it one of the most-visited museums in the world. Opened in 1910, the museum on the National Mall is dedicated to maintaining and preserving the world's most extensive collection of natural history specimens and human artifacts. It also fosters significant scientific research and educational programs and exhibitions that present the work of its scientists to the public. The museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (closed Dec. 25). Admission is free. For more information, visit the museum on its website and on Facebook and Twitter.
Last updated: July 25, 2016